Kevin Keatts earns two-year contract extension for winning ACC Tournament

Five wins in five days in Washington DC will send NC State to the NCAA Tournament. An incredible run for the Wolfpack, being the first ACC team to ever cut down the nets after beginning their week on Tuesday. Head coach Kevin Keatts knew they would have to win to dance and he got the job done.

Short-term, Keatts is rewarded by getting to play at least one more game with this year’s team. His long-term future is a bit more secure as well, securing a contract extension due to the win ACC Championship game win over North Carolina.

When Keatts signed his deal with NC State back in 2019, a few accomplishments would see his contract automatically be extended. One of those was winning the ACC Tournament and now, an extra two years will be added to his deal. Keatts also earned a $400,000 raise and will receive a $100,000 bonus from the University.

A great sweetener for Keatts following his biggest win since taking over in Raleigh.

NC State isn’t just a BID STEALER, but the Pack beat North Carolina to punch its ticket.

Doesn’t get any better than this for NC State fans — who deserved it!!

And Kevin Keatts gets a 2-year extension for winning the ACC tourney!! pic.twitter.com/YV2Girb30T

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 17, 2024

NC State has flirted with the idea of moving on from Keatts in the past. Heading into the week, he was slated to once again miss the NCAA Tournament, making it five times in seven seasons. The Wolfpack have not won a game once there either, losing in the first round on both occasions.

However, athletic director Boo Corrigan stayed with Keatts and the move finally paid off on Saturday night. A historic win for NC State and having it come against one of the program’s biggest rivals has to make the moment even better.

NC State caps off incredible run at ACC Tournament with championship

NC State kicked things off on Tuesday, taking down Louisville. Little did they know four more games were in their future.

Just as nice as the UNC win must have been, taking down Duke in the quarterfinals must have been a great moment for Keatts’ squad as well. The Duke-North Carolina rivalry gets a ton of attention and at times, NC State’s presence inside the triangle can be diminished. Taking down the two blue bloods en route to the title makes the journey a whole lot more fun.

Syracuse and Virginia were the other two teams the Wolfpack took down, with the Cavaliers’ semifinal showdown being an overtime thriller. A run people in Raleigh will be remembering for a long time, especially if there is some success in the NCAA Tournament.