NC State men’s basketball now knows exactly what Year 1 under Justin Gainey will look like.
The Wolfpack released its complete 2026-27 schedule on Wednesday, and it opens with Campbell on Nov. 2 before a non-conference slate that leans heavily on neutral-site games and a few key matchups at Lenovo Center. The schedule also puts the ACC/SEC Challenge in Raleigh and brings several in-state opponents to the home floor.
NC State’s first stretch is a clean run of four straight home games: Campbell, East Tennessee State, Presbyterian and Troy. That Troy game on Nov. 13 brings a familiar face back into the picture, with Gainey matched up against former NC State offensive coordinator Adam Howard.
From there, the Pack heads to the Bahamas for the Baha Mar Championship, where Murray State awaits in a difficult second game on the trip. NC State would then play either Seton Hall or Wisconsin on Nov.
The non-conference schedule keeps moving with Norfolk State and Elon serving as the lead-in to a Dec. 1 home game against South Carolina in the ACC/SEC Challenge. After that, the Pack’s December gets packed with a mix of home dates and neutral-court tests: UNCG comes to Lenovo Center between a Dec. 6 game against Tennessee in Nashville, a Dec. 15 matchup with UNC-Chapel Hill in Greensboro and a neutral-site meeting with Ole Miss in Jackson, Miss.
Conference play begins on Dec. 29 at Miami, and NC State then gets a run of home games against Clemson and Pitt. The first meeting with the Tar Heels in ACC play comes Jan. 9 in Chapel Hill, followed by a home game against SMU on Jan. 12, a trip to Georgia Tech on Jan. 19 and a home date with Wake Forest on Jan. 23.
January ends with a cross-country swing to Cal and Stanford before Florida State visits Raleigh on Feb. 3.
February gives the Wolfpack a chance to settle in and stack results, starting with a game at Wake Forest on Feb. 10, Boston College in Raleigh on Feb. 13, a trip to Virginia Tech on Feb. 17 and back-to-back home games against Cal and Notre Dame on Feb. 20 and Feb.
The closing stretch is the harshest part of the schedule. NC State goes to Duke in Durham on Feb. 27, hosts Louisville on March 2 and finishes the regular season at Virginia on March 6. The release noted those three teams are expected to be three of the Top 5 teams in the ACC this season, giving the Wolfpack a late chance to show where it stacks up before the ACC Tournament.
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Dave Doerens 9/11 Connection Gives NC States Tribute Deeper Meaning
As NC State prepares for its home opener on Sept. 11, the programs tribute carries a weight that goes well beyond a themed uniform. The Wolfpack will wear special black camo jerseys to honor those who have served, a nod that fits the significance of the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks and the way that date still resonates far beyond football.
Dave Doerens connection to that morning gives the moment even more meaning inside the building. The NC State coach has long carried the memory of how close his own family came to being tied to one of the hijacked flights, a personal reminder that the attacks were not just history but a day that changed countless lives in an instant. For the Wolfpack, the tribute is about more than presentation, because the man leading the team has his own reason to feel the day in a very real way. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Just Got A Huge Answer On Its Defensive Front
KaTron Evans has already given NC State a glimpse of what he can bring to the defensive front, and now the Wolfpack have a clearer picture of his status moving forward. After previously receiving temporary relief that let him suit up in early games, including the season opener against Virginia when he made five tackles, the former four-star prospect now has a full path to play for NC State through the entire 2026 football season.
For a defense that can use dependable bodies in the trenches, the ruling removes at least one layer of uncertainty around a player who has moved through multiple colleges before arriving in Raleigh. Evans case had lingered beyond the opening stretch, but the latest development gives NC State a more stable answer up front and a chance to keep building around a veteran presence already showing he can make an impact. [Read more 🡒]
NC States Defensive Front Just Got An Important Evans Development
KaTron Evans season took a meaningful turn this week, with the NC State nose guard declared immediately eligible for the rest of 2026 after receiving a waiver. Evans had already appeared in the opener against Virginia, but the new ruling clears the way for him to stay with the defensive front without the uncertainty that had hovered over his status.
His eligibility now comes after a legal challenge to the NCAAs original denial of an extra year, and the dismissal of his federal lawsuit helped close the loop. For a Wolfpack defense that values size and steadiness in the middle, getting Evans locked in for the full season gives the front another piece it can count on as the year unfolds. [Read more 🡒]