With Justin Gainey as the new head coach for the Pack, NC State has a clean slate, but that won't make the season any less daunting. Here is my schedule prediction for the first half of the 2026-2027 NC State men’s basketball regular season. Games 1-3: Norfolk State, Elon and South Carolina (3-0) All three games will be played at home in Lenovo Center, giving the Wolfpack even more of an edge and allowing it to start the season 3-0. Game 4: No. 7 Tennessee (3-1) Rick Barnes, Tennessee’s head coach, will be a tough nut for Gainey to crack, seeing as much of Gainey’s coaching acumen comes from the old man. Game 5: UNCG (4-1) The Pack will have a prime opportunity to bounce back from its road loss to Tennessee against the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Reynolds Coliseum. A loss doesn’t even cross my mind when I look at this, and the Pack should walk off Kay Yow Court with a win. To read the rest of Braden's season predictions go to the link in bio. 📝Braden Winter...