How Wade Keeps Wolfpack Confident — But Not Comfortable

RALEIGH — If it wasn't clear after his viral postgame statements following a 36-point win over Texas Southern back in December, NC State head coach Will Wade isn't easy to please. In his first season with the Wolfpack, Wade set high expectations and didn't feel his team was meeting them heading into the ACC portion of the schedule.

State got off to a blistering 8-2 start in conference play, knocking off two Quadrant 1 opponents on the road in Clemson and, most recently, SMU. With that success comes a growing sense of confidence within the team. While that confidence and bullishness are acceptable, comfort isn't around Wade, no matter the result of the game. The win over the Mustangs was the latest example of that.

Maintaining an edge

NC State Wolfpack head coach Will Wade yells down court Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, during the NCAA men’s basketball game against the Clemson Tigers at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, South Carolina. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After the 84-83 escape against the Mustangs, Wade was asked whether the coming stretch of two games in three days would help his team in preparing for the NCAA Tournament by the time the calendar flipped to March. He clapped back quickly.

"We've got to make the NCAA Tournament first. Let's not put the cart before the horse," he said.

Even after a second Quadrant 1 win in conference play, Wade isn't comfortable with where his team is. He shouldn't be. The Wolfpack's resumé includes some blemishes, including a home loss to Georgia Tech, a program that continues to plummet down the NET rankings.

The driving force behind NC State's confidence of late stems from its success on the road. The Wolfpack pushed its record away from the Lenovo Center in conference play to a perfect 6-0 with the win in Dallas. Road success often signals a team's ability to thrive in a tournament setting, at least in the eyes of analysts. That's where Wade steps in and makes sure his team is realistic.

"We want to be confident. We're 6-0 on the road in the ACC... We should have confidence in that, but you have to have humility as well," Wade said Tuesday. "The humility comes from (the fact that) there's a lot of stuff we can get better at.

Will Wade and NC State — Dec 6, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack huddle with head coach Will Wade during the second half of the game against UNC Asheville Bulldogs at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

The immediate example Wade provided after the win over the Mustangs was the Wolfpack's ball-screen coverage. He didn't feel as though the Wolfpack executed in that area well, but took responsibility partially because the change to the coverage was made later in the week and the team did not get a lot of practice time with the new scheme.

"If we're not humble enough to understand that we have to get that fixed, then we're going to get humbled on Saturday," he said. "Yeah, we should be confident. We should take confidence from how we're playing, how we're finding ways to win, but you have to have a humility about you... There's going to be problems down the road."

Jan 27, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack forward Darrion Williams (1) celebrates during the second half of the game against the Syracuse Orange at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

It certainly helps when the star of the team is also one of the more unselfish, sometimes to a fault, and humble players. Senior forward Darrion Williams, who dealt with major scoring struggles throughout late November and all of December, turned things around once ACC play started. However, he is far from feeling comfortable with where the team is, even after such a competitive and successful win like the one against SMU.

"I don't think we're anywhere closer than we need to be," he said. "We make a lot of mistakes offensively and defensively. Wasted possessions and just a lot of stuff that we can get better. We don't want to be hitting our peak now. We'd rather be hitting our peak... In a few weeks... We've just got to keep going game-by-game."

Foot on the gas 👏 pic.twitter.com/YpEKtRUkBw
— NC State Men's Basketball (@PackMensBball) February 4, 2026

The game-by-game approach can be viewed as cliché by casual fans, but coaches and the best players preach it for a reason. Teams are only as good as their highest high in that moment. For NC State and Wade, the ultimate goal is to compete at a high-level in the NCAA Tournament. The success needs to be sustained in order for that to be a possibility.

The next step in meeting those goals comes on Saturday when the Wolfpack hosts yet another team in the top half of the ACC in Virginia Tech. That game is scheduled for noon EST at the Lenovo Center.

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