Let’s take a quick second to go back to what Will Wade said during his introductory press conference two months ago:
I want to be very clear, this is not a rebuild. We’re going to be in the top part of the ACC next year, and we’re going to the NCAA tournament. This is not something that’s going to take a while.
So how has he done? With the addition of Darrion Williams yesterday, Wade has definitely positioned NC State to attain those goals. NC State is sitting at No. 42 for 2026 in T-Rank, behind only Duke, UNC, Louisville, and SMU (which is No. 41) among ACC teams. The Wolfpack finished last season at No. 116.
Torvik’s projections do not include international prospects like Paul Mbiya, so it’d be fair to say that Wade has put together at least a top-40 team heading into the season. That not only represents a huge improvement from 2025, it also means the team will be good enough to compete for a top five spot in the ACC and make the NCAAs.
During that first press conference, Wade said that he wanted a sellout crowd for his first home game, and there is no doubt he’s put together a roster that’s earned it.