Will Wade Shares Blunt Reality After Virginia Blowout
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Will Wade and Ryan Odom each entered the ACC with asiprations of returning historically relevant programs within the lore of the conference to prominence quickly. Wade and his first NC State roster displayed just how far behind Odom and Virginia they are on Tuesday, falling 90-61 in a second loss to the Cavaliers.
No one was more honest about the reality than Wade. Rather than act disappointed, the emotive coach offered a blunt assessment of the reality for the Wolfpack in year one of his rebuild.
"We're not ready to compete with the top of the league right now, that's just a fact," he said. "We get our doors blown off twice by Virginia. Virginia is a great team; give them credit. They're just better than us. They're better than us at every spot."
Takes one to know one
The preseason version of Wade that proclaimed a "Red Reckoning" was coming for the ACC and for college basketball, a quote that rang through the Lenovo Center for the first few months of the season during the pregame intros, is long gone. The latest in-season evolution of NC State's head man is one who has accepted the reality of the situation. This team isn't what he hoped for.
"We've just been up and down all year," Wade said. "This is kind of who we are. When we're bad, we're really, really bad. That's just kind of who we've been."
The second loss to Virginia was another crater moment in a season full of peaks and valleys for the Wolfpack. Things quickly got out of hand in the first half, but Wade's group battled back, offering some resistance to the onslaught Odom's Cavaliers brought to the defensive end of the floor. Hope can be fleeting for Wade's team and it disappeared down the stretch.
The common threads between Wade and Odom go beyond entering the ACC at the same time. Both coaches had stints with VCU, a program responsible for several successful Division I coaches. It is a cradle of sorts within the coaching profession. That connection built a mutual respect between Wade and Odom. The former isn't afraid to admit he's fallen behind.
"Virginia is a great team. They could go to the Final Four," Wade said. "... They're one of the best defensive teams in the country. They're the third-best offensive rebounding team in the country. This is a really good team and they steamrolled us. They're better than we are. If we played them 10 times, I'm not sure we could beat them. ... They're flat better than us."
Not every coach would admit something like that. Wade is a straight-shooter. He's been honest about his reservations with this team since the start of the ACC schedule. Virginia built a different kind of team with more of an established identity. It took advantage of recruiting in Europe, bringing in players like Thijs De Ridder and Johann Grünloh to build a strong presence in the paint.
"Odom has done a much better job than I have," Wade admitted. "They're just better than us. From their bench to their team, they're better than us."
The loss to Virginia won't be terminal for NC State. The Wolfpack is in the NCAA Tournament field and still in the hunt for a top-four finish in the ACC standings. Wade's disappointment stems more from the fact that he's come up short in meeting the lofty standards he's set for both himself and for his program as a whole. To see other first-year ACC coaches like Odom and Miami's Jai Lucas surging in their debut season stings, especially with losses to both teams.
However, NC State isn't far behind. The lows for the Wolfpack are very low, as Wade was the first to admit, but the Wolfpack's season hasn't been devoid of success. Wade has a better understanding of the conference with each win and loss, learning what the Pack needs to succeed at the level of teams like Virginia. There are moral victories for college basketball coaches, but there is playing the long game.
As he sat, quietly answering the first few questions in the media room tucked in the corner of John Paul Jones Arena, Wade offered the only logical next step for NC State when asked about moving forward from Tuesday's loss.
"We'll get ready to play Saturday at Notre Dame."
For now, it's all the Wolfpack can do.
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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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