NC State coach Kevin Keatts fired after 8 seasons

What a difference a year can make. Or if a program hits on the transfer portal from one year to the next. In NC State’s case, it experienced both ends of the spectrum in a 12 month period. 

The Wolfpack made a miraculous run to the ACC Tournament championship and the Final Four last season, which featured nine straight wins on neutral floors to reach college basketball’s pinnacle. But this year? NC State failed to even qualify for the league tournament in Charlotte. 

Instead, the Pack went 12-19, including 5-15 in ACC play, to finish 17th in the league standings. NC State lost nine straight games against conference competition from early January to mid-February before it snapped the streak. 

That disappointing outcome on what was expected to be a season to build off the momentum of a Final Four appearance led Wolfpack Athletic Director Boo Corrigan to relieve coach Kevin Keatts of his duties. 

Keatts, who led the Wolfpack to two NCAA Tournament appearances, finished his time in Raleigh with a 151-112 career record, including a _-_ mark against ACC competition. 

A national search is underway to find Keatts’ successor. 

Keatts is owed $6.7 million as a part of his buyout since he was under contract through the 2029-30 season after picking up a two-year extension from winning the league tournament. Since NC State did not fire Keatts for cause, the athletic department does not have to pay the buyout in a lump sum, according to the coach’s contract, which was obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request. 

Instead of a one-time payment, NC State has the option to pay Keatts over time — on a monthly basis unless otherwise agreed upon — until the remainder of the financial guarantee is fulfilled. 

The Lynchburg, Va., native was hired to take over the NC State program ahead of the 2017-18 season after Mark Gottfried was let go following the 2016-17 campaign. He had a stellar debut season in Raleigh with wins over Duke, North Carolina and Wake Forest on his first attempts, which was a program first since the 1918-19 season with a new coach. 

Keatts was able to lead the Wolfpack to the NCAA Tournament in his inaugural season after a 21-12 finish. The ninth-seeded Wolfpack lost to eighth-seeded Seton Hall in the opening round of the Big Dance. 

After that, NC State did not return to the NCAA tournament until the 2022-23 campaign. In the interim, Keatts led the Pack to two NIT quarterfinal appearances in the 2018-19 and 2020-21 seasons. 

Then, things went south. Keatts’ 2021-22 squad recorded the most losses in a single season in program history with an 11-21 record, including a 4-16 mark in ACC play — a last-place finish in the league. 

Keatts was able to rebound with a 23-11 campaign during the 2022-23 season, led by an elite guard combination of Terquavion Smith and Ole Miss transfer Jarkel Joiner. That pair averaged 17.9 and 17 points, respectively, and led the Wolfpack to Keatts’ second NCAA tournament berth in his tenure at NC State. The 11th-seeded red and white lost 72-63 to sixth-seeded Creigton in the Round of 64.

NC State was able to rip off one of the most impressive runs through college basketball’s postseason in the 2023-24 season. The 10th-seeded Pack won five games in as many days to claim the ACC crown, the first team in league history to do such a feat, as graduate forward DJ Burns and graduate guard DJ Horne powered NC State through a magical March. 

But even though the Wolfpack was the hottest team in the country during that _-week stretch, it was unable to turn that momentum into a third straight NCAA Tournament appearance this season. Instead, in the first iteration of the conference postseason that would have three teams miss the tournament, the defending champions were left to watch on TV. 

Before he arrived in Raleigh, Keatts spent three seasons as UNCW’s head coach. He won three consecutive Colonial Athletic Association regular season titles and a pair of league tournament championships with the Seahawks.