Will Wade urges McNeese to tighten up on defense in NCAA Tournament vs. Gonzaga

McNeese State head coach Will Wade is anything but satisfied with his team’s early performance against Gonzaga. During a break in the first half action, Wade revealed how his team can cool down Gonzaga’s hot hands.

“We screened the wrong man on one of our switches and we got messed up on a communication,” Wade said. “We’re post trapping too far out. They’re baiting our switch and our post trap too far out and they’re skipping it. We’ve got to let them bring it into the red zone before we trap. We’ve got to tighten our defense a little bit and have a little bit more pressure.”

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Gonzaga began the game on fire, knocking down six of its first seven attempts from beyond the arc. For reference, Gonzaga is shooting 35.7% from downtown this season. As of this report, Gonzaga leads McNeese State 44-20.

Will Wade snaps back at critics

This is Wade’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since being fired at LSU. Wade was caught on a wiretap saying he could make a “strong-***” offer to a player and the scandal eventually led to his dismissal.

Not everybody has been supportive of Wade throughout the process, even once he got back into coaching at McNeese. He made sure to keep receipts though, displaying them on Wednesday ahead of the Cowboys’ Round of 64 game against Gonzaga.

In what was a video showing off practice, the opening frame displays a shirt Wade is wearing with headlines going against him. Ten different headlines regarding the situation while at LSU are seen on Wade’s back.

You can check out the full video here.

Post season prep#BayouBandits | #GeauxPokes pic.twitter.com/qSzR5fEakJ

— McNeese Men’s Basketball (@McNeeseMBB) March 21, 2024

Wade did not coach during the 2022-2023 season, taking a year off following the investigation. However, McNeese was quick to hire him following their firing of John Aiken. The move has paid off in a big way, with some silverware being won this season by the Cowboys.

McNeese won the Southland Conference regular season (first since 2011) and conference tournament title (first since 2002). The program has participated in just three NCAA Tournaments in its history and has yet to win a game. With the way the Cowboys are currently playing, Wade will need another stroke of excellence to save McNeese State’s postseason hopes.