RALEIGH — For a prominent mid-major program like VCU, scheduling games against high-major and power conference competition can be very difficult. First-year Rams head coach Phil Martelli Jr. led his team into the Lenovo Center to face No. 25 NC State and Will Wade, who has deep roots at VCU from his time as an assistant and the head coach.
One of Wade’s first actions as the head coach of the Wolfpack was scheduling his old program for a home-and-home. He did the same thing when he coached LSU after leaving VCU, and he even sent his McNeese State team to Richmond to face the Rams, although he did not coach in that game due to his suspension by the NCAA.
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 18, 2025While Martelli’s group ultimately fell in an 85-79 battle with the Wolfpack, the young coach was incredibly thankful for the opportunity. His team, picked to win the Atlantic-10 conference before the season, will only get a few opportunities to bolster its resume against Quadrant 1 opponents.
The VCU coach spoke to members of the media following the loss to the Wolfpack, praising Wade’s openness to scheduling the game and discussing what went wrong against NC State.
Nov 24, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Bryant Bulldogs head coach Phil Martelli Jr. during the second half against the Xavier Musketeers at Cintas Center. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
From his opening statement Dynamic Duo 😵💫@OfficialDW03 led NC State with 28 points while adding 7 REB & 2 AST. Holloman went 6-12 from the field and finished with 25 points and 4 REB, also knocking down all ten of his free throws@PackMensBball | @PackAthletics | #GoPack pic.twitter.com/gK0XOabzkz
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) November 18, 2025On his team being able to keep things close every time NC State looked to be pulling awayMar 22, 2025; Providence, RI, USA; McNeese State Cowboys head coach Will Wade during the second half of a second round men’s NCAA Tournament game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images / Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
On his relationship with Will Wade and an anecdote about first meeting Wade Want more NC State basketball content throughout the year? Follow @WolfpackOnSI and @SennettTucker on X (Twitter) and never miss another breaking news story again.
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