JUST IN! Will Wade’s TAR HEEL FIXATION EXPLODES!

The postgame buzz after NC State’s win over VCU had nothing to do with the box score, the highlight plays, or even the Wolfpack’s dominant second-half surge.

Instead, all eyes snapped to head coach Will Wade, who once again managed to turn a simple victory press conference into a fresh wave of Tar Heel controversy.

Moments after the final buzzer, Wade delivered another pointed remark that instantly set social media ablaze. Asked about his team’s defensive improvement, Wade pivoted — abruptly — to the program up the road.

“Some teams in this state get praised no matter what they do,” Wade said with a smirk, an unmistakable reference to UNC and head coach Hubert Davis. “We’re actually earning ours.”

The room froze. Cameras clicked. Reporters exchanged looks. And just like that, Wade had poured gasoline on one of the ACC’s most heated rivalries.

Tar Heel fans wasted no time firing back, accusing Wade of being “obsessed,” “fixated,” and “unable to stay in his lane.” Wolfpack supporters, meanwhile, doubled down, claiming Wade is merely “telling uncomfortable truths” and “refusing to bow to Chapel Hill favoritism.”

Inside the UNC camp, sources say the comments barely registered with Davis, who has consistently refused to engage in verbal spats. But fans aren’t buying the calm approach — many are urging Davis to “put Wade in his place” when the rivals meet later this season.

This latest jab follows several earlier remarks Wade has made about UNC during preseason media sessions, prompting some to label the feud as “one-sided” and others to call it “classic rivalry fuel.”

One thing is clear:

Every NC State–UNC matchup this season just became must-watch television.

And with Wade fanning the flames at every turn, the ACC’s most volatile coaching subplot is far from cooling off.