NC State began varsity intercollegiate competition in men's basketball in 1911. In 105 years of play, the Wolfpack ranks 25th in total victories among
NCAA Division I college basketball programs and 26th in winning percentage among programs that have competed at the Division I level for at least 26 years. The team's all-time record is 1782–1114 (.615). The program saw its greatest success during the head coaching tenures of
Everett Case (1946–1965),
Norm Sloan (1967–1980), and
Jim Valvano (1980–1990). NC State has produced some of the ACC's best players, including
Tom Burleson,
Rodney Monroe,
Monte Towe, and
Ron Shavlik.
David Thompson, who led the Wolfpack to its first NCAA title in
1974, has been recognized as one of college basketball's greatest players. The Wolfpack has won a total of 18 conference tournament championships and 13 regular season conference titles. State has appeared in the
NCAA tournament 29 times, with four Final Four appearances (1950, 1974, 1983, 2024) and two national titles (1974, 1983). The Wolfpack also appeared in the Final Four of the 1947
National Invitational Tournament, which was during the NIT's "national championship era." NC State achieved its 1,700th overall win against Presbyterian College, 86–68, becoming the 26th NCAA school to reach such an achievement. The program played its first official intercollegiate basketball game on February 16, 1911, against a much more experienced squad from
Wake Forest. NC State, then known as the North Carolina A&M Farmers, lost, 33–6. The two teams met again five days later in Raleigh, with A&M earning its first-ever victory, 19–18. The following year, the school's athletics council officially recognized basketball as a sport. State College changed its nickname yet again in 1923, this time to the "Red Terrors." The name was drawn from a combination of the play of Rochelle "Red" Johnson and the team's new bright red road uniforms. Also in 1923, State opened its first basketball facility, Frank Thompson Gym. The gym, named in honor of a former athlete from the school who died in action during
World War I, served as the team's home until 1948. Gus Tebell took over the basketball team as head coach in 1924. During his tenure he led the program to a number of school firsts, including the first conference championship in 1929 and the first 20-win season. He compiled a then all-time program best career coaching record at 79–36. The Wolfpack's first player to garner significant national recognition was Bud Rose, who, after the 1931–32 season, was named as an honorable mention All-American. When approached by Harrelson about the job, Case was at first hesitant because of the tight restrictions under which the program had been operating. Harrelson assured Case that he would be given an expanded budget and more than enough scholarships to field a competitive team. Additionally, Case was lured by the still unfinished Reynolds Coliseum. He accepted the job almost immediately without ever visiting the campus.
Six consecutive Southern Conference titles Everett Case was named head coach on July 1, 1946. Case had previously coached high school basketball in Indiana, where in 23 seasons he compiled a 726–75 record and won four state championships at Frankfort High School. Before arriving at NC State, he spent two years as an assistant coach at the
University of Southern California and spent several years coaching teams at various Naval bases during the war. In February 1947, his first season at NC State, Case defeated
North Carolina in Chapel Hill, 48–46 in overtime, beginning a streak of 15 consecutive victories over the Tar Heels. Later that month, an afternoon game in Thompson Gym against
Duke was postponed by city fire officials because of overcrowding. That evening the game was officially canceled after fans were found sneaking through bathroom windows, breaking down doors, and hiding in the basement. Less than three weeks later, Case guided the Red Terrors to their first Southern Conference championship in 18 years. Case and his team celebrated by performing an Indiana high school tradition of cutting down the nets. The tradition soon spread to college teams across the nation and survives amongst championship teams to this day. Soon after his arrival, Case was named "Tar Heel of the Week" by the Raleigh
News and Observer, citing that "since the little man came here from Indiana...basketball has almost supplanted politics as the favorite topic of discussion in the North Carolina capital." In Case's second season as head coach the team changed its nickname from the Red Terrors to the Wolfpack. At that time, the arena was the largest college basketball facility in the southeast. and
Sam Ranzino with coach Case in 1950. Later that month, December 28–30, the first annual
Dixie Classic tournament was held in Reynolds. The Dixie Classic was a three-day tournament held each December until 1961 that matched the four
