Will Wade expected to take NC State job at conclusion of McNeese's NCAA Tournament run

When asked about his future, McNeese coach Will Wade could have sidestepped the speculation surrounding his next move on Wednesday. Instead, he acknowledged reality: he's been in contact with NC State as the Wolfpack close in on a new head coach.

"Yes," Wade said when asked if he, his agent, or anyone close to him had spoken to NC State.

Hours later, sources confirmed to CBS Sports' Matt Norlander that Wade is expected to take the job. 247Sports' NC State site, PackPride.com, also reports that Wade and the Wolfpack have reached an agreement on a deal. 

Wade's No. 12 seed Cowboys are preparing to face No. 5 seed Clemson on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. But as much as March is about the madness on the court, it's also about the coaching carousel. Wade isn't shying away from that part of the equation. He said he addressed the situation directly with his team.

"We addressed it head-on," Wade said. "I talked to them Saturday about it. Here's what it is, here is where we are. It was just me and our players and we all talked about it. I'm aware of what I have got going on. They're aware of what we've got going on. You just hit it head-on. We're all on the same page with everything."

With Kevin Keatts out, NC State has been closing in on Wade, and the expectation now is that he'll be the Wolfpack's next head coach. The 42-year-old former LSU coach owns a 243-104 record across four Division I coaching stops since breaking in at Chattanooga in 2013 at age 30.

"The smoke suggests Wade, but New Mexico coach Richard Pitino and Tennessee assistant Justin Gainey have also been involved," CBS Sports' Matt Norlander wrote earlier this week. But as the process nears its conclusion, momentum has settled on Wade.

Wade has done a masterful job in two seasons with McNeese, guiding the Cowboys to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and rebuilding his reputation following a messy exit from LSU. Thursday's opponent, Clemson, is also Wade's alma mater. If the Cowboys pull off an upset, his return to the big stage will only grow louder.

"Coach Wade always tells us, don't worry about the outside noise," McNeese guard Javohn Garcia said. "We just worry about what's going on now. We're going to take one day at a time, one game at a time and just play it like it's our last. We don't care about everything else that's going on with that type of stuff so we're just going to worry about what's going on now."