SOUTHLAND
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McNeese State basketball coach Will Wade has had himself an eventful last couple of days in the NCAA Tournament.
On Sunday, Wade officially led the Cowboys to March Madness for the second consecutive season, as McNeese State was given a 12-seed in the Midwest region of the NCAA Tournament bracket.
Then one day before McNeese State’s March Madness opener against his alma mater, No. 5 seed Clemson, reports circulated that he is expected to be the next head coach at NC State after the season — to which he confirmed, as previously reported by USA TODAY.
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Then came perhaps the cherry topper of it all on Thursday, when Wade led the Cowboys to a 69-67 upset victory over Clemson, marking the first-ever NCAA Tournament win in McNeese program history.
Will Wade on NC State head coach reports
Traditionally speaking, when it comes to outside noise, such as Wade’s rumors to NC State, entering a postseason tournament, it can cause distractions. However, that didn’t seem to be the case on Thursday, as the Cowboys built an 18-point halftime lead and outperformed the Tigers in virtually every statistical category. So how did they do it?
“We’ve been doing it all year. They’re all focused. We do what we do. That’s what did,” Wade told CBS Sports’ Evan Washburn on truTV after the game.
Wade later expounded on his comments during McNeese State’s postgame news conference at Amica Mutual Pavilion on Thursday when asked about how he has been able to handle his emotions over the last 24 hours.
“I’ve been focused on the game. They will tell you. I’ve been on one about the game,” Wade said. “Whatever else is happening, that’s a no distraction to us. … We operate the same way all the time. We hadn’t operated any differently. Nothing has been any different.”
With the win, McNeese State improved its overall record to 28-6 and extended its win streak to 12 games.
McNeese State now advances to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where it will take on No. 4 seed Purdue on Saturday, March 22. A tip-off time for Saturday’s second-round game has not been announced yet.
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