The Kevin Keatts saga is one of the more intriguing ones that had super highs and lows. He made the NCAA Tournament in 2018, his first year with the Wolfpack. If looked as if things would only go up, but the program went on a postseason drought for the next four years.
They did make the Big Dance in 2023 barely, but the team was doomed for another year without a postseason appearance, struggling badly in ACC play and finishing 11th in the conference standings. And then a miracle happened, as the Wolfpack not only won five games in the ACC Tournament to get the autobid, but they also followed it up by earning the program’s first-ever Final Four appearance since 1983, beating local foe Duke twice during the run.
But the 2024-25 campaign never had a bounce-back campaign. The Wolfpack had a mediocre non-con run before eventually losing nine straight games in arguably the worst year for the ACC ever. NC State proved to be at the bottom of the bottom, finishing 12-19 and 5-15, missing out on the NCAA Tournament.
After losing to another bottom-feeder in Miami, it looks as if the seat got too hot for Keatts, firing him a day later. It was a move viewed as very controversial, considering that Keatts got an extension for the Final Four appearance not even 12 months ago.
— Kevin Keatts (@CoachKeattsNCSU) March 9, 2025
But to the Keatts’ credit, he took it in stride and showed class, releasing a statement after the news. In fact, he made a light-hearted joke at his own expense, alluding that he himself would be entering the transfer portal.
But in all seriousness, Keatts is someone who teams should take a look at. He’s just over 50 years old and has five combined NCAA Tournament appearances from NC State and UNC Wilmington besides the Final Four trip. If he wants to stay in coaching, expect Keatts to still get some interest.