LOUISVILLE, Ky. — N.C. State basketball coach Will Wade, wearing a tired and somewhat resigned expression, looked at the videoboard and made a “T” sign with his hands 76 seconds into the second half. Timeout.

Wade was trying to stop the snowball, but it was too late.

No. 24 Louisville, after shooting 8 of 11 from 3 in the first half, started the second period with a pair of 3s. If the game wasn’t over by then, it was certainly over two minutes later when Mikel Brown threw down a dunk in transition and put the Cards up 30.

N.C. State fell to Louisville, 118-77, on Monday in its worst defensive performance of the season, snapping its six-game winning streak and perfect ACC road record as Brown scored 45 points and teammate Ryan Conwell added 31.

Louisville’s 118 points was the second-most opponent points allowed in N.C. State history. It surpasses the 113 points by North Carolina on Feb. 5, 2019, the year the Tar Heels made the Final Four. It was only six points shy of the all-time record.

Two days earlier, after his team beat Virginia Tech at home, N.C. State coach Will Wade warned “we’ll get embarrassed if we’re not on point” against Louisville. He hoped his Wolfpack would “be able to prepare the right way to meet the moment on Monday.”

N.C. State (18-7. 9-3 ACC) didn’t meet the moment, and it was more than embarrassed. The Wolfpack gave up a season-high in scoring; its previous season-high was 102 against Texas in the Maui Invitational. It gave up season highs in first half scoring (56) and second half scoring (62), records previously held by the Longhorns.

The Wolfpack defense looked soft and lacked urgency from the jump and allowed the Cardinals to lead wire to wire.

On Monday night, Wade said “everything” went wrong defensively.

“We got whipped off the bounce. They beat us in every way possible. We just got torched,” Wade said. “We gave up 76 points to two players. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that. They picked at some matchups, and we could just never get our footing. Got down 14-4 and never get our footing in the game. We just got hammered.”

Louisville (18-6, 8-4 ACC) started the game on a 7-0 run, and a pair of N.C. State field goals cut the lead to three points. Another 8-0 pushed the Cards up 11 and it was off to the races.

It didn’t seem to matter what N.C. State drew up or which lineup was on the floor, it was unable to guard Louisville and pressure the basketball like it has against other opponents this season.

N.C. State looked completely out of its depth. Players kept getting lost and missing their assignments. Even when they knew where to be, Louisville made the right passes, made the hustle plays and out-toughed the visiting Pack.

Brown tied a Cardinals’ program scoring record and a Wolfpack opponent record with his 45 points, blasting past his previous career high of 29 points. He shot 14 of 23 (60.9%) from the field, including 10 of 16 (62.5%) from 3. His 10 3s tie a Louisville single-game record and ranks No. 2 in N.C. State history.

Brown’s performance set a new ACC single-game freshman scoring record, surpassing the 42 points Cooper Flagg scored in a Duke win over Notre Dame last season.

“I didn’t have the right pulse of things today. I didn’t have the right read today, and it showed,” Wade said. “This should never happen. That’s not the standard of our program, not the standard of who we are. To give up the amount of records that we gave up tonight, it’s embarrassing. It’s embarrassing for myself, it’s embarrassing for the program. It’s embarrassing for our fans.”

The Wolfpack did a decent job staying on other shooters, but it didn’t matter when Brown and Conwell dominated the scoring.

Louisville won nearly every metric, including rebounding, transition points, assists and blocks.

Offensively, the Pack should’ve scored enough to win a game. Ven-Allen Lubin finished with 20 points, while Tre Holloman added 19. Lubin has reached double figures in nine consecutive games.

N.C. State, however, shot 41.2% from the floor. As a team, it shot 4 of 22 (18.2%). The Pack came into the KFC Yum! Center as the most accurate 3-point shooting team (41.7%) in ACC play that attempted roughly 27 3s per game in conference play.

Paul McNeil, the ACC’s leading 3-point shooter, was held to 0 for 5 from the field and 0 for 2 from 3-point range.

Here are other observations from the game:

Keys to a Pack win: Not accomplished

Entering the game, the Wolfpack needed to shut down passing lanes and limit 3-point shooting. It did neither.

The Cardinals have recorded an assist on 61.6% of their made field goals this season, including 59.3% in ACC play. They averaged 16.3 assists and 11.5 turnovers per game. In their four conference losses, the Cards finished with a negative assist-to-turnover ratio.

N.C. State led the conference with 13.5 turnovers per game, including 9.2 steals. The Pack forced 10 turnovers, but the defense still gave up 21 assists on 39 made Louisville baskets.

Additionally, the Cardinals came into the game attempting a 3 on nearly 54% of its shots, which leads the nation. They aren’t always the most efficient, but when Louisville gets hot from distance, its shooters are virtually unstoppable.

The Wolfpack’s 3-point defense has struggled at a number of points this season, but its deficiencies were on full display — on national television, no less.

N.C. State allowed Louisville to shoot 18-30 (60%) from long range, creating a margin impossible for the Wolfpack to overcome.

NC State foul trouble adds to issues

N.C. State picked up four fouls in the first eight minutes of play, including one on Holloman when Conwell was shooting a 3. Conwell made all three free throws, putting the Cardinals on top by 11.

By halftime, officials called eight fouls on the Wolfpack. Holloman, Quadir Copeland and Terrance Arceneaux all recorded a pair of fouls in the opening period. The foul calls sent Louisville for 15 free throw attempts, helping the Cardinals build a 20-point halftime lead.

The Pack finished with 17 fouls, including four on McNeil and three on Matt Able. Its lack of discipline on defense led to the Cards shooting 22 of 27 (81.5%) from the free throw line.

While that didn’t lose the game on its own, it certainly contributed to the blowout result.

Able continues growth

N.C. State guard Matt Able checked out of the game with two minutes remaining in the half, Wade reached out his hand for a low-key high five to acknowledge his young guard’s efforts.

There were few positive spots on Monday night in the Wolfpack’s blowout loss to the Cardinals, but Able can say he was one of them.

The freshman provided strong defense to contest a shot by Khani Rooths, which Rooths missed. Able guarded Isaac McKneely during several plays and limited the Cards’ veteran guard from getting off a clean look.

He recorded a steal against J’Vonne Hadley and was one of the Wolfpack’s toughest competitors in the rebounding effort.

On the opposite end, Able grabbed his own rebound for a putback.

Able still had missed assignments, notably on the defensive end, but his growth and contributions remain important for the team and his personal growth.

Wade has complimented the freshman several times over the last several weeks.

“Our kid, Matt Able, is really coming on,” Wade said last week. “He’s going to have some big games down the stretch here for us. I believe that, especially from a scoring standpoint, he’s been doing all the other little things.”

Wade said it was hard to find silver linings in a loss this big, but he did think Able was one of a few players who made good plays.

Able finished with eight points, a team-high seven rebounds and a pair of steals.

“We just didn’t have enough of it,” Wade said Monday night. “But we’ve been making progress with some guys.”

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