Wade Outlines Difficult Task Against No. 18 Clemson

RALEIGH — Will Wade and NC State are set to take on one of the surprises of the ACC in No. 18 Clemson. The Wolfpack is at a bit of a low point after suffering a shocking home loss to Georgia Tech on Saturday, while the Tigers are off to a perfect start in conference play.

The Pack's coach outlined some of the challenges the Tigers pose during his Monday ACC coach call. The Tigers have been one of the steadiest and most consistent programs in the country under Brad Brownell. However, it will be a homecoming of sorts for Wade, but his focus is on getting a win over a tough Clemson squad.

What did Wade say about the Tigers?

Nick Davidson and Brad Brownell — Clemson Tigers forward Nick Davidson (11) talks to Clemson Tigers head coach Brad Brownell Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, during the NCAA men’s basketball game against the Boston College Eagles at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, South Carolina. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Littlejohn Coliseum is one of the more underrated home venues in the ACC, so NC State will need to be ready for another tough road environment. The last raucous road game the Pack had was back in November when the team made the trip to Auburn and fell to those Tigers. However, Wade is more concerned about the size of the Clemson roster than the difficulties of the road.

"They're massive. (RJ) Godfrey is one of the best scorers in the country," Wade said. "Top 35 in the country in terms of post scoring... He's really physical... (Carter Welling) is very physical. (Jake Wahlin) is more of a perimeter-oriented, they kind of play him more at the three."

Clemson Tigers head coach Brad Brownell points down court Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, during the NCAA men’s basketball game against the Miami Hurricanes at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, South Carolina. Clemson Tigers won 69-59. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Clemson marks a major test for NC State in terms of the standings. While the Tigers are a strong ACC team, they likely aren't going to top the best teams in the conference like Duke and Virginia. That places them in a second tier that the Wolfpack is desperately trying to remain a part of. Even so, Wade has tremendous respect for how Brownell runs his program.

"They play a tried and true style of basketball that wins a lot of games," Wade said. "Coach Brownell is a tremendous coach and has a tremendous staff... They've got a great scheme. They've got a great plan of attack and they want to pound that ball inside and score at the rim and score inside that restricted arc as much as they can."

Jan 17, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack head coach Will Wade looks on during the first half of the game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

It marks a return to Clemson for Wade. The coach started his coaching career with the Tigers, the school he graduated from. However, his focus remains on the Wolfpack and he won't get bogged down in the trip to a place he called home for several years.

"Clemson was great to me. I graduated from Clemson," Wade said. "Look, our team needs to win and Clemson is a great team. This doesn't have anything to do with nostalgia or any of that stuff. We've got to find a way to play better, find a way to see if we can win a game in a tough environment against a really well-coached and really good team."

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