Wade Talks NC State Expectations Against No. 11 Virginia
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RALEIGH — NC State men's basketball is officially in the most crucial stretch of the season, facing just four more conference opponents before the ACC Tournament in Charlotte. The first of those foes is No. 11 Virginia, a team that dished coach Will Wade his first conference loss at the helm of his new program back in January.
The Wolfpack proved to be one of the most unpredictable teams in the conference after that first loss, starting perfectly on the road before a 41-point loss to Louisville in the KFC Yum! Center. After being thoroughly beaten by Virginia and Ryan Odom in its first try, NC State needs to put a much better effort forward to have a chance in what could be a deciding game for Wade's team in the hunt for a top-four seed in the ACC.
What Wade said about Virginia this time
Since they were both hired by their respective ACC schools, comparisons were drawn between Wade and Odom. It stems back to their background, as both made stops at VCU, a cradle for ascending coaches in the sport. While both are having success at their latest programs, Wade doesn't feel there's much similarity in how they're going about it.
"Virginia is playing great. Great personnel. They're huge. They're kind of the opposite of what we are," Wade said. "Their physicality poses a lot of issues for us. This will be a monumental task (Tuesday)."
The physicality Wade mentioned does indeed pose a major threat to a Wolfpack squad that struggled with that through the first 14 games of the ACC schedule. However, the team turned things around against a massively diminished UNC squad a week before its matchup against Virginia. Wade knows setting a better tone could be the difference.
"Hopefully, we can play better. We've got to get off to a better start than we did in the first game," Wade said, referencing the 76-61 loss in January. "We've got to not let our offense -- because it's going to be tough sledding, they're the best defensive team in the league -- affect our defense, because any chance we have, we're going to have to be better defensively."
Virginia had no issues scoring in the first go-around against the Wolfpack. Now, stopping the Cavaliers could be even more difficult for Wade's group, as the home team will have the services of a true sharpshooter in the second bout of the series.
"The first time around, they didn't have (Jacari White). He was out," Wade said. "He's kind of value-added. He's made them even better. He's instant offense. You could argue he won them the Florida State game with how he played. He did the same thing against Miami, as well. It's another play that you've got to really account for. I think they're even better than the first time we played them."
The Wolfpack responded well after Wade called the team out for soft play down the stretch against Miami, a game that totally slipped out of NC State's hands, disappointingly for the coach. If the same issues persist from that performance, there's major reason for concern, according to Wade himself.
"We're going to have to match or exceed their physicality," Wade said. "I'm very worried about that. They're extremely physical. They're one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the conference. ... Defensive rebounding is certainly an area that we've struggled."
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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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