The men’s college basketball 2026 NCAA Tournament kicked off on Tuesday night in Dayton with two First Four games before things get going in full on Thursday. In the opener, Howard defeated UMBC, 86-83, to earn the 16th-seed in the Midwest Region and a date with top-seeded Michigan on Thursday.
In the nightcap, Texas won a thriller over North Carolina State, 68-66, to earn the 11th-seed in the West Regional and a date with sixth-seeded BYU on Thursday in Portland, Oregon. It was the second win for the Longhorns over the Wolfpack this season. They beat them back in November in Maui during Thanksgiving week.
The loss ends NC State’s season at 20-14, which is disappointing after the start to the season they had. After the game, head coach Will Wade was clearly frustrated with the way his team had not only played on Tuesday, but this season. He made his feelings known.
North Carolina State Coach Will Wade Makes Interesting Comments After Texas NCAA Tournament Loss
Wade is in his first season at the helm of the Wolfpack. He was hired after he led McNeese to a first-round upset of Clemson last March in the NCAA Tournament. He took over a program that was just one year removed from a trip to the Final Four in 2024.
As is the case in college sports right now, it doesn’t take long to turn around a program. With NIL and the Transfer Portal, it’s fast. Wade put his fingerprints on the program and led NC State back to the tournament. Yes, it’s disappointing they played Tuesday night and lost. However, he didn’t beat around the bush after losing to Texas, according to Noah Fleischman of On3.
“We’ve got changes we’ve got to make up and down the program. My eyes are wide open, I understand what we need to do,” said Wade. “But this is unacceptable, losing in Dayton. In some ways, we were fortunate to make the tournament with this group. We’ve got to do a much better job getting guys, and making sure we get guys that fit us in the future to make sure we’re not back in this spot.”
Wade had no shortage of talent this season. He brought some players from McNeese with him. He also had some good freshmen make impacts, along with some portal additions. The ACC was improved, and they took down in-state rival North Carolina, but there is no doubt that Wade feels like this team didn’t meet expectations.
North Carolina State Will Look Different in 2026-27
Some coaches sometimes beat around the bush instead of being brutally honest. Not Wade. He’ll tell you like it is. He did it when Duke routed the Wolfpack last month in Raleigh. The subtle hints were beginning to come out then. They came out in full after losing to Texas.
“We had just a different mixture of guys” said Wade. “Guys that had an insatiable will to win and desire to prove people wrong. They just had a way about them that they wanted to go against the establishment a little bit. We have a bunch of guys here (at NC State) that are pretty comfortable, live a good life, and love being here. That’s just not how I am. We’re going to get guys that fit a little bit more how we want to be moving forward.”
Message sent, and the message should be received. The look on Wade’s face when asked about this year’s team after Tuesday night’s loss should tell you everything you need to know. The planning for the 2026-27 season begins today, earlier than Wade wanted it to. He made his feelings known. The Transfer Portal opens after the National Championship Game next month.
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