NC State's Wade pushing for more success at Maui Invitational
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Will Wade promised immediate results in taking over at N.C. State. That has begun with a fast start that has the Wolfpack ranked nationally and heading to the prestigious Maui Invitational in Hawaii.
"I think our foundation’s strong enough right now to withstand some adversity," Wade said during a Thursday news conference. "Whatever’s going to come at us, I think we’re built for it. I think we’re going to find that out about ourselves as we go through the tournament."
N.C. State cracked the AP Top 25 on Monday at No. 25, which has the Wolfpack (4-0) as the lone ranked team as of now for Maui - still a tradition in college basketball's ode to warmer climes during the Thanksgiving holiday week.
Quality start
As of Wednesday’s games, N.C. State ranks fourth in Division I in scoring average (100.8) and 11th in shooting percentage (.538). The Wolfpack’s offense checks in at No. 15 in KenPom for adjusted efficiency (120.6 points per 100 possessions), while also ranking ninth from Bart Torvik and 16th by Evan Miyakawa in their advanced metrics.
The closest call came Monday with an 85-79 home win against VCU, the preseason favorite in the Atlantic 10.
Meanwhile, Wade’s roster overhaul is paying off with Texas Tech transfer and preseason ACC player of the year Darrion Williams averaging 23.2 points, portal additions Tre Holloman (13.5) and Quadir Copeland (13.2) averaging in double figures, and returnee Paul Neill Jr. (15.2) elevating his game as a sophomore.
As a result, N.C. State is ranked in the regular season for only the third time since the 2018-19 season. And this is the first time the program has appeared in the AP Top 25 in the season’s opening month since the 2012-13 season.
Identifying concerns
Wade took over the program with confidence in promising the Wolfpack would be an immediate winner. That included talking about “a reckoning” coming for the ACC and the sport nationally and promising: "You're going to have to deal with us."
That remains pure music to the ears of Wolfpack fans, a rabid fan base that has long yearned to see the on court play realign with the program's tradition-rich past.
There has been success in NCAA Tournament bids and 20-win seasons, but often in fits and starts. Even the program's most glorious moment since the Jim Valvano era - an improbable and electric run to the 2024 ACC Tournament title followed by an even wilder ride to the Final Four — was followed by a crash-out last year that led to the firing of Kevin Keatts and Wade's arrival.
The early results this year have offered the first glimpses of what Wade's vision looks like, notably with high-end offensive efficiency behind his staff's lean-in on analytics. It also offers plenty for Wade to focus on when it comes to improvements.
"We're still giving away way too many possessions," Wade said. "What we did against VCU, we have to understand, it’s not sustainable. We took 19% of our shots from midrange, which is way over our number.
"Over half of our shots were off the bounce. There was one team that made the NCAA Tournament last year that took 46% of their shots off the bounce - one team. So what we did against them was an outlier."
Positive news
Still, the data also showed a "pleasant surprise" on the glass.
"We look like we’re holding on for dear life sometimes rebounding, because we are against some of these bigger teams," Wade said. "But our rebounding - defensive rebounding - numbers are better than we were anticipating, and we were anticipating a bit low."
Wade had one other piece of positive news Tuesday. Houston transfer guard Terrance Arceneaux should play in Maui after he had missed the past two games due to Achilles soreness.
"I’m pleased we’ve won, that’s good," Wade said of the first four games. "But we’ve got a lot of work, a lot of work ahead."
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