Tobacco Road schools of NC State, North Carolina, Duke, and Wake Forest against four of the top teams from across the country. In its time the Dixie Classic became the largest regular season tournament in college basketball. After finishing the season at 27–6 and winning its fourth consecutive Southern Conference tournament, the Wolfpack received invitations to both the
National Invitation Tournament and the
NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. Case declined the NIT bid and accepted the invitation to the program's first ever NCAA Tournament. The team defeated
Holy Cross before losing to eventual champion
City College of New York, 78–73. NC State went on to defeat
Baylor in the third-place game, 53–41. It was the first match between the two schools since the hiring of Frank "the man" McGuire the previous summer. McGuire inflamed NC State players and fans by having his players
cut down the nets in Reynolds Coliseum following the victory. NC State's first ACC contest was on the road against Wake Forest in December 1953. The Wolfpack was ranked #8 in the nation at the time, but just as in the first ever meeting between the two schools, Wake Forest prevailed. Case and his squad defeated the Demon Deacons later that season in the first-ever ACC Tournament championship game, 82–80 in overtime. The victory meant a return trip to the
NCAA tournament, where NC State defeated George Washington in the first round before losing to eventual champion La Salle in the second round. Case's squad won a second ACC title the following year, defeating Duke in 87–77 in the championship game. The team finished with a 28–4 record but was ineligible for postseason play; earlier in the season the NCAA imposed four years' probation and banned them from postseason play during that time for numerous recruiting violations. The Wolfpack brought home a third consecutive ACC title in the 1955–56 season, setting a record for consecutive ACC championships that stood until 2002. The team also played in its first televised game earlier that season, losing to North Carolina in Chapel Hill, 73–69. Maravich had originally been hired in part because of his son
Pete Maravich, who at the time was a highly touted high school player. After Pete failed to qualify academically at NC State, he accepted a scholarship to play at
LSU. After the 1965–66 season, Press Maravich resigned as head coach to follow Pete to LSU. NC State finished eighth in the ACC in Maravich's final year. On April 30, 1966, the day after Maravich announced he was leaving, Everett Case died in a Raleigh hospital.
Norm Sloan era (1967–1980) Just a week after Maravich's exit, former Wolfpack basketball and football player
Norm Sloan was hired as the new head coach. In 1967–68, his first season, Sloan's team finished the regular season third in the ACC with a 9–5 conference record. State made it as far as the ACC championship game before losing to North Carolina 87–50, but it was the Pack's semifinal game against 10th-ranked Duke that is most remembered. Sloan realized his team was vastly undersized against the Blue Devils. He decided, however, to use the Wolfpack's quickness to its advantage and keep the ball away from the Duke players for as much of the game as possible. Using a tactic he coined "stall-ball," Sloan instructed his players to hold the ball at halfcourt and slow the game down as much as possible. The final result was the lowest scoring game in ACC Tournament history. Duke led 4–2 at halftime and the Wolfpack held the ball for more than 13 straight minutes in the second half. In the end, State prevailed 12–10. The following season marked another historic first in the Wolfpack program, as on December 2, 1968, Al Heartley debuted as the school's first African-American basketball player. Heartley had a solid three-year career at NC State and was named a team captain as a senior. impressed in his 1972 debut as a sophomore. In what was a 130–53 rout of Appalachian State, Thompson scored 33 points and collected 13 rebounds. the team was poised to make another strong run. State began the season with a pair of games against
East Carolina and
Vermont, which it won by a combined score of 176–87. The third game of the season was against seven-time defending national champions
UCLA and coach
