The Wolfpack made an unexpected run to the Atlantic Coast Conference title and a Final Four berth in 2024 under Kevin Keatts, only for Keatts to be fired a year later. Then came the exuberance of hiring Will Wade with his promises of immediate success, only for the Wolfpack to limp badly down the stretch followed by Wade bolting for LSU. Now comes the hiring of former Wolfpack player Justin Gainey to offer a measure of stability after his time as Tennessee's associate head coach under Rick Barnes. His retooled roster includes two returning starters for a team that reached last year's NCAA Tournament and is picked to finish eighth in the ACC.

Players to watch

Paul McNeil Jr. (junior, G, 6-6, 190). He's the leading returning scorer (13.8 points) and shot 42.7% from 3-point range. He showed his potential with a 47-point eruption against Texas Southern for the highest output by an ACC player since 1991.

Ven-Allen Lubin (graduate, F/C, 6-9, 235). Lubin averaged 13.6 points and was N.C. State's leading rebounder (7.1) last year. He won a court battle for a fifth year of eligibility, returning to campus after playing for three schools (Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, North Carolina).

Preston Edmead (sophomore, G, 6-1, 180). The Hofstra transfer averaged 15.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game last year as the Coastal Athletic Association's rookie of the year.

Departures and arrivals

Much of the roster from Wade's one-year stint is gone, including leading scorer Darrion Williams (14.0 points), Quadir Copeland (13.9), Tre Holloman (9.2) and Matt Able (8.8).

Gainey is set to lean on transfers. Guard Darius Adams averaged 10.8 points last year and big man Kyle Evans, a 6-10 graduate who averaged 12 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.3 blocks at UC Irvine. Senior guard Christian Hammond led an NCAA Tournament team in scoring (15.6) at Santa Clara, while the Wolfpack added depth in Slovenian big man Robert Jurkovic after he had played the past three seasons in Europe.

Top games

N.C. State opens Nov. 2 at home against Campbell, while the first AP Top 25 opponent is No. 8 Tennessee (Dec. 6) for a reunion for Gainey with Barnes. The Wolfpack's ACC opener comes at No. 14 Miami on Dec. 29, while the schedule ends with the league's three highest-ranked teams in No. 2 Duke (Feb. 27), No. 11 Louisville (March 2) and No. 9 Virginia (March 6).

Facts and figures

Gainey played point guard for the Wolfpack under Herb Sendek from 1996-2000. ... N.C. State has reached March Madness for three of the past four seasons, including the unexpected run to the Final Four in 2024. ... The previous three N.C. State coaches all won 20 games and reached the NCAAs in Year 1 going back to Mark Gottfried's run to the Sweet 16 in 2012.

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