Midnight strikes for McNeese State: Will Wade’s Cowboys fall to Purdue in NCAA Tournament

McNeese basketball’s Cinderella run is over.

That’s bad news for loyal fans in Lake Charles, Louisiana who were hoping to see the No. 12 seeded Cowboys upset a second straight top 5 NCAA Tournament seed.

But it’s music to the ears of many in Raleigh, because it means Will Wade to NC State and a new era of Wolfpack men’s basketball is that much closer to happening.

A day before McNeese’s opening NCAA game, the News & Observer confirmed that NC State had reached an agreement to hire Wade to replace Kevin Keatts as its next coach and he’d join the Wolfpack following the conclusion of McNeese’s season.

Social media rejoiced. NIL donations soared. Talking heads raved. Then the entire operation got put on a holding pattern after McNeese upset No. 5 Clemson, 69-67, in its opening NCAA Tournament game on Thursday in Providence, Rhode Island.

The Wolfpack’s waiting game could’ve extended another five days, at minimum, had McNeese made it two wins in a row and advanced to a Sweet 16 game next Friday.

Purdue (24-11) wasn’t having it.

The No. 4 Boilermakers blew out McNeese, 76-62, in a round of 32 game at Amica Mutual Pavilion on Saturday that was rarely competitive. Wade’s Cowboys (28-7) led just once ... 36 seconds of the game, when the score was 3-2.

Coach Matt Painter’s Purdue squad led by 18 points at halftime and by as many as 26 points in the second half while advancing to its sixth Sweet 16 in eight seasons.

McNeese pulled within 16 points of Purdue (53-37) with 11 minutes remaining in the second half but never got its deficit within single digits. Wade was called for technical foul after arguing with refs over a foul call earlier in the second half.

Wade, 42, will conclude his McNeese tenure with an overall record of 50-9 (.862), a 36-2 record in Southland Conference games (.947). That includes wins and losses from the first 10 games of McNeese’s 2023-24 season, which Wade was suspended for as a result of Level I NCAA violations he committed while coaching at LSU.

The Cowboys made back-to-back NCAA Tournaments during Wade’s tenure.

Approached by the N&O postgame in Providence, Wade declined to discuss his future with NC State and said he wanted to keep the focus on McNeese.

He said the same during his postgame news conference.

“I’ll worry about that tomorrow,” Wade said, when asked about his next steps with NC State. “Look, I’m an honest guy but today I want to put a bow on everything with McNeese if we can. ... We’re not flying back until tomorrow morning. We’ll enjoy this here and when we get back, we’ll figure out next steps.”

How quickly will NC State and Will Wade move?

Now that McNeese’s season is over, NC State and Wade will iron out the final details surrounding his transition to Raleigh, the N&O previously reported. The process could (and almost certainly will) move quickly, for a couple of reasons.

On Monday, the NCAA transfer portal formally opens for men’s basketball players. The portal window runs March 24-April 22 and is a critical roster-building tool for any coach — but especially a first-year coach such as Wade.

NC State and Wade aren’t just starting their talks, either. Wolfpack athletic director Boo Corrigan and Wade met in person ahead of the NCAA Tournament, per multiple reports. Wade himself has formally acknowledged that he and his agent have spoken with NC State and, in as many words, that this is his last season with McNeese.

Within the ACC, another program has moved with similar speed. Ryan Odom’s VCU team was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament on Thursday; less than 48 hours, Virginia formally announced Odom as its next coach on Saturday morning.

And Duke associate head coach Jai Lucas left the Blue Devils after their regular-season finale to start his job as Miami’s new coach, skipping out on the ACC and NCAA Tournaments to get a head start on building his new roster.

Miami had already formally hired Lucas before he left Duke, too.

Will Wade’s head coaching résumé

• Chattanooga, 2013-15: 40-25 (.615)
• VCU, 2015-17: 51-20 (.718), two NCAA Tournaments
• LSU, 2017-22: 105-51 (.673), three NCAA Tournaments
• McNeese: 50-9 (.701), two NCAA Tournaments
• Overall: 244-105 (.699), seven NCAA Tournaments

This story was originally published March 22, 2025 at 2:24 PM with the headline "Midnight strikes for McNeese State: Will Wade’s Cowboys fall to Purdue in NCAA Tournament."

Chapel Fowler

The State

Chapel Fowler, the NSMA’s 2024 South Carolina Sportswriter of the Year, has covered Clemson football and other topics for The State since summer 2022. His work’s also been honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors, the South Carolina Press Association and the North Carolina Press Association. He’s a Denver, N.C., native, a UNC-Chapel Hill alum and a pickup basketball enthusiast. Support my work with a digital subscription