The Aftershock of the Wolfpack's First Four Loss to Texas

All it took was one mid-range jumper from Texas guard Tramon Mark to end NC State's first season under coach Will Wade, as the Longhorns sent the Wolfpack home from the First Four in Dayton, Ohio, with a 68-66 loss. Despite the back-and-forth nature of the game, the Pack ended up suffering many of the same issues it dealt with during the regular season and ACC Tournament.

On this episode of the NC State Insider Podcast, host and lead beat writer Tucker Sennett, now back from Dayton, discusses what went wrong against Texas, what members of the program said in the locker room and what could be next for Wade, his staff and the Wolfpack itself as it turns the page to the 2026-27 season and looks to turn things around.

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What Wade said after the loss

Mar 16, 2026; Dayton, OH, USA; NC State Wolfpack head coach Will Wade walks the court during a practice session ahead of the first four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at University of Dayton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Rather than dwell on what went wrong in this game, Wade realized the Longhorns helped produce a microcosm of the 2025-26 season for the Wolfpack. NC State had moments of brilliance and high-intensity, followed by lulls in execution and attention to detail. Those lulls were so frustrating for Wade that he promised wholesale changes were coming.

"We've got changes we've got to make up and down the program," he said. "My eyes are wide-open. I understand what we need to do. This is unacceptable, losing in Dayton. In some ways, we were lucky to make the tournament with this group, but we have to do a much better job getting guys and making sure we get guys that fit us in the future and making sure we're not back in this spot."

The Wolfpack will be a completely new team a year from now. Wade was adamant that the roster construction before the 2025-26 season ended up costing the program in key moments. Before his team got on the plane back to Raleigh, the coach already started plotting his next steps for turning around the historic program he took over.

"We're going to go back and when the wheels hit the ground, we're going to start preparing for next year," Wade said. "My eyes are wide-open. I understand what we need to do, but this is unacceptable, losing in Dayton. In some ways, we were fortunate to make the Tournament with this group, but we've got to do a much better job getting guys and making sure we get guys that fit us in the future."