Their coach sounds like a smart and good guy. Too bad they have to face us first. I also think that people give too much credit to the beginning of the season. Most teams do improve as the season goes on (not all) and some improve at a faster rate and also by more than others.
While NC State got beat by NCCU in OT at the beginning of the year, you have to take it with a grain of salt only because NC State has improved a ton since that time. They started out the ACC 1-4 and as of a few months ago, nobody expected them to make the NCAA tournament. They beat UN Greensboro by only 4 at UNCG while 6-26 Presbyterian of the Big South (2-14) beat the same team (UNCG) at UNCG by 21. A lot can change over time.
Remember when Mississippi Valley State almost beat us when we had Royce White? Beginning of the year only means so much which is why it's more important to see how a team finished off the year.
If I had to make a guess, they'll play us closely in the first 10-20 minutes and we'll pull away in the 2nd half and win by 7-15 points. Definitely not a team to look past, but it will take a really bad night for us to lose IMO.