Major College Basketball Program Fires Head Coach One Season After Final Four Appearance
The NCAA basketball scene will soon head into conference tournaments before shifting toward the race to the Final Four.
Last year's Final Four featured the Purdue Boilermakers, UConn Huskies, Alabama Crimson Tide and NC State Wolfpack.
While Alabama is in line to compete for the national title, other programs that were formerly in line for a championship have struggled.
NC State is currently 12-16 on the season, ranked as the No. 16 team in the ACC.
During their disappointing season, which will likely result in the program missing the NCAA Tournament, NC State has fired head coach Kevin Keatts, per Corey Smith.
— Cory Smith (@RCorySmith) March 9, 2025BREAKING: NC State has announced the firing of head coach Kevin Keatts following the 2024-25 season. The former Wolfpack head coach missed the ACC Tournament one year after winning the ACC Championship and making the Final Four.
Full release:https://t.co/aBeJMKJWyO
Keatts' had been with the Wolfpack since 2017. He previously held coaching staff roles at Louisville, UNC Wilmington, Marshall, Hargrove Military Academy and Southwestern Michigan.
Despite leading the Wolfpack to the Final Four as the 11th seed, NC State has decided to enter a new chapter.
Following the move by the Wolfpack, NC State's athletic director Boo Corrigan shared a message to fans.
"I want to thank Coach Keatts for his contributions to NC State and for always representing the university with class," Corrigan said. "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."
