One Major Fix Coming to NC State Under Gainey
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RALEIGH — In Will Wade's one season at the helm of NC State men's basketball, the team suffered from some truly baffling defensive strategy decisions that led to the program being ranked 77th in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency according to KenPom. Enter Justin Gainey, Wade's replacement, who should immediately turn defense into the identity and strength of the Wolfpack.
Gainey is set to be named as the next head coach of NC State following Wade's sudden and jarring return to LSU. While serving as the associate head coach for the Tennessee Volunteers, Gainey wore several hats, but one was larger than the rest. He served as the team's defensive coordinator, turning the Volunteers into one of the most consistent units in the country on that end of the floor.
Tennessee's defensive numbers
Before Gainey joined Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes' staff ahead of the 2021-22 season, Tennessee had some solid defensive units, but never much consistency in that aspect of the program. Gainey completely flipped the script, bringing a different approach to stopping the opposition. Since his arrival, the Volunteers quietly became one of the nation's most consistent defensive teams.
Tennessee Season with Gainey on Staff | KenPom Adjusted Def. Efficiency (with rank) |
|---|---|
2021-22 | 86.4 (No. 3) |
2022-23 | 87.5 (No.1) |
2023-24 | 90.2 (No. 2) |
2024-25 | 89.7 (No. 3) |
2025-26 | 94.4 (No. 14) |
Some critics have pointed to the rise of NIL for some of the improved defensive numbers, but the consensus in coaching circles is that Gainey is one of the best defensive coaches in the country. While the 2025-26 season was a down year in some respects for the Volunteer defense, it still held opponents to just 30.5% from 3-point range and 68.9 points per game.
In a Sweet 16 win over No. 2 seed Iowa State, Tennessee held the Cyclones to just 62 points. That performance came even as Gainey prepared to interview with members of the NC State search team after Wade left earlier in the week. Toughness is part of the Wolfpack culture as a school, and as an alumnus, Gainey fits that profile perfectly.
Open shots? Not anymore...
NC State's defense suffered from major rotational lapses, as Wade's strategy included switching everything, from one to five. That placed tremendous stress on the guards to hold their ground in the paint, while also putting athletic, but limited, forwards in isolated situations as teams ball-screened their way into desirable matchups. It led to the Wolfpack having a painfully volatile defense.
The aggressive switching often led to players getting free for open looks. Opponents shot 35.5% from 3-point range against Wade's Wolfpack, which ranked 280th in the nation. It created numerous opportunities for opponents to erupt in scoring, turning a concerning early trend into a full-blown theme of the season.
Gainey explained some of the defensive principles on which he built the Volunteers' strategy over the last five seasons in an interview with "Nations of Coaches" on Nov. 6, 2025. Just listening to his first few points of emphasis indicates a complete overhaul is coming on the defensive end for the Wolfpack once he officially takes over.
"The first question we ask ourselves, which has been consistent over the last few years, is what shots are we willing to give up conceptually?" Gainey said in the interview. "The message that we share with the team is that we don't want to give up a shot at all... However many defensive possessions there are in a game, that's how many shot-clock violations we want to have."
Early in the season following his team's win over VCU, Wade was challenged by one reporter about the defensive strategy. Without going into too much detail, he explained that the types of threes the Wolfpack was giving up were planned. As the season moved along, that looked less and less like the case. Gainey should be more transparent about his strategy.
"From an analytical standpoint, we look and see what the worst shots are," Gainey said. "Non-paint twos, midrange shots, running floaters, pull-up jumpers, are something we're willing to give up... The non-negotiable on all of this is we contest every shot... We make it a habit to contest every shot... Anybody can make a wide-open dare shot."
Positional size and effort are coming
NC State's starting five-man, Ven-Allen Lubin, was just 6-foot-9. While Lubin proved to be an incredibly valuable member of the team and one of the season's highlights, the Wolfpack lacked true presence in the paint. Several teams exposed the issue during the year and bludgeoned NC State on the offensive glass. This is another issue that won't be the case with Gainey's background.
"Does our scheme fit our personnel on how we want to defend?" Gainey said. "We kind of ask ourselves about positional size... Positional size allowed us to be more aggressive, to really extend our defense and to put a lot of pressure on ball athleticism. I'd also lump in the mobility of post players."
Wade often bemoaned the lack of attention to detail and general defensive effort from his team during the 2025-26 campaign. Those won't be issues for Gainey and his new staff at NC State, simply because they won't allow players on the roster without the proper mindset. The switch is being flipped.
"If you can't guard, if you're not putting effort in on that side of the ball, then you just can't play," Gainey said. "You can't play. For us, 'I can't do it. I've never been a good defender,' Those aren't good enough responses. You've got to figure it out."
Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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