N.C. State announces Men’s Basketball Coach Kevin Keatts Will Not Return; last season Wolf Pack went to Final Four

By Jeysla Gonzalez

Kevin Keatts (photo by Eakin Howard, Imagn Images)

 

3/9/2025

 

NC State’s McMurray Family Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan has announced that Wolfpack men’s basketball coach Kevin Keatts has been relieved of his duties effective immediately.

“I want to thank Coach Keatts for his contributions to NC State and for always representing the university with class,” said Corrigan.  “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, who just finished his eighth season at NC State, posted an overall record of 151-113 with the Pack, finishing 69-84 in ACC play. His teams earned three NCAA Tournament bids during his time in Raleigh.

A national search for NC State’s next head coach will begin immediately.

 

KEVIN KEATES ERA AT NC STATE (FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS

On March 17, 2017, Kevin Keatts was named the head basketball coach at NC State.

In 2024, the Wolfpack ended the regular season 17-14 but won the ACC Tournament for the first time since 1987. The team was only the second to win their conference championship by winning five games in five days since Connecticut did so in the Big East Tournament during their 2011 national championship season. Seeded 11th in the NCAA Tournament‘s South Region, the Wolfpack reached the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2015 after an upset of Texas Tech and an overtime win over Oakland. They then made their first Elite Eight appearance since 1986 after upsetting second seed Marquette and then their first Final Four appearance since 1983 after beating Duke for the second time in March 76–64. The women’s team, coached by Wes Moore, made the Final Four a few hours earlier on the same day by beating top seed Texas in the Elite Eight in Portland, marking the first season in which the school’s men’s and women’s teams both made the Final Four.

In 2025, the Wolfpack were unable to carry over their Final Four success from the prior season, finishing with a 12–19 overall record and a 5–15 record in the ACC. On March 9, 2025, NC State announced that Keatts would be fired at the conclusion of the season.

NC State Wolfpack (Atlantic Coast Conference) (2017–present)
2017–18 NC State 21–12 11–7 T–3rd NCAA Division I Round of 64
2018–19 NC State 24–12 9–9 T–8th NIT Quarterfinal
2019–20 NC State 20–12 10–10 T–6th Postseason not held
2020–21 NC State 14–11 9–8 9th NIT Quarterfinal
2021–22 NC State 11–21 4–16 15th
2022–23 NC State 23–11 12–8 6th NCAA Division I Round of 64
2023–24 NC State 26–15 9–11 10th NCAA Division I Final Four
2024–25 NC State 12–19 5–15 16th
NC State: 151–113 (.572) 69–84 (.451)
Total: 223–141 (.613)
      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
 Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
 Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
 Conference tournament champion

 

COURTESY N.C. STATE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS AND WIKIPEDIA COMMONS

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