Kevin Keatts Foresees NC State Basketball 'Able to Compete a Bit More'
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Notre Dame faces home outings against Stanford and Cal this week. Should the Fighting Irish win either of those contests, the NC State basketball team will not get an invite to the ACC Tournament.
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Or the Wolfpack (11-18, 4-14 ACC) can extinguish any and all postseason hopes on its own by losing just once between its home bout versus Pitt at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday (ACC Network) and road clash against Miami at noon ET Saturday (The CW Network).
Considering eighth-year NC State basketball head coach Kevin Keatts and his players are reeling from Saturday's 87-62 road blowout defeat at the hands of middle-of-the-pack Georgia Tech (15-14, 9-9 ACC), Wolfpack optimism is currently about as faint as it gets.
"It's been a tough year," Keatts conceded in his postgame press conference at Georgia Tech. "I mean, it really has. And you know, it's hard because you think about we were at the top of the mountain [2024 ACC Tournament title and Final Four trip], and it was a great year.
"We lost, really, four good players. And sometimes, you don't realize that until the next year, how good or how important those guys were to us. We did something unique and really special last year that [the program] hadn't done in 37 years.
"The tough thing about it is you get a lot of teams that make an incredible run similar to us, and the next year it's not as great because it's always tough. But this has been a really tough year.
"I hope, with the way things are going now and we get to have a chance to move stuff in-house, and it's more revenue sharing, I think it'll be a little bit different for us. And I think we'll be able to compete a little bit more. But it's been tough. I mean, I'll be first to tell you.
"And I give our guys credit...I don't think anybody's laid down..."
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Matt Giles is the editor and publisher of NC State Wolfpack on SI, Duke Blue Devils on SI, and North Carolina Tar Heels on SI, making him a key source for comprehensive coverage of these storied college basketball programs. Since joining NC State Wolfpack on SI in 2024, Matt has been dedicated to providing in-depth analysis, breaking news, and exclusive content on all three teams. He covers everything from game previews and recaps to player profiles and recruiting updates. Matt's expert knowledge of these teams has made his work a go-to resource for fans and followers of Duke, NC State, and UNC. As publisher, he shapes the editorial direction, ensuring that the most relevant and timely information reaches his audience.
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