Analyst claims NC State HC Will Wade's 'sizzly' comment 'raises the stake' between rivalry with Hubert Davis' UNC

It looks like NC State coach Will Wade is ready to start a new chapter in the book of rivalry against UNC and head coach Hubert Davis. The newly appointed coach was under the spotlight for his comments on UNC forward Ven-Allen Lubin.

In a video posted on YouTube by "99.9 The Fan" on Tuesday, analysts Tim Donnelly & Dennis Cox talked about Wade's comments and Lubin not getting enough time at UNC.

"I mean, he might not be batting 1.000, but if you put a microphone in front of him, he's giving you something sizzly about seven out of ten times so far," Donnelly said on Will Wade (Timestamp: 9:21 onwards)."I think that's good, and I think it amps things up and raises the stakes in the games these teams play now."

"Once those stakes are raised—even higher than what the traditional rivalry would normally bring—the games will be better. Because games are always more fun when there's more at stake. That's why the playoffs are awesome."

Ven-Allen Lubin started his collegiate career at the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the 2022-23 season, before transferring to Vanderbilt in the 2023-24 season, and then to UNC last season.

Furthermore, he was accompanied by Cade Tyson, Elliot Cadeau, Ian Jackson and Jalen Washington as the UNC players who were set to enter the transfer portal. However, he shared a post on X (formerly Twitter) to share his plans of staying with the team on Apr. 21.

“Before anybody jumps to the wrong conclusion, I am letting everyone know that I am entering the transfer portal with full intent on returning to UNC," Lubin tweeted. "My action relates to the complexities surrounding the possible approval of the pending NCAA settlement.”

In his last season, Lubin averaged 8.7 points on 68.4% shooting and 71.1% from the charity stripe. He also grabbed 5.5 rebounds, dished out 0.3 assists, blocked the ball 0.9 times and recorded 0.4 steals in 19.5 minutes per contest, starting 20 of 37 games.

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How was Will Wade's stint at McNeese State?

Will Wade led the McNeese State Cowboys to consecutive Southland Conference regular season and tournament titles. The 42-year-old was hired by McNeese State on Mar. 12, 2023, to replace John Aiken.

In his first season in charge, he led the team to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002, and repeated the feat this season.

Will Wade became a fan favorite after leading his team to a tight 69-67 upset over the No. 5 seed Clemson Tigers and advancing to the second round. However, they were knocked out of the tournament after a loss against Purdue in the round of 32.