North Carolina State University Athletics
Friday, November 6
Raleigh, NC
7 PM
NC State
vs
ETSU
11/5/2026 11:35:00 AM | Men's Basketball
ACC Network Extra | Live Stats | Tickets
NC State Game Notes | ETSU Game Notes
RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State men's basketball team (1-0) hosts ETSU (0-1) Friday night at the Lenovo Center.
Tipoff against the Buccaneers is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be streamed on ACC Network Extra. NC State fans can also listen to Matt Chazanow and Chucky Brown call the action on the Wolfpack Sports Network.
Pack Notes
- NC State opened its 117th season of basketball on Monday evening with an 83-64 win over Campbell.
- The Pack got off to a slow start but went on a 28-3 run to end the first half to take a 41-19 lead into halftime. NC State's lead ballooned to as many as 35 points in the second half.
- Ven-Allen Lubin led the Pack in the win over Campbell with his 19th career double-double as he finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds. The Orlando, Fla., native was a perfect 8-for-8 from the field, including making a career-best three three-pointers and passing out a career-best four assists.
- Lubin's 8-for-8 performance is tied for the third-most makes without a miss in Lenovo Center history. That is a mark that five former NC State players have reached, including Lubin himself who went 8-for-8 last season in the Pack's win over Syracuse on Jan. 27, 2026.
- Lubin was joined in double figures by four of his teammates; Darius Adams (16 points), Christian Hammond (14), Paul McNeil, Jr. (11) and Preston Edmead (10).
- Christian Hammond, like Lubin, also reset his career-high in assists as he finished with six. As a team, NC State finished with 20 assists on 30 made field goals.
- Welcome Home, Justin Gainey! Justin Gainey was announced as the 22nd head coach in NC State men's basketball history on March 31, 2026.
- A former NC State letterman, Gainey appeared in 128 games during his NC State career, making 103 starts. His 344 career assists ranked among the program's top 10 when he graduated and currently stands 15th in school history while his 190 career steals still rank fifth in program history.
- Gainey brings 20 years of Division I coaching experience to his new role, including 14 years at the power conference level. He has spent the previous five seasons at the University of Tennessee, including the last four as Associate Head Coach under Rick Barnes.
Friday Storylines
- Dating back to the 2016-17 season, NC State has a 74-4 (.949) record against non-conference opponents in regular season home games.
- NC State had 10 players make their Pack debuts on Monday night. The 10 newcomers combined to score 52 of NC State's 83 points.
- Paul McNeil, Jr. Showing His Growth as a Scorer: For the first time in an official game, Paul McNeil reached double figures without making multiple three-pointers. The ACC's top-returning three-point shooter from last season was just 1-4 from long range in the season-opener but still finished with 11 points. It marked the first time in his collegiate career that McNeil was able to score in double figures without making multiple three-pointers. Last season, McNeil averaged 4.0 points per game in the seven contests in which he made one or fewer three-pointers, but in the 25 games he made at least two threes, he averaged 17.7 points per game.
- Sharing is Caring: NC State passed out 20 assists on 30 made field goals (66.7%) in Monday's win. One of the attributes the NC State coaching staff has been the most excited about in preseason practice is the team's ability share the basketball. In its two exhibition games, NC State had assists on 39 of its 61 made baskets (63.9%). Anything over 60% is considered elite ball movement.
- NC State set a school record last season with 348 three-pointers, averaging 10.2 per game. The Pack opened this season by making 11 three-pointers with seven different players making a three-pointer. NC State's team this year has four different players that made at least 50 three-pointers last season and shot over 38.5 percent from three-point range.
- Streaking: Kyle Evans had two blocks in the win over Campbell on Monday and now has a block in 39 consecutive games (a streak that started in the 2024-25 season). Preston Edmead reached double figures on Monday and has now scored in double figures in eight straight games and has made at least one three-pointer in 10 straight games. Paul McNeil, Jr., only made one three-pointer on Monday which snapped his streak of multiple three-pointers at nine games, but he has now made a three-pointer in 10 straight games (30 of his last 31).Â
NC State series with ETSU
- Friday will be the fifth all-time meeting between NC State and ETSU. ETSU leads the series, 3-1, and has won two of the three previous games played in Raleigh.
- The two programs played four times in six seasons from 1986 to 1992.
- Last Meeting (Feb. 6, 1992): NC State led 27-24 at halftime, but ETSU controlled the second half to win 72-66 inside Reynolds Coliseum. It marked the Pack's sixth consecutive loss as NC State would ultimately finish the season with a losing record and miss the NCAA Tournament after making it eight of the previous 10 seasons. ETSU would go on to finish 24-7 and beat Arizona in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Michigan's Fab Five in the second round.
