2024–25 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team

The 2024–25 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team represented North Carolina State University during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Wolfpack were led by eighth-year head coach Kevin Keatts and played their home games at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

2024–25 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Record	12–19 (5–15 ACC)
Head coach	Kevin Keatts (8th season)
Assistant coaches	Kareem Richardson Levi Watkins Brett Nelson Larry Dixon Steve Snell
Home arena	Lenovo Center
Seasons ← 2023–24 2025–26 →

2024–25 ACC men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 3 Duke †	19	–	1		.950			35	–	4		.897
No. 21 Louisville	18	–	2		.900			27	–	8		.771
No. 22 Clemson	18	–	2		.900			27	–	7		.794
Wake Forest	13	–	7		.650			21	–	11		.656
North Carolina	13	–	7		.650			23	–	14		.622
SMU	13	–	7		.650			24	–	11		.686
Stanford	11	–	9		.550			21	–	14		.600
Georgia Tech	10	–	10		.500			17	–	17		.500
Virginia	8	–	12		.400			15	–	17		.469
Virginia Tech	8	–	12		.400			13	–	19		.406
Florida State	8	–	12		.400			17	–	15		.531
Notre Dame	8	–	12		.400			15	–	18		.455
Pittsburgh	8	–	12		.400			17	–	15		.531
Syracuse	7	–	13		.350			14	–	19		.424
California	6	–	14		.300			14	–	19		.424
NC State	5	–	15		.250			12	–	19		.387
Boston College	4	–	16		.200			12	–	19		.387
Miami (FL)	3	–	17		.150			7	–	24		.226
† 2025 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

The Wolfpack started the season well with five straight wins over non-Power 4 opponents before traveling to San Diego, California to participate in the Rady Children's Invitational. They faced their first Power-4 team there in thirteenth-ranked Purdue. They lost 71–61 and moved to the third place game where they faced BYU. The Wolfpack lost this game 72–61 to finish fourth in the tournament. They returned home to face Texas in the ACC–SEC Challenge when they lost 63–59. They ended their losing streak with a win in their ACC opener over Florida State in overtime. The Wolfpack went 2–1 in their final non-conference games, defeating Coppin State and Rider but losing at tenth-ranked Kansas. The Wolfpack lost their next two ACC games, one by three points at Virginia and by eighteen points to rival Wake Forest. They ended the losing streak with a one point win over Notre Dame. The Wolfpack couldn't gather any momentum from that win as they went on to lose their next nine games. They only faced one ranked team during the stretch, number two Duke. The team had numerous close losses during the run, only losing a rivalry game against North Carolina by two points, losing to Virginia Tech and California by three, and losing by just one at Stanford. The Wolfpack would slightly recover in the home stretch, going 3–4 over their last seven games. They defeated Wake Forest, Boston College and Pittsburgh. However, they lost to North Carolina, Syracuse, Georgia Tech, and by just two points to Miami on the final day of the season.

The Wolfpack finished the season 12–19 and 5–15 in ACC play to finish in sixteenth place. Under the new ACC tournament rules, they did not qualify for the 2025 ACC tournament and were unable to defend their tournament title. They were not invited to the NCAA tournament or the NIT. After the season, head coach Kevin Keatts was fired just one year after leading the team to the Final Four.^[1]

Previous season

Main article: 2023–24 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team

The Wolfpack finished the 2023–24 season 26–15, 9–11 in ACC play to finish in tenth place. miraculous run in the ACC tournament, winning five games in the span of five days (including a victory over ACC regular season champion and rival North Carolina) to win their first ACC tournament since 1987. They received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 11 seed in the South region. There they defeated #6 Texas Tech in the first round, #14 Oakland in overtime in the second round, #2 Marquette in the Sweet Sixteen, and their ACC rivals #4 Duke in the Elite Eight. The Wolfpack made their first Final Four appearance since 1983 as a result, having won nine straight games since the end of the regular season. They became the sixth #11 seed to reach the Final Four and the first since UCLA in 2021. Their miraculous run came to an end with a Final Four loss to Purdue.

