McNeese Players Confirm Will Wade Is Focused on NCAA Tournament Amid NC State Reports

Wade's coaching future won't mess with McNeese's March Madness run.

McNeese State Cowboys head coach Wade talks with his players during the first half against the Clemson Tigers at Amica Mutual Pavilion. | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Although Will Wade's coaching future beyond this season is up in the air, he has McNeese State locked in. He brought No. 12 seed McNeese its first NCAA tournament win in program history Thursday with a 69-67 upset win over No. 5 seed Clemson.

Just a day before the Cowboys' historic win, Wade reportedly agreed to take the open coaching job at NC State. Although onlookers worried the fresh news could hamper a potential tournament run for the Pokes, Wade's players weren't concerned in the slightest.

"I've been focused on the game," Wade said to reporters postgame. "I mean, [the players] will tell you, I've been on one about the game. Whatever else is happening, that's of no distraction to us. I know everybody else thinks there's distractions and stuff. We operate the same way all the time, nothing has been any different."

McNeese stars Quadir Copeland, Brandon Murray and Christian Shumate nodded in strong agreement as they sat to Wade's side during the postgame press conference. Copeland continued to nod as Wade spoke, with a strong gesture to potentially signal he thought Wade was too "on one" about the game. Murray also dismissed the thought of any outside noise with a subtle hand gesture as his coach refuted any perceived distractions.

Will Wade's players had a great reaction to him being locked in 😂#MarchMadness @McNeeseMBB pic.twitter.com/e8dYV7LAwL

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2025

As McNeese moves on for a round of 32 matchup with Purdue on Saturday, the team dismissed any notion that Wade's likely departure could limit their March run.

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