Report: NC State men’s basketball got its new coach. Now it has a home date against Kansas
N.C. State and Kansas have reportedly set a date for the second game of its home-and-home series, which began last year.
The Jayhawks will travel to Raleigh for a matchup on Dec. 13, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. The series was agreed upon last spring.
New Wolfpack head coach Will Wade said at his introduction he was not going to back down from tough opponents and planned to schedule difficult nonconference matchups.
“We’re going to challenge ourselves in the ACC, we’re going to challenge ourselves in the non-conference,” Wade said. “We want to compete against the best. You can’t be the best playing a bunch of bad teams. You get better by playing the best teams in the country.”
Wade came from McNeese State, where he elevated the program to national prominence. Prior to his arrival, the team was among the worst in the country. In both seasons, it finished in the KenPom Top 75. It boasted a Top 25-ranked nonconference strength of schedule this season.
“I like to compete against the best,” Wade said. “I don’t care who’s coaching the other team. We want to compete. We want to play the best. … We’ll go schedule some Hall of Fame coaches if we need to.”
Things will look far different for both programs in the second half of the series. Wade has since taken over the N.C. State men’s basketball program after Kevin Keatts was fired. Wade and his staff are working to create a roster, which includes expected returners Paul McNeil and Trey Parker. It added Alyn Breed and Quadir Copeland out of the transfer portal, while picking up commitments from freshmen Zymicah Wilkins and Matthew Able.
The Jayhawks, meanwhile, have four players in the portal. Hunter Dickinson, who scored 21 points and pulled down 14 rebounds has exhausted his eligibility. Zeke Mayo, who scored 26 points, will pursue a professional career.
Bill Self and Co. signed two incoming freshmen, including No. 1 recruit in the nation, Darryn Peterson, and picked up commitments from two transfers.
With the portal open for another week and a half, it’s unclear exactly how different the two rosters will be by the time the game takes place.
Kansas leads the all-time series 13-1. Last season, the Wolfpack traveled to Allen Fieldhouse where it fell to the Big 12 opponent, 75-60. At the time, Kansas was ranked No. 10 in the AP Top 25.
N.C. State expects to hold its home opener on Nov. 3 at Lenovo Center.
