The Will Wade experiment didn’t last long, so NC State basketball is hoping Justin Gainey can be the head coach of the present and the future.
The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: NC State basketball.
When NC State basketball signed up for having Will Wade as its head coach, they had to know the potential consequences. He stayed one year, gifted the Wolfpack an NCAA Tournament appearance, and bounced for LSU. Funny enough, the Tigers rank one spot lower in our CBB Rank countdown.
NC State went ahead and hired Justin Gainey, and it has been as smooth an offseason as you could imagine. The team welcomes back star wing Paul McNeil Jr. and may also return big man Ven-Allen Lubin, if he is granted a fifth season of eligibility.
The transfer portal was largely a success, with Gainey getting two high-level mid-major scorers in Preston Edmead and Christian Hammond to fill out the starting backcourt. Maryland transfer Darius Adams could also be in the mix there, and will almost certainly be the first guy off the bench and likely play starter minutes. UC Irvine big man Kyle Evans comes over after averaging over three blocks per game for the Anteaters. Washington State transfer Eemeli Yalaho adds depth as another forward, and a few more guys round out the rest of the bench.
Overall, NC State looks like an ACC team that can compete in the top half, especially with a National Championship-winning head coach, and if Lubin is able to play. But even without Lubin, the return of McNeil and the addition of some talented scorers and defenders make the ‘Pack a very intriguing team.
Head coach: Justin Gainey (1st season overall)
2025-26 record: 20-14 (10-8)
2026 postseason finish: Lost to Texas (68-66) in First Four of NCAA Tournament
Notable departures:
- EVERYONE besides Paul McNeil Jr. and Ven-Allen Lubin
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Murray State (Nov. 19) – Baha Mar Championship
- vs. Seton Hall OR Wisconsin (Nov. 20) – Baha Mar Championship
- at Tennessee (Dec. 6)
Projected Rotation
PG: Preston Edmead (6-1, 170, So.)
2025-26 stats: 16.1 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 4.4 APG, 38.7 3P% (Hofstra)
SG: Christian Hammond (6-4, 195, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 15.6 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.2 SPG, 39.3 3P% (Santa Clara)
SF: Paul McNeil Jr. (6-6, 190, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 13.8 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 0.8 APG, 42.7 3P%
PF: Ven-Allen Lubin (6-9, 250, Gr.-Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 13.6 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 0.9 APG, 66.8 FG%
*May not be eligible for fifth season
C: Kyle Evans (6-10, 210, Gr.-Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 12.1 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 0.9 APG, 3.3 BPG, 62.0 FG% (UC Irvine)
6: Darius Adams (6-5, 190, So.)
2025-26 stats: 10.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.6 APG, 35.4 FG% (Maryland)
7: Eemeli Yalaho (6-8, 240, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 10.1 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.7 APG, 39.8 3P% (Washington State)
8: RJ Keene II (6-7, 200, Gr.-Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 2.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.9 APG, 38.0 FG% (Boise State)
9: Zymicah Wilkins (6-9, 260, Rs.-Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 78 ranked recruit (2025)
10: Comeh Emuobor (6-5, 205, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 9.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 0.6 APG (New Hampshire)
11: Robert Jurkovic (6-10, Sr.)
International prospect from Slovenia
12: Shah Hall (6-11, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 9.4 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 0.7 APG, 2.2 BPG, 65.1 FG% (Shelton State CC – JUCO)
13: Kingston Whitty (6-2, 165, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 219 ranked recruit
14: Jacari Brim (6-2, 190, So.)
2025-26 stats: 1.2 PPG, 0.7 RPG, 0.7 APG (App State)
NC State basketball team MVP: Paul McNeil Jr.
It’s one thing to return key rotation pieces, but it’s another thing to return a guy who could wind up on the All-ACC First Team.
As a sophomore, McNeil was wildly efficient, shooting nearly 43% from three and averaging 13.8 PPG, just behind the team lead of 13.9 by Quadir Copeland.
Copeland is gone, and so is everyone else, besides Lubin, who pairs nicely with McNeil as a guard-big one-two punch. This is nothing short of McNeil’s year and time to shine and really break out. Everyone in the ACC ranks knows he’s a scorer to reckon with – he put up 28 against Pitt, 26 on Virginia in the ACC Tournament, and had 47 in a non-conference game against Texas Southern.
McNeil may bolt for the NBA after this season, so if you’re an NC State fan, you better take in all of the moments of having one of the best scorers in the conference.
NC State basketball make-or-break player: Kyle Evans
UC Irvine standout big man Kyle Evans joins NC State basketball, and there is so much to like.
Sure, the Big West isn’t on the ACC’s level, but it’s also not one of the worst mid-major leagues, and lately, as been one of the better ones if we’re being honest. And Evans has put up numbers in that league that few players could hope to match.
He earned his first full-time starter role in 2025-26 and made the most of it, averaging 3.3 blocks per game. On offense, he was more than serviceable and is a career 63.2% shooter.
But with a pretty thin frame, how well will that translate to the ACC? Evans has the talent to be a weapon, but he’ll likely be called upon to play about 25 minutes per game and will likely always be outclassed in weight and height. If NC State plays quick, it could benefit Evans, but on the defensive end, he could have a tough time trying to replicate last season’s stats.
Key statistic: 3P%
Could NC State be the top three-point shooting team in the ACC this year? Edmead, Hammond, and McNeil are all deadly from three-point range, and Yalaho adds some more shooting off the bench. Obviously, there are some true big men, and a guy in Adams, who was very inefficient as a freshman. But guarding the 1-3 in the ‘Pack’s starting lineup, you have to know you’ll be surrendering a good chunk of makes from distance.
NC State basketball 2026-27 projections
Projected conference finish: 9th in the ACC
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 exit