What to Make of Will Wade's Viral Postgame Statement

While NC State absolutely clubbed a weak Texas Southern team in Wednesday's 108-72 win, the effort of the Wolfpack clearly frustrated Will Wade. That frustration boiled over into a now viral postgame tirade that made rounds within the college basketball community later that night.

On a night when shooting guard Paul McNeil finished with 47 points and 11 made 3-pointers, it was an unexpected approach for NC State's coach to take. On this episode of the NC State Insider Podcast, get a full breakdown of Wade's tirade and what to expect from the Wolfpack moving forward with just one non-conference game left on the schedule.

Watch the episode

Expanding on Wade's postgame comments

NC State head coach Will Wade went on a spirited rant about his team’s struggles with correcting issues and attention to detail.

Here is part of his postgame press conference following the 108-72 win over Texas Southern @WolfpackOnSI: pic.twitter.com/WPAEiQBak4
— Tucker Sennett (@SennettTucker) December 18, 2025

While Wade began his postgame press conference somewhat quietly, he eventually broke down his cover and shared his true feelings about the team throughout the first two months of the season. The effort of the group was a concern for him before the year began, but he hoped to improve it over time. That hasn't happened yet in his eyes.

"The attention to detail on that stuff, like that stuff, it's fine, we beat Texas Southern, but that's the sort of stuff that's why we hadn't been able to beat Kansas, or we hadn't been able to beat Auburn, why we hadn't been able to beat these guys," Wade said. "It's because we make those same mistakes in those games and they kill us, and we don't get it corrected. And I'm tired of it. I'm absolutely tired of it."

Dec 6, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack head coach Will Wade looks on before the first half of the game against UNC Asheville Bulldogs at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

Internal leadership is the primary aspect of the team that Wade believes is lacking. Some of his roster stepped into larger leadership roles during the early stages of the season, but the passion and edge he wants hasn't shown yet. That left him feeling the way he felt after a Texas Southern game filled with mistakes.

"Quite frankly, I've been trying to get some urgency and some internal leadership," Wade said. "And I think (Quadir Copeland) has done a pretty good job. Outside of (Copeland) and (Ven-Allen Lubin), those guys are playing about as well as we could ask them to play; we take on the personality. We've got a lot of casual personalities on our team."

The concerns are real. While he didn't ring any alarm bells after the loss to Kansas, Wade took a much different stance after Wednesday's win.

"I've been concerned for weeks, but I mean... We are who we are," Wade said. "I said it a couple of weeks ago. If you're not physical and you're not tough, you better be alert and aware and we're still none of the four. We're not physical, we're not tough, we're not alert, we're not aware. If you're alert and aware, you don't give up five points on baseline out-of-balance plays with the clock under three seconds. We just don't do it."

Want more NC State basketball content throughout the year? Follow @WolfpackOnSI and @SennettTucker on X (Twitter) and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.