What Being Unranked Means For NC State Basketball

The Associated Press released its first men's basketball poll and to the surprise of many, Will Wade's NC State Wolfpack squad did not make it inside the top 25. The Pack received 101 votes, good for the No. 26 team in the country, as North Carolina snuck in at No. 25.

While the preseason poll means nothing for the season long-term, it should be yet another motivator for a hungry Wade and Co.

On this episode of the NC State Insider Podcast, we discuss what the poll means for the Wolfpack and the ACC as a whole.

Watch the Episode here

Wade spoke at length about his team at ACC Tipoff, proclaiming that the Wolfpack will in fact be a tournament team in the first year under his command.

On NC State competing in his first year at the helm

"I still feel like we're an NCAA Tournament team. I think we're going to get to the NCAA Tournament. As I said, we've got the depth and the experience to make some things happen there. Now, we've got to keep it together throughout the season. There's a lot of ebbs and flows to a season, but I feel really comfortable with our group. I feel really confident in our group. I think we've got great talent. I think we've got great fiber to us on the inside."

Jan 30, 2024; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack logo during the first half against Miami (Fl) Hurricanes at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

"There's nothing I've seen that's going to temper anything that we believe or anything that I believe. I believe we have one of the best teams in this conference, and I believe we have one of the best teams in the country. I think that we will be able to show that throughout the course of the season. By the time we're done playing, everyone will know who Williams is. We won't need a picture."

On the ability to add more International Players with new NCAA rules and regulations

"It used to be that you couldn't give a guy a donut. Now, you can go pay their buyout... It's just opened up a new market. Before, a lot of those kids didn't necessarily want to come over here because you couldn't make, money. You couldn't make as much money as you were making over there... Two, you had the amateurism issues."

Dec 13, 2022; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack logo on the back of guard Jack Clark (5) during the second half against Furman Paladins at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

"So I think it's opened up new markets. And look, when you've got a lot of schools like ours are that are academically oriented. A lot of times, those international kids are pretty good students, really good students. You can get them in school... They're very appreciative of the opportunity to be here."

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