Episode Details

The 2023-24 season will be Kevin Keatts’ seventh year as head men’s basketball coach at NC State. Keatts has an overall record of 113-79 and has guided NC State to a .500 or better record in ACC play in five of his six seasons. He is just the second coach in the last 40 years to lead NC State to four consecutive seasons of .500 or better play in the ACC. Keatts' NC State teams have a 76-28 home record in his six years as head coach. The Pack has defeated 10 ranked opponents at home, including three wins over top-10 ranked teams. The Pack’s 2022-23 season saw NC State finish with a 23-11 record as NC State returned to the NCAA Tournament. It marked the fourth time in six seasons that Keatts’ teams finished with 20 or more wins. NC State was led by the dynamic backcourt duo of Jarkel Joiner and Terquavion Smith who both finished the season as second team members on the All-ACC team. Smith led the team in scoring, assists and steals while also making a team-best 91 three-pointers in his sophomore campaign. He ranked second in the ACC in scoring and sixth in three-pointers made. Smith turned pro at the end of the season and will begin his NBA career in 2023-24 with the Philadelphia 76ers. In his one season with the Pack, Joiner finished second on the team in scoring, assists and steals. He signed an offseason contract with the Atlanta Hawks. With the two guards at the helm of the offense, NC State set a program record for fewest turnovers in a season, only turning it over 320 times in 34 games. The 9.4 turnovers per game ranked as the seventh fewest in the NCAA. The 2022-23 Pack team also led the ACC in steals and turnover margin. NC State’s +3.8 turnover margin ranked 15th in the NCAA. For the third consecutive season, injuries made an impact on NC State’s season as the 2021-22 season started with the Pack losing Manny Bates for the season just one minute into its season-opening contest. Bates was the two-time reigning shot block champion in the ACC. Despite solid seasons from sophomore Dereon Seabron and freshman Terquavion Smith, the Pack finished with a losing record for the first time in Keatts’ head coaching career. Seabron was an All-ACC Second Team selection after leading NC State in scoring (17.3 points per game), rebounds (8.2 rebounds per game) and assists (3.2 assist per game). He was also named the ACC’s Most Improved Player. Seabron is the first NC State player to win that award.