Kevin Keatts has been fired as the men's basketball coach at NC State, the school announced Sunday, making the move less than one year after he led the Wolfpack to the Final Four.
The Wolfpack went 12-19 this season, including a 5-15 record in the ACC. They did not qualify for this year's conference tournament.
Keatts was at the helm for eight seasons, taking NC State to three NCAA tournaments. He finished his time in Raleigh with an overall record of 151-113, going 69-84 in ACC play.
"I am extremely proud of what we accomplished during my time here," Keatts said on social media, noting his tenure started with an NCAA investigation from the previous staff. "... As we enter this new era of college sports, I wholeheartedly believe that I am leaving the program in better position to succeed than when I started -- and that the basketball program will continue to thrive when supported to the level necessary to compete."
He concluded his message by saying he was "officially entering the portal."
Two potential targets for NC State are VCU's Ryan Odom and McNeese's Will Wade, sources told ESPN.
"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 took over in 2017, leading NC State to the NCAA tournament in his first season with the program. The Wolfpack were on the bubble the next two seasons but likely would have sneaked into the 2020 tournament if it had not been canceled due to the COVID-19. They struggled in 2021 and 2022, going 25-36 in those two seasons.
But Keatts turned it around in 2023, guiding NC State back to the NCAA tournament before last season's historic run through the ACC and NCAA tournaments. The Wolfpack ended the 2023-24 regular season on a four-game losing streak and seemed poised to miss the postseason entirely, but they won five games in five days at the ACC tournament -- including victories over Duke and North Carolina -- to earn the league's automatic bid.
As an 11-seed in the NCAA tournament, NC State beat Texas Tech and Oakland, then they upset Marquette and Duke to advance to the program's first Final Four since 1983.
Keatts' contract was automatically extended by two seasons due to the run, meaning NC State will owe him around $7 million.