North Carolina State couldn’t be more thrilled with their new coaching hire. Just days before he made his return to the NCAA Tournament with his new team in McNeese State, Will Wade was announced as the next head coach for the Wolfpack.
A home run hire now looks even better after Wade and the Cowboys stunned No. 5 seeded Clemson to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. It was a massive win for NC State for a couple reasons.
For one, they obviously know the caliber of coach they got. He’s already manhandling ACC teams, so he’s got that part of the job down pat. The Cowboys looked like the better team for the overwhelming majority of the game, a nod to Wade’s ability to recruit.
Good illustration of:
— Kevin Sweeney (@CBB_Central) March 20, 2025
1. How good Will Wade is at recruiting
2. How bad the ACC was that Clemson went 18-2
3. How quickly Wade is likely to flip the NC State roster into a top-third ACC program https://t.co/0851k5Gydd
We already knew how weak the ACC was this year, but Wade just exposed that. He also showed NC State fans the blueprint for what he’s bringing to the Wolfpack as they, too, are eyeing a return to the NCAA Tournament after being last year’s March Madness darlings.
Will Wade stomping Clemson should have NC State fans elated to bring Wade to campus
One thing Wade proved in his NCAA Tournament win over Clemson on Thursday is that he’s going to recruit some athletes. That's been his calling card since his days at LSU, and it should be even more critical in this new NIL era as he looks to return the Wolfpack to prominence.
The ACC was as follows: Duke and then everybody else. It's usually known as a basketball conference, yet the conference’s only win so far is a First Four win from North Carolina. Both Louisville and Clemson were knocked out of the tournament on the first day.
Wade showed he’s not going to have any problems acclimating to a bigger conference. After all, he did compete in the SEC some time ago before recruiting violations marred his tenure with the Tigers.
McNeese State knows what they have in Wade and now have just a few more days (or hey, possibly more) to enjoy that. They knew just how good of a coach he was, though it came with controversies. And they probably always believed they could take down Clemson.
Now Wade will get to haunt the Tigers at least for the next few years in conference play. Wade led McNeese State for two seasons and was able to bring them to the NCAA Tournament in his final go-round.
Imagine how quickly NC State can turn things around. The Wolfpack might not be in the NCAA Tournament this year, but they absolutely came out as the winner of the opening day of March Madness.