NC State Head Coaching Search: Will Wade Leads McNeese St. to Their 1st Ever NCAAT Victory, Defeating Clemson 69-67

News broke yesterday that NC State and McNeese State had come to a verbal agreement for him to be the Wolfpack’s next Men’s Basketball Coach.

Some thought that this would lead the Cowboys to be distracted.

They thought wrong.

Today, Wade had #12 seed McNeese State (28-6) focused, leading the Cowboys to their first-ever win in the NCAA Tournament, defeating #5 seed Clemson (27-7) 69-67.

The Cowboys’ smothering defense held the Tigers to 36.8% shooting from the field, tied for Clemson’s second-worst shooting percentage in a single game this season.

This win had to be extra special for Wade, defeating his alma mater, where he began his journey as a college basketball coach, working as a Graduate Assistant for two seasons.

The speed and aggressiveness of the Cowboys were too much for the Tigers. McNeese State snagged 18 offensive rebounds, the most a team has grabbed against Clemson all year.

What Wade has done in two seasons in Lake Charles, Louisiana, is nothing short of outstanding. He led McNeese State to back-to-back Southland Conference Regular Season and Tournament Championships. Before his arrival, the last time the Cowboys won the Regular Season was in 2011, and the last time they won the Southland Conference Tournament was in 2002. Last year, Wade led McNeese State to a 30-4 record, the most wins in a single season in school history.

Wade also won back-to-back Southland Coach of the Year honors in the past two seasons.

McNeese State will now play #4 seed Purdue (23-11) on Saturday in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.