Wade Expresses Concerns About Stanford Matchup

RALEIGH — The last three weeks haven't been ideal for Will Wade and NC State men's basketball. The Wolfpack appeared to have hit its stride after winning six-straight games, but crumbled and proceeded to lose five of its next six. That collapse set up a far more important regular-season finale against Stanford on Saturday, a game the Pack can't afford to overlook at this point.

Wade took credit multiple times for his team's efforts during the recent run of poor play and now feels as though he's the only one capable of pulling NC State out of this rut. It won't be easy with a Cardinal team coming to the Lenovo Center in search of another big victory to stay alive in a race for the NCAA Tournament.

Stanford won't be a pushover

Feb 28, 2026; South Bend, Indiana, USA; NC State Wolfpack head coach Will Wade claps against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

The Wolfpack is catching Stanford at an unfortunate time. The Cardinal is in the midst of a three-game win streak, while NC State continues to reel down the stretch of the ACC season. With a win, the Cardinal could be back in the NCAA Tournament picture and on the bubble, making them a desperate group. Stanford also had more luck on the road than the Pack did earlier in the week.

"They just won at Notre Dame, where we lost," Wade said on the "Wolfpack Weekly" radio show Thursday. "They controlled the game and were able to close it out ... They were able to close the game out, unlike us. ... They were up 10 to eight points most of the second half. They've got a tremendous point guard. They've got tremendous shooters. They've got a great coach."

The tremendous point guard Wade referenced was Ebuka Okorie, one of the more remarkable stories in college basketball. Okorie arrived in Palo Alto as an unsung recruit known for distribution as a younger player and exploded into one of the toughest covers in the sport. He'll arrive in Raleigh as the conference's leading scorer, making him a major concern for Wade.

"They keep the ball in his hands. They're not dumb. They put the ball in their best player's hands and keep it in them for a long time," Wade said. "He's electric with the ball. He's very fast with the ball. Gets in the paint. He's shooting it well from three. He's able to read the defense very well. ... I like him, he's very stoic. ... You'd never know if he made a great play or a bad play. ... He doesn't play like a freshman."

After successful stints all over the country, Kyle Smith landed at Stanford ahead of the 2024-25 season, leaving behind a successful rebuild of Washington State. He brought many of the same principles that helped him ascend the coaching ranks and reach the ACC, all of which are still practiced by the Cardinal, particularly defensively.

"They're very physical on the drives, so they're able to play your drives one-on-ones," Wade said. "They do a good job with physicality on the drives, showing their hands, fouling you with their chest, which is legal. ... They really do a nice job ... And that allows them to stay home on the shooters."

The opposite trajectories of the two squads clashing on Saturday also caused some concern for Wade. Stanford seems to be clicking at the right time, while NC State battles to hold things together down the stretch of a season chalked full of emotional highs and lows.

"Their parts and pieces fit and they've been picking up momentum," Wade said about Stanford. "People don't realize that they've played really well. They've won as many Quad 1 games as we have. ... Of the high-end games, they've won as many as we have."

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