North Carolina State Basketball 2026-27 Preview

The North Carolina State Wolfpack were hopeful that Will Wade would steady the ship after several so-so seasons under Kevin Keatts. However, not long after the Wolfpack was upset by Texas in the First Four game of the NCAA Tournament, Wade decided to return to LSU.

While it was a surprise that Wade left after just one season in Raleigh, the Wolfpack didn’t waste much time choosing their next leader. NC State landed on Justin Gainey, who played for the Wolfpack from 1996-2000. This is Gainey’s first head-coaching job after serving as an assistant coach since 2009. He has been an assistant under Rick Barnes since 2021, with the last four years as associate head coach.

Tennessee associate basketball coach Justin Gainey tells players to sub in during an NCAA college basketball game against Gardner-Webb on Dec. 21, 2025, in Knoxville, Tennessee. Photo Credit: USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

Gainey has a big learning curve ahead of him. Gainey figures to lean on his defensive pedigree, at least in his first season, with ball pressure being key. He emphasized toughness, defense, rebounding, and ball security while building the Wolfpack roster.

“The one thing that I’ve prided myself on is toughness, and I’ve tried to bring that every day,” Gainey said at his introductory news conference. “As long as I’m your head coach, you can count on that every single day. I’m going to bring that toughness and all of my teams, and my staff and everyone that’s in contact with us will have that toughness.”

Gainey will have 11 newcomers this year, though one of his biggest coups was getting Paul McNeil Jr. and Ven-Allen Lubin to return. McNeil and Rubin were the Wolfpack’s two best offensive players in 2025-26.

3 Returning Players For the Wolfpack

McNeil, the consensus No. 53 recruit in 2024, was one of the best high-volume 3-point shooters in the country last year. McNeil led the team with 105 three-pointers (3.1 per game) while shooting a conference-best 42.7% from the 3-point line. He was second on the Wolfpack at 13.8 points a game and scored 20 or more points eight times, including a career-high 47 against Texas Southern.

Paul McNeil Jr dribbles past defender — NC State Wolfpack guard Jr. Paul McNeil (2) dribbles defended by Texas Longhorns guard Jordan Pope (0) in the first half during a first-four game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at University of Dayton Arena. Photo Credit: Rick Osentoski, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect

According to Brian Coleman of College-Hoops data, McNeil had plenty of offers to head elsewhere, but he decided to return to play for his third Wolfpack coach in three seasons. Coleman said that LSU “offered him around $4-5 million. Kentucky called. UNC set up a meeting with Michael Malone. Texas, Texas Tech, Maryland — they all wanted the best movement shooter in the ACC.”

While McNeil projects to be the Wolfpack’s offensive engine, Lubin will be counted on to control the paint. Lubin, who could ultimately be ruled ineligible by the courts as he sought an injunction to play a fifth year, is an elite finisher at the rim and a physical offensive rebounder. The 6-8 forward produced a career year in 2025-26 with 13.6 points on 66.8% shooting from the field and 7.1 rebounds (2.9 offensive). The consensus No. 62 recruit in 2022 also produced eight double-doubles, with two of his biggest games coming against Texas and Kansas.

“Yeah, Ven’s been awesome,” Gainey said at a press conference a few days ago. “You know, I had small interactions with him when I first got here, but having him back, you just, his maturity, the wisdom, his work ethic, his approach to everything he does is professional and at a high level. So having him back and having the experience of going through the ACC before and being able to share that with the guys has been invaluable. So it’s been great having him back.”

A third returnee is Zymichal Wilkins, though the No. 78-ranked high school recruit last season redshirted. Wilkins is still a developmental player who should be a rotational piece under Gainey due to his high motor and physicality. He is a strong offensive rebounder and finishes well at the rim.

NC State Basketball’s 11 Newcomers

Gainey hit the transfer portal hard and was rewarded for his hard work, as his nine-man was ranked 11th in the nation by On3 and featured several high-leverage players. Christian Hammond, Preston Edmead, Darius Adams, Eemeli Yalaho and Kyle Evans are the Wolfpack’s top transfers.

Hammond is coming off a solid season at Santa Clara, where he was named to the All-WCC first team after averaging 15.6 points on 48.4% shooting from the field and 1.4 3-pointers at 39.3% from beyond the arc. Hammond is a three-level scorer who can create his own shot and has the necessary tools to be a point-of-attack defender. He projects to start in the backcourt alongside McNeil and Edmead.

Edmead had a heck of a first season at Hofstra, earning CAA Rookie of the Year, CAA Tournament MVP, and All-CAA second-team honors. The 6-1 point guard averaged 16.1 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.5 rebounds. He has good vision and loves to push the pace while also being a good shooter off the catch or dribble, knocking down 2.7 threes at a 38.7% clip.

Evans, who came into his own last year — his fourth collegiate season– is slated to start at center and be the centerpiece of Gainey’s defense. Evans averaged 12.9 points on 62% shooting from the field, 8.7 rebounds and an NCAA-best 3.3 blocks. Not only is the 6-10 center an elite shot-blocker, but he is a strong defensive rebounder who finishes at the rim.

Adams, the No. 26-rated recruit in 2025, is a microwave scorer who should lead the Wolfpack’s second unit. Adams has a solid, albeit streaky, pull-up game and showed the ability to be a secondary creator as a freshman at Maryland. The 6-5 guard averaged 10.8 points last season as he scored in double figures in 2o or his 33 appearances.

Yalaho is an athletic 6-8 forward who can stretch the floor, averaging 1.0 three-pointer per game at a 39.3% clip for his career. Yalaho, who is expected to be part of Gainey’s rotation, is a good passer, screener, and smart cutter.

Jurkovic is a 24-year-old international coming off his best professional season in the Adriatic League. The 6-9 Slovenian has a soft touch around the rim, stretches the floor, and rebounds. He averaged 10.3 points and 4.8 rebounds with shooting splits of 55.6/36.9/71.2 in 20 minutes over 59 appearances in 2025-26.

NC State’s Depth Chart

Ven-Allen Rubin reacts — NC State Wolfpack forward Ven-Allen Lubin (22) reacts after being defeated by the Texas Longhorns during a first-round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at the University of Dayton Arena. Photo Credit: Rick Osentoski, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect

Starters

PG: Preston Edmead

SG: Christian Hammond

SF: Paul McNeil Jr.

PF: Ven-Allen Lubin

C: Kyle Evans

Bench

6th: Darius Adams

7th: Robert Yurkovic

8th: Eemeli Yalaho

9th: Comeh Emuodor

10th: Zymichael Wilkins

11th: RJ Keene

Deep Bench

Kingston Whitty, Jacari Brim, and Shah Hall

2026-27 Schedule

NC State plays nine of its 13 nonconference games in Raleigh, with the most intriguing being against South Carolina in the ACC/SEC Challenge. The Wolfpack do play a neutral-site game against Tennessee in Nashville and travel to Ole Miss. They will also participate in the Baha Mar Championship, with matchups against Murray State and either Seton Hall or Wisconsin.

NC State will play UNC twice, though one will be a nonconference game. The Wolfpack’s home-and-home series will be against California and Wake Forest. The Wolfpack also hosts Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Louisville, Notre Dame, Pitt and SMU. Meanwhile, they will travel to Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, Stanford, Virginia and Virginia Tech.