John Wooden. The Pack came out sluggish and was easily defeated, 84–66. It would be the team's only loss in two seasons, though, as the Pack tore through the ACC, finishing the regular season at 24–1 overall. As the team continued to rack up victories, its national ranking rose accordingly. On February 19, with just four regular season games remaining, NC State overtook UCLA for the top spot in the AP poll; it was the program's first ever #1 ranking. As the top seed in the conference tournament, the Wolfpack received a bye in the first round. In the semifinals, State easily defeated Virginia, 87–66. In the championship game the team faced off against fourth-ranked Maryland, which had lost by only six points in each of the teams' regular season meetings. Maryland jumped to an early 25–12 lead, hitting 12 of its first 14 shots. The Wolfpack cut the deficit to five points at halftime, but momentum shifted throughout the second half. NC State led by four late in the game, but Maryland closed the gap and sent the game to overtime, tied at 97. The Wolfpack, led by Tom Burleson's 38 points, won 103–100 in what has been heralded as one of the greatest college basketball games ever played. Back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four seasons, Sloan and his team played their first two games on their home court. They defeated their first two opponents, Providence and Pittsburgh, by a combined 32 points to set up a Final Four rematch with UCLA. In the week leading up to the game, thousands of fans packed Reynolds Coliseum to watch the Wolfpack practice. When the two teams finally met in
Greensboro, it was another tight contest for the Pack. After ending regulation tied at 65, each team scored only two points in the first overtime. UCLA took a seven-point lead in the second extra period, but NC State, led by David Thompson, took the lead for the final time with 34 seconds to play. State won 80–77, and advanced to the national championship game against
Marquette. The championship game, played two nights later, was much less competitive than the previous contest. The game was close in the first half until Marquette coach
Al McGuire received two technical fouls and was ejected from the game. McGuire's exit sparked a 10–0 Wolfpack run just before halftime. NC State led by as much as 19 points in the second half and ultimately won 76–64. In his 86 games, Thompson scored 2,309 points (26.8 ppg); he still holds the Wolfpack records for points scored in a single season (838 in 1974–75) and points scored in a single game (57 in 1974). His #44 jersey remains the only retired jersey in NC State history, though others have been honored. In early 2024, a statue of Thompson was placed outside Reynolds Coliseum. Sloan remained head coach through the 1979–80 season. His last team (1979–80) team reached the NCAA Tournament, losing to Iowa in the second round. Also, twice during his final six seasons in Raleigh his teams played in the
NIT. In 1976, the Pack advanced to the
semifinals and in 1978, it defeated
South Carolina, Detroit, and
Georgetown before falling to
Texas in the
championship game. In his final season, he led the program to its 1000th victory. After resigning from NC State, Sloan returned to
Florida, where he had previously coached from 1961 to 1965. Valvano's teams saw incremental improvement in his first two seasons, finishing seventh in the ACC in 1981 and fourth in 1982.
1983 National Championship Expectations were high before the 1982–83 season, but a foot injury to
Dereck Whittenburg slowed the team to a fourth-place regular-season finish. Whittenburg returned in time for the
ACC tournament, which most believed the Pack needed to win to secure a second consecutive berth in the NCAA Tournament. State did just that, defeating heavily favored North Carolina and
Virginia squads led by
Michael Jordan and
Ralph Sampson, respectively. The Wolfpack kept winning. Their close games and exciting finishes in the ACC Tournament and early rounds of the NCAA tournament earned them the moniker The Cardiac Pack. As a #6 seed in the
NCAA tournament, the Wolfpack won narrowmy over Pepperdine (in double overtime) and UNLV (71–70) before defeating
Utah in the Sweet Sixteen, 75–56. In the regional final, NC State again defeated Virginia, 63–62, then defeated
Georgia in the Final Four to advance to the championship game against
Houston. The Cougars, nicknamed
Phi Slama Jama for their athletic, fast-paced style of play that featured
Clyde Drexler and
Hakeem Olajuwon, were expected to win easily over the underdog Wolfpack. NC State escaped with their second national title after a last-second air ball by Dereck Whittenburg was caught and dunked by
Lorenzo Charles. The claims were refuted by Valvano and Chancellor
Bruce Poulton, claiming that some of the players might have sold some of their shoes, most notably to ACC superfan Jason Bass. The NCAA investigation, and five additional investigations by separate entities found only that players indeed sold shoes and their complimentary game tickets for spending money. Nonetheless, the NCAA banned NC State from postseason play for the 1989-90 season. Earlier, NC State limited itself to only 12 total scholarships for 1990–91 and 1991–92. Although Valvano was not named in the NCAA report at all, new chancellor
Larry Monteith forced his resignation on April 7, 1990.
