Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Mike McDaniel

Kevin Keatts Earns Significant Contractual Incentives After NC State Captures Conference Title

North Carolina State head men’s basketball coach Kevin Keatts returned a veteran roster that was expected to make an NCAA men’s tournament appearance this season.

However, a rocky regular season left the Wolfpack needing to capture the conference title to make the NCAA tournament. The disappointing regular season and potential missed tournament berth had Keatts’s seat warming quickly.

Consider all of that water under the bridge. 

The Wolfpack traveled to Washington D.C. for the ACC tournament and won five games in five nights, culminating with an 84–76 victory over No. 1 seed North Carolina to capture the conference title on Saturday night.

With the win, Keatts triggered a two-year contract extension that now runs through April of 2030. In addition, Keatts will receive a $400,000 raise, which will be effective beginning next season. The Wolfpack coach will also receive a $100,000 bonus for winning the conference title, and will make at least $10,000 for appearing in the NCAA tournament.

This will be the second straight NCAA tournament appearance for the Wolfpack, and their third in seven seasons under Keatts. NC State has never made it past the first round of the NCAA tournament with Keatts as the coach. The Wolfpack lost as an 8-seed to 9-seed Seton Hall in 2017-’18, and lost last season as an 11-seed to 6-seed Creighton.

NC State will learn more about its first round opponent and path to pursuing a national title when the bracket is released on Sunday night.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.