After back-to-back losses in which the defense completely failed for NC State, Will Wade held no feelings but disappointment in himself. In his first season with the Wolfpack, the team has failed to meet his standards for excellence, especially on that end of the floor. The 96-90 overtime loss to Notre Dame was no exception, as the Wolfpack did not execute at a high level down the stretch.
With the end of the regular season drawing near, Wade is doing all he can to get NC State across the finish line with a chance to compete in the NCAA Tournament. However, his team’s hopes for March glory took a hit on Saturday and the lights only get brighter the rest of the way.
Wade’s thoughts on the Notre Dame loss
While the defense was a disaster earlier in the week in the 29-point loss to No. 11 Virginia, Wade might’ve been even more disappointed in the team’s effort against the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame guards Cole Certa and Jalen Haralson combined for 57 points in the win, with Certa burying six shots from beyond the 3-point arc.
“We haven’t had good defense all week. We gave up 186 points in two games,” Wade said. “We’ve got to be better with the details. We’ve got to be better with our execution. Obviously, we need to have a better plan of what we’re doing because we’re not getting the job done. Any day we don’t get the job done, it’s on my shoulders.”
The Wolfpack led through the majority of the game, but suffered yet another late-game collapse, which plagued the group in previous losses, especially the one to Miami. The offense was humming in the first half and throughout most of the second half, but went cold down the stretch, allowing Notre Dame to pick on the weak NC State defense when it counted most…