NC State's Kevin Keatts Earns $400K Raise, More Contract Bonuses After ACC Title

NC State men's basketball head coach Kevin Keatts earned several bonuses as well as an automatic contract extension due to his team's surprising 84-76 victory over North Carolina in the ACC title game on Saturday.

According to Steve Berkowitz of USA Today, Keatts received $10,000 for clinching a berth in the NCAA tournament as well as $100,000 for winning the conference tournament. He also earned a $400,000 raise, which will begin next season, while his contract has been automatically extended for two years through April 2030.

Keatts is set to earn $10,000 if the Wolfpack begin in the First Four, although the payment will be increased to $25,000 as long as they secure a win in the First Four or immediately begin play in the round of 64 (per Berkowitz). He'll receive additional increased payments with each victory after that.

Although his squad entered the conference tournament as the No. 10 seed, Keatts' team earned hard-fought wins over programs that have been March Madness regulars, such as Duke in the quarterfinal round and Virginia in the semifinals.

After trailing by one at halftime in the final, NC State outscored North Carolina by nine points in the second half to pull away and earn the title. Despite Tar Heels guard and ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis scoring 30 points, Wolfpack guard DJ Horne dropped 29 points of his own while the team shot 43 percent from three-point range as a whole.

"Winning five games in five nights is a miracle," Keatts said after the game, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "We've got to get some rest because, guess what, we're going to the NCAA tournament."

NC State's victory on Saturday represented the program's first ACC tournament title since 1987, while the team has advanced to the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row and third time overall under Keatts.

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