NC State's search for its next men's basketball coach, Will Wade, has intensified as school officials met with top candidates including Saint Louis coach Josh Schertz and Tennessee assistant Justin Gainey. Gainey, a former player for the Wolfpack, has coached at various schools since 2009 and has been at Tennessee since 2021. As of 4:30 p.m., the school had not yet made a job offer for the position. Tennessee coach Rick Barnes praised Gainey for his readiness to be the next head coach of the University of Tennessee or any other school in the country.