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NC State Game Notes | ETSU Game Notes
RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State men's basketball team (1-0) hosts ETSU (0-1) Friday night at the Lenovo Center.
Tipoff against the Buccaneers is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be streamed on ACC Network Extra. NC State fans can also listen to Matt Chazanow and Chucky Brown call the action on the Wolfpack Sports Network.
Pack Notes
- NC State opened its 117th season of basketball on Monday evening with an 83-64 win over Campbell.
- The Pack got off to a slow start but went on a 28-3 run to end the first half to take a 41-19 lead into halftime. NC State's lead ballooned to as many as 35 points in the second half.
- Ven-Allen Lubin led the Pack in the win over Campbell with his 19th career double-double as he finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds. The Orlando, Fla., native was a perfect 8-for-8 from the field, including making a career-best three three-pointers and passing out a career-best four assists.
- Lubin's 8-for-8 performance is tied for the third-most makes without a miss in Lenovo Center history. That is a mark that five former NC State players have reached, including Lubin himself who went 8-for-8 last season in the Pack's win over Syracuse on Jan. 27, 2026.
- Lubin was joined in double figures by four of his teammates; Darius Adams (16 points), Christian Hammond (14), Paul McNeil, Jr. (11) and Preston Edmead (10).
- Christian Hammond, like Lubin, also reset his career-high in assists as he finished with six. As a team, NC State finished with 20 assists on 30 made field goals.
- Welcome Home, Justin Gainey! Justin Gainey was announced as the 22nd head coach in NC State men's basketball history on March 31, 2026.
- A former NC State letterman, Gainey appeared in 128 games during his NC State career, making 103 starts. His 344 career assists ranked among the program's top 10 when he graduated and currently stands 15th in school history while his 190 career steals still rank fifth in program history.
- Gainey brings 20 years of Division I coaching experience to his new role, including 14 years at the power conference level. He has spent the previous five seasons at the University of Tennessee, including the last four as Associate Head Coach under Rick Barnes.
Friday Storylines
- Dating back to the 2016-17 season, NC State has a 74-4 (.949) record against non-conference opponents in regular season home games.
- NC State had 10 players make their Pack debuts on Monday night. The 10 newcomers combined to score 52 of NC State's 83 points.
- Paul McNeil, Jr. Showing His Growth as a Scorer: For the first time in an official game, Paul McNeil reached double figures without making multiple three-pointers. The ACC's top-returning three-point shooter from last season was just 1-4 from long range in the season-opener but still finished with 11 points. It marked the first time in his collegiate career that McNeil was able to score in double figures without making multiple three-pointers. Last season, McNeil averaged 4.0 points per game in the seven contests in which he made one or fewer three-pointers, but in the 25 games he made at least two threes, he averaged 17.7 points per game.
- Sharing is Caring: NC State passed out 20 assists on 30 made field goals (66.7%) in Monday's win. One of the attributes the NC State coaching staff has been the most excited about in preseason practice is the team's ability share the basketball. In its two exhibition games, NC State had assists on 39 of its 61 made baskets (63.9%). Anything over 60% is considered elite ball movement.
- NC State set a school record last season with 348 three-pointers, averaging 10.2 per game. The Pack opened this season by making 11 three-pointers with seven different players making a three-pointer. NC State's team this year has four different players that made at least 50 three-pointers last season and shot over 38.5 percent from three-point range.
- Streaking: Kyle Evans had two blocks in the win over Campbell on Monday and now has a block in 39 consecutive games (a streak that started in the 2024-25 season). Preston Edmead reached double figures on Monday and has now scored in double figures in eight straight games and has made at least one three-pointer in 10 straight games. Paul McNeil, Jr., only made one three-pointer on Monday which snapped his streak of multiple three-pointers at nine games, but he has now made a three-pointer in 10 straight games (30 of his last 31).Â
NC State series with ETSU
- Friday will be the fifth all-time meeting between NC State and ETSU. ETSU leads the series, 3-1, and has won two of the three previous games played in Raleigh.
- The two programs played four times in six seasons from 1986 to 1992.
- Last Meeting (Feb. 6, 1992): NC State led 27-24 at halftime, but ETSU controlled the second half to win 72-66 inside Reynolds Coliseum. It marked the Pack's sixth consecutive loss as NC State would ultimately finish the season with a losing record and miss the NCAA Tournament after making it eight of the previous 10 seasons. ETSU would go on to finish 24-7 and beat Arizona in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Michigan's Fab Five in the second round.
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Players Mentioned
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