The NC State basketball team is a perfect example of why people love March Madness. The Wolfpack looked like they were done when they entered the ACC Tournament with a 17-14 record as the #10 seed. However, NC State has since rattled off nine straight wins to win the ACC tourney, and they are now headed to the Final Four. Everything hasn't been easy for head coach Kevin Keatts, however. This is a crucial time for the transfer portal, and it's hard to pay attention to that while his Wolfpack fight for a national title.
Most teams in college basketball are done playing, but there are four lucky teams that are still fighting for a national title. After this incredible run, there are likely some players that have recently entered the transfer portal that have their eyes on NC State basketball. However, it's been difficult for Kevin Keatts to balance this run with keeping an eye on the portal.
“That's the hardest thing I've had to do,” Keatts said, according to a tweet from Brian Rauf. “Obviously, winning games is hard to do, but balancing scouting with staying connected with the players…I wish it wasn't happening now. But I can say I've seen that players have noticed what we're doing.”
There have been complaints from a lot of coaches about the timing of the first transfer portal window. Not just in college basketball, but in college football too. It's unfortunate, but at the end of the day, NC State is really only focused on one thing right now: winning a national championship.
“There were a lot of people that thought that winning the ACC would be enough,” Keatts continued. “But not in our locker room. When we got in our locker room, before Selection Sunday, we wanted to take it one day at a time but also actually compete for a national championship.”
Now, the Wolfpack are just two wins away from achieving that goal. They have already rattled off nine wins in a row, but these next two are going to be as tough it gets, and it starts with Zach Edey and Purdue basketball.
Other CBB coaches comment on the transfer portal
The transfer portal has been a big topic of discussion in college basketball as of late. Kevin Keatts and NC State basketball are not the only ones. UConn basketball is another team that is still alive, and head coach Dan Hurley has recently shared his thoughts on the portal as well.
“Yeah, it shouldn't be open right now,” Dan Hurley told John Fanta of Fox. “The fact that on Monday of the best week in college basketball that it's open, it's bizarre and it's led to even more chaos. Listen, for us, my perspective changes. If you are doing things the right way and serving your players great, it probably doesn't impact you as much as it impacts others. We have been able to hold on to the players that we've been desperate to keep and build around those core players on a yearly basis. I just think the timeline of the portal, and I know man, it's like I think it's bad for kids if you end up — your college that you go to, the staff that you play for, becomes you network for life. Like that's the group of people that are going to help create opportunities for you the entirety of your life, your support system. If you play in four or five schools in four or five years, like what type of support system [is that]? You're just kind of a mercenary at that point, and you have no base in life.”
UConn and NC State are two of the only four teams still playing, and it makes it difficult for them to attack the transfer portal. Many coaches believe that the portal should not open until after the entire season has concluded to avoid instances like this.
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