CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — N.C. State coach Will Wade said Thursday he is determined to “win big” with the Wolfpack while shrugging off speculation that he might return to LSU if that job became open.
“Look, we’re going to win and we’re going to win big at NC State,” Wade said after an 81-74 quarterfinal loss to No. 10 Virginia during the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. “That’s what we’re going to do. That’s what we’re going to do moving forward. We have the resources we need. We have what we need, and it’s on me and my staff to get the job done.”
The Tigers (15-17) have one winning record in four seasons under Matt McMahon. LSU lost to Kentucky in Wednesday's first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
Wade had coached LSU for five seasons from 2017-22, a run that included three NCAA Tournament bids and a regular-season SEC title. But he was fired because of allegations of recruiting violations, rooted in a federal corruption probe of the sport that became public in 2017.
Asked Thursday about online speculation linking him to a potential LSU opening, Wade responded with a question: “Is the job open there? ... Listen, let me be very clear: I'm excited at NC State."
Recommended for you
“I was hired at NC State to do a job. This wasn't going to take one year,” Wade said, then motioned toward Wolfpack athletic director Boo Corrigan at the back of the news-conference room. "I’ve already met with our administration about next year and some of the changes that we need to make and some of the things that we need to do to put this program where it deserves long-term.
“I’m not on social media. I’m not into gossip. I’m not into any of that sort of stuff.”
N.C. State (20-13) appears headed to the NCAAs in Wade’s first season, though the Wolfpack stumbled down the stretch by losing six of seven to close the regular season. The team beat Pittsburgh to open the ACC Tournament on Wednesday, then hung within reach the entire way against a Virginia team that had led each of the two regular-season meetings by 27 or more points.
“Look, this year hasn’t gone exactly how we wanted it to," Wade said. "But we’re going to rally and we’re going to work hard, and we’re going to have a team next year that’s ready to roll.”
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO
personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who
make comments. Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. Don't threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Anyone violating these rules will be issued a
warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be
revoked.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.