# 1981–82 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team

The 1981–82 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team represented North Carolina State University as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference during the 1981–82 men's college basketball season. Led by second-year head coach Jim Valvano, the Wolfpack played their home games at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, North Carolina. NC State finished with a .500 record in ACC play (7–7) and reached the semifinals of the ACC Tournament. The team received a bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 7 seed in the Mideast region. NC State was defeated by No. 10 seed Chattanooga in the opening round to finish the season with an overall record of 22–10.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| November 28* | | Campbell | W 68–53 | 1-0 | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Nov 30, 1981* | | at Davidson | W 76–55 | 2–0 | Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Dec 2, 1981* | | Saint Francis (PA) | W 89–56 | 3–0 | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Dec 5, 1981* | | Saint Peter's | W 44–33 | 4–0 | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Dec 9, 1981* | | Appalachian State | W 66–38 | 5–0 | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Dec 12, 1981 | | Maryland | W 74–53 | 6–0 (1–0) | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Dec 19, 1981* | | UNC Wilmington | W 77–43 | 7–0 | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Dec 27, 1981* | No. 20 | vs. Michigan State Rainbow Classic | W 67–46 | 8–0 | Neil S. Blaisdell Center Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Dec 28, 1981* | No. 20 | vs. No. 3 Wichita State Rainbow Classic | W 60–48 | 9–0 | Neil S. Blaisdell Center Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Dec 29, 1981* | No. 20 | vs. Rice Rainbow Classic Championship | L 47–51 | 9–1 | Neil S. Blaisdell Center Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Jan 2, 1982 | No. 20 | Clemson | W 75–59 | 10–1 (2–0) | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Jan 4, 1982* | No. 15 | Southern Miss | W 46–45 | 11–1 | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Jan 9, 1982 | No. 15 | at Georgia Tech | W 55–49 | 12–1 (3–0) | Alexander Memorial Coliseum Atlanta, Georgia |
| Jan 13, 1982 | No. 12 | No. 1 North Carolina | L 41–61 | 12–2 (3–1) | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Jan 16, 1982 | No. 12 | at Wake Forest | W 52–50 | 13–2 (4–1) | Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
| Jan 20, 1982 | No. 14 | at Duke | L 48–49 | 13–3 (4–2) | Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, North Carolina |
| Jan 23, 1982* | No. 14 | East Carolina | W 63–53 | 14–3 | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Jan 26, 1982 | No. 17 | Georgia Tech | W 49–40 | 15–3 (5–2) | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Jan 30, 1982 | No. 17 | at No. 2 North Carolina | L 44–58 | 15–4 (5–3) | Carmichael Auditorium Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| Feb 3, 1982 | | at Clemson | L 54–65 | 15–5 (5–4) | Littlejohn Coliseum Clemson, South Carolina |
| Feb 5, 1982* | | vs. The Citadel | W 54–44 | 16–5 | Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Feb 6, 1982* | | vs. Furman | W 67–55 | 17–5 | Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Feb 10, 1982 | | No. 1 Virginia | L 36–39 | 17–6 (5–5) | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Feb 13, 1982* | | at Notre Dame | W 62–42 | 18–6 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana |
| Feb 16, 1982 | | Duke | W 72–56 | 19–6 (6–5) | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Feb 20, 1982 | | at No. 1 Virginia | L 40–45 | 19–7 (6–6) | University Hall Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Feb 22, 1982* | | Loyola (MD) | W 80–52 | 20–7 | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Feb 24, 1982 | | at Maryland | W 52–38 | 21–7 (7–6) | Cole Fieldhouse College Park, Maryland |
| Feb 27, 1982 | | No. 18 Wake Forest | L 46–50 | 21–8 (7–7) | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, North Carolina |
| ACC Tournament ||||||
| March 5* | | vs. Maryland ACC tournament Quarterfinal | W 40–28 | 22–8 | Greensboro Coliseum Greensboro, NC |
| March 6* | | vs. No. 1 North Carolina ACC Tournament Semifinal | L 46–58 | 22–9 | Greensboro Coliseum Greensboro, NC |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||
| March 12* | (7 ME) | vs. (10 ME) Chattanooga NCAA tournament first round | L 51–58 | 22–10 | Market Square Arena Indianapolis, IN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. ME=Mideast. ||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | RV | 20 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | 18 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — |