Will Wade's 'Hostile Takeover' Works in NC State's Latest Win

NC State head coach Will Wade claimed to be doing a "hostile takeover" of the team following the Wolfpack's win over UNC Asheville. Whatever that change in coaching philosophy entailed worked, as the Pack took down Liberty 85-45 in Wednesday's matchup, putting together one of its best defensive efforts of the season.

Liberty entered the matchup as a potential threat, shooting 42% from 3-point range before facing the Wolfpack. However, the Flames shot just 6-of-28 from downtown in their loss.

On this episode of the NC State Insider Podcast, host and lead beat writer Tucker Sennett breaks down the Wolfpack's latest win and the individual performances that were impressive.

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Wade's perspective

Dec 6, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack head coach Will Wade reacts during the first half of the game against Liberty Flames at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

Before the season, Wade made some bold proclamations about his team's readiness to perform at a high level and potentially disrupt not just the power structure of ACC basketball, but the national hierarchy as well. Things got off track when the team lost three games in a week-long span, but the performance against Liberty looked more like what Wade wants from his group. The Pack still isn't there yet, though.

"No, it's closer, but it's not where we need to be," he said. " But it was closer. I mean, everybody's so shocked because we hadn't looked anywhere close to that all year... We've got to get a lot better here over the break. Typically, we've been able to get better when we don't have academics and having the gym, we don't have time limits and that sort of thing."

Dec 6, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack guard Jordan Snell (0) is celebrated by his teammates during the second half of the game against the Liberty Flames at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

During the difficult stretch, Wade and his staff's defensive strategy became a hot-button issue for Wolfpack fans, as the group struggled to prevent teams from making 3-pointers and even got blitzed inside on a couple of occasions. The NC State coach debunked some of the theories about those issues after the Wolfpack held one of the nation's best 3-point shooting teams to 45 points.

"The offense helps the defense. We've put our defense in some bad spots with some of the terrible shots we take," Wade said. "We have the wrong lineups out there sometimes. So we've put our defense in some horrific spots. It's not all on the defense. We can't guard in transition 25 times a game... Part of it is controlling the offense, too."

From an effort and activity standpoint, it was one of the stronger performances of the season by the Wolfpack. However, Wade thinks his team has set the bar far too low than what it is actually capable of.

"It's probably the best. But that's not... It's not a very high bar to clear to be the best effort game for us," the coach said. "... It's not a very high bar to clear, but it's up there... It's getting better, but it's nowhere near where it needs to be. Everything looks so shocking tonight because it's like, 'Oh my God,' but that's what it should look like every night and then we should be able to build from there."

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