What Will Wade Said About Georgia Tech
In this story:
RALEIGH — Sometimes, an entire week away from the basketball court can be detrimental to the momentum of a season. NC State men's basketball coach Will Wade is dead-set on avoiding such a lapse for his team, especially with Georgia Tech (10-8, 1-4 ACC) coming into the Lenovo Center for a Saturday matchup.
Wade broke down some of the challenges the Yellow Jackets could pose to his team on the "Wolfpack Weekly" radio show on Thursday. There's a clear respect between Wade and Georgia Tech coach Damon Stoudamire, an accomplished NBA player and assistant coach. What did the Wolfpack's leader have to say about its next opponent?
Wade's thoughts on Georgia Tech
NC State (12-5, 3-1 ACC) and Wade had a very different week when compared to Georgia Tech's last stretch. The Wolfpack rides into Saturday's bout with a two-game winning streak in its belt and a week of rest, while Georgia Tech hasn't won a league game in two weeks. However, the Yellow Jackets have shown they can be more dangerous than their record indicates.
"You can't just look at it and say, 'Well, Georgia Tech got blown out by Pittsburgh.' That's because they got off to a bad start," Wade said. "They get off to a great start and they're a really good team and they could've beaten Pittsburgh and they could kill NC State at home... That's the trap that sometimes your players get into."
Georgia Tech has a pair of talented and experienced ACC players in Kowacie Reeves Jr. and Baye Ndongo. Both returned to the Yellow Jackets after solid 2024-25 seasons and have gotten off to nice starts. That pair will be at the top of Wade's scouting report come Saturday, especially given how the Pack has handled guarding talented individuals so far in the 2025-26 season.
"Reeves was at Florida. Highly-recruited guy, borderline five-star guy. Really dynamic player," Wade said. "Baye (Ndongo) is one of like five players in the league averaging 12 and eight... And he's one of those five... They've got good personnel."
During his radio show appearance, Wade continually harped on Georgia Tech's issues with starting games. In their tight losses, the Yellow Jackets typically played a stronger first half, with some of those coming against some of the best teams in the country.
"They got off to a great start at Duke a couple of weeks ago... They played Duke extremely well on the road," Wade said. "Getting off to a good start and setting the tone for the game and making sure the game is played on your rules and your terms is very, very important... I'm more worried about reestablishing ourselves on the home court."
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
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.
Follow SennettTucker