Les Robinson era (1990–1996) To replace Valvano, NC State turned to
East Tennessee State coach
Les Robinson, who had played for Case in the 1960s. Robinson was the 1991 District Coach of the Year as selected by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) after leading NC State to a 20–11 record in the first season. He was the first first-year coach in ACC history to win 20 games, post a winning regular season conference record, and win games in both the ACC and NCAA Tournaments. The only other coach to pull off this feat is North Carolina's
Bill Guthridge. However, the lost scholarships took their full effect a year later, and the Wolfpack plummeted into the ACC's second division for the next five years. The low point of Robinson's tenure at his alma mater came during the 1992–93 season. Due to injuries and academic-related suspensions, Robinson was only able to dress seven players for most conference games. They ultimately finished 8–19, the worst record in modern Wolfpack history. In 1992 the ACC Tournament was expanded because of the addition of Florida State. A play-in game between the eighth and ninth place teams was created, and during his five years as the N.C. State coach after its addition, Robinson's Wolfpack played in the play-in game four out of five times (finishing seventh in 1992). Because of his team's traditional appearance in the Thursday night play-in game, the game became known as the "Les Robinson Invitational" by ACC fans. The play-in game was discontinued when the ACC expanded to include Miami and Virginia Tech, and required three Thursday games. With the later addition of Boston College, there are now four games on Thursday. Les Robinson would stay on as head coach through the 1995–96 season. While he never tallied another winning record, his stint went a long way towards cleansing the image of the program to both insiders and outsiders. Lowe's first season got off to a good start as the Wolfpack won its first five games. State's first three ACC contests were losses, however, and the team finished the regular season at 15–14, tenth place in the ACC at 5–11. Despite depth issues, the squad made a surprising run to the ACC Tournament championship game in Tampa, winning three games in three days before losing to North Carolina, 89–80. The Wolfpack was given a berth in the
NIT, its first since
2000. There the Pack defeated Drexel on the road and Marist in Reynolds Coliseum before losing in the third round at
West Virginia. Lowe was revered for his role as starting point guard on the "Cardiac Pack" team that won the 1983 NCAA championship. He returned to Raleigh in 2006 to replace Herb Sendek as coach, but the Wolfpack struggled to sustain any momentum in Lowe's five seasons. Although he made the NIT twice, he never made the NCAA tournament as a coach, and never finished higher than ninth place in the ACC. He went 86–78, including just 25–55 in ACC play. Lowe was 3–16 record against rivals Duke and North Carolina, with two of those wins coming in his first year.
Mark Gottfried era (2011–2017) Mark Gottfried was named head coach on April 5, 2011. In his first season as head coach of NC State,
Mark Gottfried recorded a 22–12 overall regular season record, including a 9–7 regular season record in the ACC, and reached the semifinals of the ACC tournament.