Offseason

Departures

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for Departure
DJ Horne	0	G	6'2"	180	Graduate Student	Raleigh, North Carolina	Graduated
Kam Woods	2	G	6'2"	185	Junior	Bessemer, Alabama	Entered transfer portal[2]
MJ Rice	3	G	6'5"	215	Sophomore	Henderson, North Carolina	Stepped away from basketball[3]
LJ Thomas	4	G	6'2"	205	Sophomore	Plant City, Florida	Entered transfer portal[4]
Casey Morsell	14	G	6'3"	200	Graduate Student	Fort Washington, Maryland	Graduated
Alex Nunnally	20	G	6'2"	180	Junior	Cary, North Carolina	Entered transfer portal[5]
Mohamed Diarra	23	F	6'10"	215	Junior	Paris, France	Signed professional contract with Los Angeles Lakers[6]
D. J. Burns	30	F	6'9"	275	Graduate Student	Rock Hill, South Carolina	Graduated

Incoming transfers

Incoming Transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Mike James	0	G/F	6'6"	220	Junior	Orlando, Florida	Louisville[7]
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield	1	F	6'10"	240	Senior	Clarksville, Tennessee	Louisville[8]
Dontrez Styles	3	G/F	6'6"	210	Senior	Kinston, North Carolina	Georgetown[9]
Marcus Hill	10	G	6'4"	185	Junior	Rockford, Illinois	Bowling Green[10]

2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Paul McNeil #15 SF	Rockingham, NC	Richmond Senior High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Feb 20, 2023
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (87)
Tremayne Parker #26 SG	Atlanta, GA	Overtime Elite	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	166 lb (75 kg)	Nov 16, 2022
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (82)
Overall recruit ranking:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.

Roster

2023–24 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G/F 0 Mike James 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Jr Oak Ridge Louisville Orlando, FL F 1 Brandon Huntley-Hatfield 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Sr Scotland Campus Prep (PA) Louisville Clarksville, TN G 2 Paul McNeil 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Richmond Senior Rockingham, NC G/F 3 Dontrez Styles 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Kinston Georgetown Kinston, NC G 4 Breon Pass 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Reidsville Reidsville, NC G 5 Trey Parker 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Fr Overtime Elite Fayetteville, NC G 8 Jayden Taylor 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Perry Meridian Butler Indianapolis, IN G 10 Marcus Hill 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Rockford Christian Bowling Green Rockford, IL G 11 Dennis Parker Jr. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So John Marshall Richmond, VA G 12 Michael O'Connell 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) GS Blair Academy Stanford Mineola, NY G 13 KJ Keatts (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Jr Grace Christian School Cary, NC G 22 Jordan Snell (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Jr Panther Creek Cary, NC F 24 Ernest Ross 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Santa Fe Alachua, FL F 34 Ben Middlebrooks 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Sr Westminster Academy Clemson Fort Lauderdale, FL	Head coach Kevin Keatts (Ferrum) Assistant coach(es) Kareem Richardson (Evansville) Levi Watkins (NC State) Brett Nelson (Florida) Larry Dixon (Johnson C. Smith) Steve Snell (Radford) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: August 7, 2024

