Kevin Keatts Fired as NC State HC with Rumored $7.8M Buyout after 2024 Final Four Run

Kevin Keatts led North Carolina State's men's basketball team to the Final Four last season, but he was fired Sunday amid a disappointing 2024-25 campaign.

"I want to thank Coach Keatts for his contributions to NC State and for always representing the university with class," athletics director Boo Corrigan announced.  "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."

Steve Berkowitz of USA Today noted NC State owes Keatts a $7.8 million buyout after his contract was automatically extended two years and through the 2030 campaign by winning last season's ACC tournament.

While the firing was somewhat surprising given last season's tournament run, Berkowitz explained the coach was on the hot seat last season as well before the shocking March.

The Wolfpack won five games in five days to win the ACC tournament and then parlayed that momentum into the Big Dance and a Final Four run. That included stunning Duke in the Elite Eight before ultimately losing to Purdue in the national semifinal.

This was Keatts' eighth season as the head coach after he previously led UNC Wilmington for three seasons.

His time at UNC Wilmington included three regular-season Colonial Athletic Association titles, two conference tournament championships and two NCAA tournament appearances. However, he dealt with inconsistency for much of his time at NC State.

Keatts was 151-113 overall and 69-84 in ACC play and didn't advance past the first round of the tournament until last season. NC State was typically looking up at in-state programs Duke and North Carolina during his tenure and will now begin a search for its next head coach.

Jeff Goodman of Field of 68 reported the Wolfpack are expected to be interested in Will Wade for their vacancy. Wade is in his second season as the head coach at McNeese State after leading LSU for the previous five seasons.

Wade is 55-10 at McNeese State and led the team to two straight Southland Conference regular-season crowns. He was also 105-51 at LSU, although he was fired amid an investigation into misconduct with the program.

He was eventually given a two-year show-cause order and a 10-game suspension for three Level I violations, which means NC State will surely face scrutiny if he is the ultimate hire.