The final result of Saturday’s game between the NC State Wolfpack and the Miami Hurricanes left the crowd at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., absolutely stunned. It also had Wolfpack head coach Will Wade going off at his team during the postgame press conference.
The Wolfpack held a seven-point lead with 1:07 remaining in the second half after a tip-in by senior forward Ven-Allen Lubin, but Miami responded with eight straight points to steal a wild 77-76 win in enemy territory.
Asked how the Wolfpack can use the painful experience of losing in such a manner come March Madness, the 43-year-old Wade indicated that he does not even see his team worthy of a ticket to The Big Dance.
“We’re a long way from the NCAA Tournament,” Wade said, via “The Field of 68.”
Wade added: “This team, shoot. We lost to Georgia Tech. I mean, damn. You’re skipping way ahead, worried about the NCAA Tournament. I hope we can get to date.”
Wade then called out his team for being soft, which is apparently an issue his team has been dealing with all season long.
“That’s just who we are. We’re soft. We’re a jump shooting team,” Wade shared. “That’s who we are as a group. Not saying we got soft players, but that’s who we are as a group. We’re just a jump shooting team. I don’t embrace that.”
No coach would be happy seeing their team get outrebounded on the offensive glass as the Wolfpack did. Miami grabbed 20 offensive rebounds, while NC State managed just 21 defensive boards. The Hurricanes also lit up NC State’s interior defense for 56 points in the paint.
Despite what Wade said about his team, the Wolfpack are still in a good position to make the NCAA Tournament, as they have three Quadrant 1 victories and eight Quadrant 2 wins. Nevertheless, there is clearly lots of work left to do for Wade and his team that will next face a tough No. 11 North Carolina Tar Heels squad on Tuesday in Raleigh.
