Will Wade Disappointed Again After Overtime Collapse at Notre Dame
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After back-to-back losses in which the defense completely failed for NC State, Will Wade held no feelings but disappointment in himself. In his first season with the Wolfpack, the team has failed to meet his standards for excellence, especially on that end of the floor. The 96-90 overtime loss to Notre Dame was no exception, as the Wolfpack did not execute at a high level down the stretch.
With the end of the regular season drawing near, Wade is doing all he can to get NC State across the finish line with a chance to compete in the NCAA Tournament. However, his team's hopes for March glory took a hit on Saturday and the lights only get brighter the rest of the way.
Wade's thoughts on the Notre Dame loss
While the defense was a disaster earlier in the week in the 29-point loss to No. 11 Virginia, Wade might've been even more disappointed in the team's effort against the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame guards Cole Certa and Jalen Haralson combined for 57 points in the win, with Certa burying six shots from beyond the 3-point arc.
"We haven't had good defense all week. We gave up 186 points in two games," Wade said. "We've got to be better with the details. We've got to be better with our execution. Obviously, we need to have a better plan of what we're doing because we're not getting the job done. Any day we don't get the job done, it's on my shoulders."
The Wolfpack led through the majority of the game, but suffered yet another late-game collapse, which plagued the group in previous losses, especially the one to Miami. The offense was humming in the first half and throughout most of the second half, but went cold down the stretch, allowing Notre Dame to pick on the weak NC State defense when it counted most.
"We were competitive today. It was a great game, a back-and-forth game," Wade said. "Notre Dame made more plays down the stretch. We missed some shots against the zone. They made a great move going to the zone. ... We didn't get the job done on the road and we've got to be better."
After starting the game with some impressive shooting numbers, the Wolfpack finished the game with a 3-of-22 stretch from 3-point range. The dependence on jump-shooting hurt NC State, as it settled for shots against a 2-3 zone that Notre Dame slid back into after struggling to get stops throughout most of the game.
"I think we had some open looks, but we just missed them," Wade said. "We had a great shot at the end of regulation, but we just missed it. We've got to make plays when they're there. We've got to be able to make shots when they're there. That's pretty much our identity. We're a jump-shooting team and so if we don't shoot it well, it's really tough sledding for us."
The edge Wade so often looks for from his team failed to manifest in the final minutes, while Notre Dame made hustle plays and clutch shots. That bothered the NC State coach, but he also took responsibility for the issue rather than shifting the blame to his players.
"I didn't have us as ready as we needed to be," he said. "They played more desperate than we did. We're fighting for the NCAA Tournament, they're fighting for the ACC Tournament. The fact that they were a little more desperate than we were ... is really a pretty big indictment on me and having our guys ready, which is really disappointing."
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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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