NC State men's basketball's season came to end on Saturday, and coach Kevin Keatts's career with the Wolfpack ended on Sunday as the team announced his firing.
This news came as a bit of a surprise after Keatts led the Wolfpack to a Final Four run just last year. However, NC State posted a 12–19 overall record and 5–15 ACC record to miss out on the NCAA tournament this year.
Keatts's eight-year tenure with the program has him finishing with a 151-113 overall record, and a 69-84 ACC record. He took the team to three NCAA tournaments in that span.
— Kevin Keatts (@CoachKeattsNCSU) March 9, 2025
"I am extremely proud of what we accomplished during my time here," Keatts wrote in the statement above. "... As we enter this new era of college sports, I wholeheartedly believe that I am leaving the program in better position to succeed than when I started—and that the basketball program will continue to thrive when supported to the level necessary to compete."
Keatts started in his NC State head coaching role in 2017 after coaching UNC Wilmington for three seasons. He took UNC Wilmington to the NCAA tournament twice.
In last year's NCAA tournament, NC State notably upset Marquette and ACC opponent Duke to reach the Final Four. The Wolfpack also won the ACC tournament, which is what got them the automatic bid to the tournament.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NC State’s Kevin Keatts Fired Less Than a Year After Surprising Final Four Run.
