# 1989–90 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team

The 1989–90 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team represented North Carolina State University during the 1989–90 men's college basketball season. It was Jim Valvano's final season as head coach.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Site city, state |
| November 15* | No. 19 | Richmond Preseason NIT | W 57–48 | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, NC |
| November 17* | No. 19 | at DePaul Preseason NIT | L 63–70 | |
| November 27* | No. 25 | Appalachian State Preseason NIT | W 97–67 | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, NC |
| December 1* | No. 25 | vs. Ohio State Tournament of Champions | W 68–54 | Charlotte, NC |
| December 2* | No. 25 | vs. No. 18 Pittsburgh Tournament of Champions | W 100–87 | Charlotte, NC |
| December 5* | No. 19 | vs. No. 15 St. John's ACC–Big East Challenge | W 67–53 | Greensboro, NC |
| December 7* | No. 19 | Duquesne | W 126–77 | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, NC |
| December 19* | No. 15 | East Tennessee State | L 82–92 | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, NC |
| December 21* | No. 15 | UNC-Asheville | W 110–70 | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, NC |
| December 27* | No. 19 | vs. Florida State ECAC Holiday Festival | W 90–72 | Madison Square Garden New York, NY |
| December 29* | No. 19 | vs. Seton Hall ECAC Holiday Festival | W 65–62 | Madison Square Garden New York, NY |
| January 3 | No. 18 | Clemson | W 79–77 | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, NC |
| January 6* | No. 18 | Temple | W 74–71 | Atlantic City, NJ |
| January 10* | No. 17 | Boston University | W 95–70 | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, NC |
| January 13 | No. 17 | at No. 9 Georgia Tech | L 85–92 | Alexander Memorial Coliseum Atlanta, GA |
| January 18 | No. 19 | at Wake Forest | W 61–57 | LJVM Coliseum Winston-Salem, NC |
| January 20 | No. 19 | North Carolina | L 81–91 | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, NC |
| January 24 | | at No. 8 Duke | L 82–85 | Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, NC |
| January 27 | | Maryland | W 81–61 | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, NC |
| January 31 | | Virginia | W 84–58 | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, NC |
| February 3* | | at No. 12 UNLV | L 82–88 | Thomas & Mack Center Las Vegas, NV |
| February 7 | | at North Carolina | W 88–77 | Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC |
| February 10* | | DePaul | W 80–71 | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, NC |
| February 12 | | at Clemson | L 81–89 | Littlejohn Coliseum Clemson, SC |
| February 17 | | No. 13 Georgia Tech | L 92–95 $^{2OT}$ | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, NC |
| February 21 | | No. 3 Duke | W 76–71 | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, NC |
| February 25 | | at Virginia | L 71–77 | University Hall Charlottesville, VA |
| February 28 | | at Maryland | L 95–96 | Cole Field House College Park, MD |
| March 4 | | Wake Forest | L 91–93 | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, NC |
| ACC Tournament ||||||
| March 9* | | vs. No. 14 Georgia Tech ACC tournament | L 67–76 | Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, NC |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. ||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked :
| | Week | Week | 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 | 15 | 16 | Final |
| AP | 19 | 25 | 19 | 16 | 15 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Coaches | — | — | 18 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |