Why Will Wade says NC State’s resume merits NCAA Tournament bid
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Wade says Wolfpack resume and metrics should still merit NCAA consideration.
- Close losses and four-game skid leave team on bubble despite Quad 1 success.
- Coach urges winning in ACC Tournament to protect resume.
N.C. State head coach Will Wade doesn’t pay much attention to online bracketology reports. He knows what kind of resume can get a team in the NCAA Tournament, based on what he’s experienced and witnessed during his coaching career.
Those things tell him the Wolfpack should still be in the field, even if it’s on the bubble ahead of the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament, Wade said on Saturday after the N.C. State’s 85-84 loss to Stanford. He doesn’t really have an elevator pitch to the selection committee beyond what he’s already discussed.
“We certainly don’t want to risk it by going one and done in Charlotte. That would certainly put us at further risk,” Wade said. “Not that winning one secures anything. You don’t necessarily know that, but I think that we’d be well advised to win our first game.”
N.C. State’s loss to the Cardinal gave the Wolfpack its fourth straight setback, and sixth of its past seven. Three came down to two possessions for fewer. Wade said that comes down to coaching, and he needs to put his team in a better position.
One of the Wolfpack’s ACC losses came against Georgia Tech. Neither the Yellow Jackets nor the Fighting Irish qualified for the conference tournament.
Pack must shed disappointment and frustration
Wade and senior forward Ven-Allen Lubin both admitted it’s disappointing and frustrating. N.C. State wanted to finish the second half of the season on a high note and show what the team can do.
“We feel like we let our fans — people who came out to support us — down, because they came here to watch us play,” Lubin said. “I just think that we just kind of let a couple possessions, one or two possessions, slip away. If we look back to the past seven games, with the exception of Duke and Virginia, we lost games by one to two possessions. We just gotta make sure to learn from this moment going into the ACC Tournament, know how valuable each possession is, and try to get better from there.”
The Wolfpack close the regular season 5-8 in Quad 1 games — its 113-69 win over Florida State has moved to a Quad 1 with the Seminoles’ recent rise — and 6-3 in Quad 2s. The Pack’s NET strength of schedule entering Saturday ranked No. 28 in the nation, according to the NCAA selection rankings.
Its missteps against Miami and Kansas, both 77-76, are Quad 1 losses. Previously, Miami was a Quad 2 contest.
N.C. State has remained ranked in the Top 45 of the NET and KenPom all season, as well.
Wade said a lot of teams are on the bubble, and they all have imperfections. He believes N.C. State’s overall wins against top opponents and its metrics will stack up “pretty favorably” against the other teams. The success of other teams like Miami and Florida State should help N.C. State’s case, as well.
NC State bracketology look
The Wolfpack’s position has varied in bracketology reports this season, often sitting on one of the middle seed lines. It was a No. 9 seed in ESPN’s recent update as it continues its slide.
“You’re judged on the body of work. The last couple weeks haven’t been very good, but I think we’re Top 5 or Top 10 in terms of Quad 1 and Quad 2 wins,” Wade said. “We’ve banked a lot of good wins, and that’s why it’s judged on the season. Our resume is not complete. We’re gonna have some opportunities in Charlotte, and we hopefully can close them out and take advantage of that.”
This isn’t exactly new territory for Wade, who has been over teams facing the bubble. Wade’s 2015-16 team at VCU was a No. 10 seed and in the last group to make the field.
The Rams were the runner-up in the Atlantic-10 Conference Championship, helping secure their spot in the national tournament. They went on to upset No. 7 seed Oregon State in the first round before falling by four points to No. 2 seed Oklahoma by four points.
N.C. State plays the winner of the Stanford-Pittsburgh matchup in the ACC Tournament second round, and whoever it gets, the Wolfpack wants to start the postseason on a high note.
“I still believe in this team. I think we’ve got some good stuff ahead of us,” Wade said. “I think we can do some good things the next couple weeks, but we’ve gotta go make it happen.”
This story was originally published March 8, 2026 at 6:05 AM.
