NC State men’s basketball team has fired its head coach after having one of its most disappointing seasons in recent history. The Wolfpack entered the season with optimism after making a run to the final four in March Madness last year, now they have an overall record of (12-19) and are ranked 16th in the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference). This dismissal of head coach Kevin Keatts was expected after a season like this, now the program has started its long search for a new head coach.
The 2025 season was definitely a journey for Wolfpack fans. NC State was coming off arguably their greatest season ever, last year they became the ACC tournament champions by beating their rivals UNC in the championship game and made a historical run to the final four; the last time they had a run like this was in 1984. This team was led by great players like DJ Horne and DJ Burns. Expectations were at an all-time high for NC State after getting elite recruits like Paul McNeil and Trey Parker, many fans expected the same type of success they had in the 2024 season.
At the beginning of the season, they were on a five-game winning streak, after losing a close game to their rivals UNC they ended up losing nine games straight. They had a conference record of (5-15) and what made it worse was that this was one of the most disappointing seasons for all of the ACC.
The firing of Kevin Keatts was not a surprise for a lot of NC State fans, over eight seasons he compiled a record of (151 – 113) and finished (69-84) in ACC play. Senior Eric Powell expected it and was ready for it to happen.
“I think it was a good decision, even though we did pretty good last year, this team is going in the wrong direction,” Powell said.
NC State has already started their head coaching search and candidates are quickly popping up. NIL has become one of the biggest priorities in college sports so that will also be a major factor in their search for a head coach. Mcneese State head coach Will Wade is one of the most talked about candidates, it is his second season with Mcneese State, and has led the team to a (55-10) record and a March Madness berth.
Drake’s coach, Ben McCollum, and Tennessee associate head coach Justin Gainey are also trending candidates for the head coaching position at NC State. If the Wolfpack want to make it back to a Final Four it is important that they hire the right head coach.
