RALEIGH, N.C. — Justin Gainey gets his first home game as NC State’s head coach Saturday, when the Wolfpack close their preseason against Division II Lenoir-Rhyne at the Lenovo Center. Tipoff is at noon.
Admission and parking are both free, but there is no stream or radio call, so following along means being there or checking live stats. Fans should also plan for State Fair traffic around the arena. The school points fans to two entrances: Gate E on Edwards Mill Road, or Gate F on Westchase Road reached from Blue Ridge Road.
Gainey, a former Wolfpack guard who played 128 games and started 103, was named the program’s 22nd head coach on March 31 after five seasons on Rick Barnes’ staff at Tennessee. His rebuilt roster already has one win: last Sunday the Pack closed on a 12-2 run to beat Mississippi State 77-73 in an exhibition. Paul McNeill Jr. and Preston Edmead scored 16 points apiece, Darius Adams had 14 with team highs of six rebounds and five assists, and Ven-Allen Lubin added 13.
Only three players are back from last season. McNeill hit 105 threes a year ago, tying the school record, and led the ACC at 42.7% from deep. Lubin led the league by shooting 66.8% from the floor. Newcomers include Maryland transfer Adams, a 2025 McDonald’s All-American, and graduate forward Kyle Evans, who led the country with 115 blocks last season.
Lenoir-Rhyne, from Hickory, is no pushover in these games. The Bears beat Louisville 57-47 in a 2022 exhibition and have gone 55-15 over the past two seasons, reaching the Division II Elite Eight for the first time in 2025. They do have a new look after losing eight of their nine top scorers, and they added five transfers and three freshmen. The schools last played in 1928, a 36-22 NC State win.
The Wolfpack open the regular season Monday, Nov. 2, at home against Campbell. Lenoir-Rhyne starts Nov. 9 against Young Harris.
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