CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein doesn’t see much of a ceiling for NC State heading into the 2026-27 men’s basketball season.
In his preseason ACC power rankings, Rothstein placed the Wolfpack 12th in the conference, a slot that reflects modest expectations for first-year head coach Justin Gainey’s team.
At the top of Rothstein’s list is Duke, which he projects as the ACC team to beat. Virginia checks in second, followed by Louisville, Miami and North Carolina to complete the top five.
Rothstein’s full preseason ACC power rankings run as follows: Duke, Virginia, Louisville, Miami, UNC, Clemson, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Pitt, SMU, FSU, NC State, Stanford, Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Boston College, Cal and Georgia Tech.
The same five teams that lead the conference rankings also dominate Rothstein’s preseason All-ACC first team. His selections are Patrick Ngongba of Duke, Flory Bidunga of Louisville, Thijs De Ridder of Virginia, Shelton Henderson of Miami and John Blackwell of Duke.
NC State did not land a player on that first team.
Rothstein also listed five players he expects to make a breakout jump this season: Dame Sarr of Duke, Adrian Wooley of Louisville, Dante Allen of Miami, Sadiq White of Syracuse and Chance Mallory of Virginia. Again, no Wolfpack player made the cut.
A 12th-place pick won’t do much to fire up NC State fans, but preseason rankings are only one snapshot, especially for a program working under a new coaching staff and a reshaped roster.
As the rest of the preseason polls roll out, NC State’s standing will be worth watching.
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