C’s may get degrees, but that’s not NC State men’s basketball coach Will Wade’s standard.
For the first time in Wade’s inaugural season in Raleigh, NC State faced an opponent that refused to lie down and take a beating. Instead, VCU punched the Pack time and time again. While the Wolfpack won 85-79, it wasn’t the disciplined performance that Wade expects from his teams.
It was a win, but it was a C-level performance. That’s enough to survive one game, but it can’t become a habit if NC State wants to reach the goals it set in the preseason: finish top four in the ACC.
That’s the goal that Wade publicly stated before the season, so that’s the standard his team will be held to.
There’s no doubt, VCU is a quality opponent. The Rams were picked to finish first in the A-10 this season after winning the league last year, even with a coaching change. First-year head coach Phil Martelli successfully led Bryant to the NCAA Tournament last season and is capable of maintaining VCU’s longstanding success.
“They’re a great team, they’re scrappy,” said senior guard Tre Holloman. “That was just on us, not being patient.”
Still, NC State expects to be a tier above VCU. The Wolfpack assembled an impressive roster capable of being a nationally impressive team. The preseason accolades came NC State’s way like a moth flying to a light bulb. Yet the Wolfpack found itself in a 40-minute knife fight, unable to separate from the Rams.
“We were very fortunate to win,” Wade said.
The Wolfpack was absolutely fortunate. VCU is a dangerous team, and escaping with a win when mistakes compile like they did on Monday is not a sustainable formula for winning.
NC State can’t control if VCU hits shots, but it can take away easy looks by cutting down on turnovers. Instead, it gave up the ball a season-high 17 times. NC State can’t get every single board, but it can certainly prevent VCU from racking up a concerning 12 offensive rebounds. Small mistakes like letting offensive players crash the glass, especially wings and guards from the perimeter, can compound to wreck defenses — something NC State learned tonight.
“Some things we didn’t do that we were supposed to do,” said senior forward Darrion Williams. “In those moments when they got to the basket or hit the 45 cut a lot, just gotta play to our preventals better.”
Furthermore, NC State played very sloppily on offense. While the Pack hit shots, it made lazy decisions with the ball, leading to turnovers. To truly tap into the red-and-white’s potential, NC State must play smarter and focus on making the right play, rather than the flashy one.
“Be smarter, make the simple play,” Holloman said. “Coach [Adam] Howard always talks about making the simple play.”
Tonight, NC State was fortunate. The Wolfpack’s shooting was excellent most of the night, allowing it to win a track meet. However, NC State won’t shoot 46% every night. When the shooting cools off, as it always does in basketball, the Wolfpack must win details like turnover margin and rebounding to continue winning.
“[Phil] Martelli’s teams have never won when the opponent makes nine-plus 3s, outshoots them and outrebounds them,” Wade said. “We only got one of those three, so you’re living very, very dangerously when you can’t get two or three of those things. We were fortunate we were hot from 3 to start, which masked some of our other issues offensively.”
NC State brought Wade to Raleigh to raise the standard. The message was clear: mediocrity isn’t acceptable anymore. Throughout his career, Wade never accepts mediocrity; rather, he holds his teams to very high standards regardless of the opponent.
Now his task is to guide his first NC State squad to the standard he’s established. It’s a challenging task, but if anyone can handle the challenge, it’s Wade.