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 30, 2024* 7:00 p.m.		Lees–Mcrae	W 79–75	–	12 – Taylor	9 – Styles	5 – Taylor	Lenovo Center  Raleigh, NC
Regular season
November 4, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+		USC Upstate	W 97–66	1–0	14 – Tied	10 – Middlebrooks	6 – O’Connell	Lenovo Center  Raleigh, NC
November 8, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+		Presbyterian	W 81–72	2–0	19 – Taylor	7 – Styles	8 – O'Connell	Lenovo Center (12,949) Raleigh, NC
November 13, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+		Coastal Carolina	W 82–70	3–0	22 – Taylor	6 – Styles	3 – Huntley-Hatfield	Lenovo Center (12,425) Raleigh, NC
November 18, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+		Colgate	W 72–49	4–0	19 – Middlebrooks	11 – Styles	4 – O'Connell	Lenovo Center (11,692) Raleigh, NC
November 22, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+		William & Mary	W 84–61	5–0	19 – Hill	9 – Huntley-Hatfield	3 – Tied	Lenovo Center (13,219) Raleigh, NC
November 28, 2024* 3:00 p.m., FS1		vs. No. 13 Purdue Rady Children's Invitational Semifinal	L 61–71	5–1	15 – Taylor	8 – Huntley-Hatfield	6 – O'Connell	LionTree Arena (4,000) San Diego, CA
November 29, 2024* 3:30 p.m., FOX		vs. BYU Rady Children's Invitational 3rd place game	L 61–72	5–2	16 – Tied	9 – Huntley-Hatfield	2 – Tied	LionTree Arena (4,000) San Diego, CA
December 4, 2024* 9:15 p.m., ESPN2		Texas ACC–SEC Challenge	L 59–63	5–3	17 – Styles	6 – O'Connell	7 – O'Connell	Lenovo Center (13,396) Raleigh, NC
December 7, 2024 4:00 p.m., ESPNU		Florida State	W 84–74 OT	6–3 (1–0)	23 – Hill	6 – Hill	4 – O'Connell	Lenovo Center (12,577) Raleigh, NC
December 10, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+		Coppin State	W 66–56	7–3	16 – Hill	7 – Styles	2 – Tied	Reynolds Coliseum (5,500) Raleigh, NC
December 14, 2024* 3:15 p.m., ESPN		at No. 10 Kansas	L 60–75	7–4	14 – Middlebrooks	8 – Middlebrooks	3 – Huntley-Hatfield	Allen Fieldhouse (15,300) Lawrence, KS
December 22, 2024* 4:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+		Rider	W 89–63	8–4	16 – Taylor	5 – Parker Jr.	6 – Hill	Lenovo Center (14,289) Raleigh, NC
December 31, 2024 12:00 p.m., ESPN2		at Virginia	L 67–70	8–5 (1–1)	14 – Taylor	8 – Hill	5 – Taylor	John Paul Jones Arena (13,875) Charlottesville, VA
January 4, 2025 12:00 p.m., The CW		at Wake Forest Rivalry	L 59–77	8–6 (1–2)	14 – Hill	10 – Styles	3 – Tied	LJVM Coliseum (9,633) Winston-Salem, NC
January 8, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPNU		Notre Dame	W 66–65	9–6 (2–2)	15 – Hill	7 – Styles	4 – Tied	Lenovo Center (13,515) Raleigh, NC
January 11, 2025 4:00 p.m., ACCN		North Carolina Rivalry	L 61–63	9–7 (2–3)	20 – Hill	14 – Middlebrooks	4 – O'Connell	Lenovo Center (19,500) Raleigh, NC
January 15, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPNU		at Virginia Tech	L 76–79	9–8 (2–4)	17 – Taylor	5 – Tied	5 – O'Connell	Cassell Coliseum (5,634) Blacksburg, VA
January 18, 2025 6:00 p.m., ACCN		California	L 62–65	9–9 (2–5)	18 – Taylor	5 – Tied	2 – Tied	Lenovo Center (12,881) Raleigh, NC
January 25, 2025 12:00 p.m., The CW		SMU	L 57–63	9–10 (2–6)	14 – Hill	6 – Taylor	3 – McNeil Jr.	Lenovo Center (12,728) Raleigh, NC
January 27, 2025 8:30 p.m., ESPN		at No. 2 Duke	L 64–74	9–11 (2–7)	18 – Styles	6 – Hill	3 – Tied	Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC
February 1, 2025 1:30 p.m., The CW		Clemson	L 58–68	9–12 (2–8)	24 – Styles	7 – Taylor	4 – Taylor	Lenovo Center (15,299) Raleigh, NC
February 5, 2025 11:00 p.m., ACCN		at California	L 62–74	9–13 (2–9)	20 – Hill	10 – Styles	3 – O'Connell	Haas Pavilion (3,139) Berkley, CA
February 8, 2025 7:00 p.m., ACCN		at Stanford	L 73–74	9–14 (2–10)	19 – Parker	7 – Styles	5 – Parker	Maples Pavilion (4,841) Stanford, CA
February 12, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN2		Louisville	L 66–91	9–15 (2–11)	13 – Parker	10 – Huntley-Hatfield	4 – Huntley-Hatfield	Lenovo Center (10,029) Raleigh, NC
February 15, 2025 2:00 p.m., ACCN		Boston College	W 70–62	10–15 (3–11)	19 – Taylor	6 – Hill	6 – O'Connell	Lenovo Center (13,190) Raleigh, NC
February 19, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN		at North Carolina Rivalry	L 73–97	10–16 (3–12)	19 – Taylor	5 – Styles	3 – Middlebrooks	Dean Smith Center (21,750) Chapel Hill, NC
February 22, 2025 2:00 p.m., ESPN2		Wake Forest Rivalry	W 85–73	11–16 (4–12)	24 – McNeil Jr.	10 – Styles	13 – O'Connell	Lenovo Center (15,118) Raleigh, NC
February 26, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPNU		at Syracuse	L 60–74	11–17 (4–13)	17 – Styles	8 – Huntley-Hatfield	2 – Tied	JMA Wireless Dome (19,404) Syracuse, NY
March 1, 2025 3:00 p.m., ACCN		at Georgia Tech	L 62–87	11–18 (4–14)	13 – Tied	6 – Middlebrooks	4 – Tied	McCamish Pavilion (4,491) Atlanta, GA
March 5, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPNews		Pittsburgh	W 71–63	12–18 (5–14)	15 – O'Connell	13 – Styles	8 – O'Connell	Lenovo Center (11,538) Raleigh, NC
March 8, 2025 2:15 p.m., The CW		at Miami (FL)	L 70–72	12–19 (5–15)	24 – Styles	7 – Hill	4 – O'Connell	Watsco Center (2,541) Coral Gables, FL
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time.

Source^[11]