Mark Gottfried recorded the second best season by a first-year coach at State, second only to
Everett Case. Gottfried's first Wolfpack team earned a #11 seed in the 2012 NCAA Tournament. The Pack won in the tournament over sixth seeded
San Diego State and third seeded
Georgetown to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, where it lost to second seeded Kansas. They finished the season ranked #20 in the AP Poll. Entering the 2012–13 season, expectations ran high for Gottfried's second season as head coach. The Wolfpack returned four starters from its 2012 Sweet Sixteen squad and were joined by a trio of talented freshman, each of whom were selected as
McDonald's All Americans. As a result, NC State started the season ranked #6 in the AP preseason poll, the Wolfpack's second-highest preseason ranking in program history. Additionally, NC State was voted as preseason favorite to win the ACC title in the conference's annual media survey and the inaugural league coaches’ poll. Ultimately,
the team did not live up to media expectations. 24–11 overall, The Wolfpack finished tied for fourth in the ACC regular season standings with a 24–11 overall record (11–7 ACC) and as a #8 seed lost its first game in the second round of the 2013 NCAA tournament to
Temple. Mark Gottfried began his third season as head coach of the Wolfpack having lost five of seven players who logged significant minutes (four of which were starters). They struggled for most of the season, finishing 9–9 in ACC play. However, the Wolfpack surprised many by making the semifinals of the ACC tournament by upsetting #11
Syracuse, who entered the tournament as a second seed. They eventually lost to a third seeded Duke team. They were selected as a #12 seed in the 2014 NCAA tournament, where they won over
Xavier in the First Four before losing in the second round to St. Louis. They finished the season 22–14. Coming into Gottfried's fourth season, NC State had lost
T. J. Warren, the ACC's leading scorer the previous year, to the NBA draft. They also lost point guard Tyler Lewis, who transferred to
Butler. They finished 19–12 with a 10–8 ACC record. NC State upset
Jahlil Okafor and #2
Duke on January 11, nearly two years after upsetting them in the same place in 2013. They also upset #15
UNC in the Dean Smith Center for the first time since 2003, holding the Heels to their lowest home point total ever. These two wins, along with wins against
Louisville and
Syracuse made Gottfried the first coach to beat all ACC Hall of Fame coaches in the same year. They made it to the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament where they lost to Duke, and were selected as an 8 seed in the NCAA tournament where they made the Sweet Sixteen, upsetting #1
Villanova along the way. In Gottfried's fifth season, NC State lost half of its scoring threat with
Trevor Lacey declaring for the draft and Ralston Turner and Desmond Lee graduating. Additionally, Kyle Washington transferred to the
Cincinnati. NC State suffered a loss in their opening game against
William & Mary, and highly touted guard Terry Henderson suffered an ankle injury in the first 10 minutes, which resulted in him sitting out for the rest of the season. This was the beginning of a long and painful season for the Pack. NC State struggled to compete in the ACC after going 10–3 out of conference. Junior point guard,
Cat Barber finished the season as the ACC's leading scorer, averaging 23.5 points per game and making the All-ACC first team. After a tough loss to
Duke in the second round of the ACC Tournament, NC State finished the season 16–17 and 5–13 in the ACC, making it Gottfried's worst season to date. The Wolfpack decided to not participate in any post-season tournaments. Expectations ran high for Gottfried's sixth season as head coach, with a highly touted recruiting class and several key players returning such as
Abdul-Malik Abu and
BeeJay Anya. It was later announced that he would be fired at the end of the season.
Kevin Keatts era (2017–2025) On March 17, 2017,
Kevin Keatts was named the head basketball coach at NC State. In 2024, the Wolfpack ended the regular season 17-14 but won the ACC Tournament for the first time since 1987. The team was only the second to win their conference championship by winning five games in five days since Connecticut did so in the
Big East Tournament during their 2011 national championship season. Seeded 11th in the
NCAA Tournament's South Region, the Wolfpack reached the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2015 after an upset of Texas Tech and an overtime win over Oakland. They then made their first Elite Eight appearance since 1986 after upsetting second seed Marquette and then their first Final Four appearance since 1983 after beating Duke for the second time in March 76–64. The women's team, coached by
Wes Moore, made the Final Four a few hours earlier on the same day by beating top seed Texas in the Elite Eight in Portland, marking the first season in which the school's men's and women's teams both made the Final Four. The success of the Wolfpack's 2024 NCAA tournament run was short-lived. The team finished 2025 with a 12–19 record, including a 5–15 mark in the ACC. Keatts was fired at the end of the season.
Will Wade era (2025–2026) On March 23, 2025,
Will Wade was named the head basketball coach at NC State. In his first season at NC State,
Will Wade saw the team finish tied for seventh in the ACC finishing 10-8 in conference play. In post season play, NC State defeated
Pitt in the
ACC Tournament but ultimately lost to
Virginia. Seeded 11 in the NCAA Tournament, NC State lost in the First Four to
Texas. After one season, Wade left NC State, accepting an offer to return to LSU as head coach.
Justin Gainey era (2026–) On March 31, 2026,
Justin Gainey was named the head basketball coach at NC State. ==Seasons==