Livescore
Less than a year after guiding NC State to one of the most unlikely Final Four runs in history, Kevin Keatts has been fired by the school.
The university announced Keatts was out Sunday morning, one day removed from the Wolfpack’s 72-70 loss to Miami in the team’s final game of the season. NC State finished 12-19 this year; its 5-15 record in the ACC put the team in 16th place of an 18-team conference. Only the top 15 teams qualify for the ACC Tournament.
After the team’s charmed run to the national semifinals as an 11-seed in 2024, Keatts’ contract automatically triggered for a two-year extension that put him through the 2029-30 season. With a sub-par Final Four follow-up, NC State will now pay Keatts nearly $8 million to buy him out of that deal.
“I want to thank Coach Keatts for his contributions to NC State and for always representing the university with class,” athletic director Boo Corrigan said in a statement. “He will always have a treasured place in Wolfpack history for the accomplishments of his 2023-24 squad and I appreciate the passion he brought to this role. We wish him and his family the best in the future.”
Keatts went 151-113 in eight seasons, including 69-84 in ACC play. He posted this message to social media Sunday morning, tagging it with, “I am officially entering the portal.”
Rare is the coach that makes a Final Four and is fired the the following year, but Keatts is now on that list. He took NC State to the NCAA tourney in 2018, 2023 and 2024.
NC State is the sixth high-major job to turn over this cycle and the fourth in the ACC, joining Florida State, Miami and Virginia. Head here for a look at our coaching carousel tracker.
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