NC State in First Four: Coach Wade's Game Plan

0:00On March 16th, NC State made the March Madness field for the 2026 tournament, but not as a top seed. The Wolfpack landed in the first four, set to face Texas on Tuesday night in Dayton, Ohio. They started strong with a win over Virginia in the ACC tournament in Charlotte and bracket experts mostly pegged them for an early roundby. That changed after a tough quad for loss to Georgia Tech and dropping six of their last seven regular season games, putting them right on the bubble. Coach Will Wade addressed the media after Selection Sunday, expressing surprise at the first four spot and the rematch with Texas whom they faced. Earlier, he pointed to Texas' hot three-point shooting in that prior game and stressed the need for better discipline and edge from his squad. Wade drew on past experiences like his time in Dayton with VCU and the team's recent ACC tournament prep, noting their veterans bring tournament, know how. He dismissed any metrics debates, calling it a life lesson that every game counts

1:01and said the locker room stayed quiet and focused. Now the Wolfpack hit the film room, aiming to clean up details for a quick turnaround that could send them to Portland next if they advance.