March Madness: After McNeese pulled off NCAA tournament’s first big upset, it’s clear NC State is getting a winner in Will Wade

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Arms raised in the air and a big smile on his face, Will Wade ran to the first row of the McNeese cheering section after his team’s upset victory over Clemson and hugged or high-fived everyone that he could reach.

It was a celebration that probably didn’t look all that different from what was going on inside the NC State athletic department building at the time.

One day after a flurry of reports that Wade has reached an agreement to become NC State’s next head coach, he offered the Wolfpack a glimpse of how significant a coaching upgrade they’ll be getting. No. 12 seed McNeese pulled off the first notable upset of this year’s NCAA tournament on Thursday afternoon, throttling fifth-seeded Clemson for 30-plus minutes and then withstanding a desperate last-gasp comeback from the Tigers.

The 69-67 final score doesn’t reflect the vice grip McNeese had for much of the game. The Cowboys led by 22 points with eight minutes to go against a Clemson team that went 18-2 in ACC play and was the only team in the league to post a win against Duke. McNeese celebrated its first NCAA tournament win in program history and earned a crack at No. 4 Purdue in the second round on Saturday.

The instant turnaround that Wade has engineered at McNeese illustrates how quickly he might be able to transform NC State into a top-tier ACC program. Taking advantage of McNeese’s newfound financial commitment to basketball success, Wade identified high-major transfers he wanted to pursue, persuaded them to come to a Southland Conference program and built teams that have combined for 58 wins in two years.

McNeese coach Will Wade had plenty reason to celebrate after the Cowboys’ first-round upset win over Clemson on Thursday. (Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

McNeese’s win over Clemson is also a reminder of how down the ACC is these days. A league once synonymous with basketball dominance has fallen on hard times with so many of its coaching legends retiring and so many of its programs…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/college-basketball/article/march-madness-after-mcneese-pulled-off-ncaa-tournaments-first-big-upset-its-clear-nc-state-is-getting-a-winner-in-will-wade-232840313.html

Author : Jeff Eisenberg

Publish date : 2025-03-20 23:28:00

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