The Miami Perspective of NC State's Late-Game Collapse
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RALEIGH — While the 77-76 loss to Miami created angst, frustration and disappointment for NC State coach Will Wade, it had the opposite effect on Hurricane coach Jai Lucas, another first-year boss in the ACC. For Lucas, a longtime assistant for the Duke Blue Devils with deep roots in the area, the night ended with elation and relief.
Wade broke down his team's lack of execution, softness and general lack of identity after the game, focusing on the bigger picture issues rather than dwelling on some of the officiating issues and other things that defined the result. Lucas offered some more context on what went down during the final minutes and how the Hurricanes stole a remarkable win in the Lenovo Center.
What Lucas said after the victory
we not done. pic.twitter.com/LRE4Krt83e
— Canes Men’s Basketball (@CanesHoops) February 15, 2026
Lucas was complimentary of what Wade has done in Raleigh in his first year. Both coaches have done enormous work in rebuilding the national reputation of the ACC in the opening seasons in their new gigs.
"Coach Wade has done an amazing job. I know everybody knows that, but he's done a great job in a short time," Lucas said. "With his team and their competitive spirit and competitiveness that they play with, it's really hard to match and it just comes down to little details."
Miami ended the game on a shocking 8-0 run, overcoming NC State's seven-point lead it accumulated from the six-minute mark to the 1:30 mark. Wade indicated that his team was rattled by Miami's sudden shift in pressure, something Lucas explained was all part of the plan when his team got desperate down the stretch.
"The way Dante (Allen) came in in our pressing group... Was able to get active and get hands on the ball," Lucas said. "We did a great job of not fouling in the traps right away. Usually, you can get fouls right away, but we wanted to trap one time and if the ball came out, then foul, but we were able to get turnovers out of the trap, which was big time."
.@CanesHoops go on an 8-0 run in the final minute to get the W over NC State 😳 pic.twitter.com/3x0qDeKuxE
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) February 14, 2026
Lucas explained that his team's identity is fairly simple and that the Hurricanes played that role to perfection. For Wade, who struggled with the fact that his team allowed 20 offensive rebounds, it created frustration with where his group is at this point in the season.
"For me, we always base our game off of three things: points in the paint, offensive rebounding and winning the free-throw battle," Lucas said after the win. "We were able to offensive rebound and match our second chance points with our offensive rebounds, 56 points in the paint."
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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