A year after leading North Carolina State to the program’s first Final Four berth in 41 years, Kevin Keatts finds himself out of a job. The Wolfpack moved on from their longtime coach this week after NCSU ended a 12-19 regular season and failed to qualify for the 15-team ACC tournament, which started Tuesday to give North Carolina sports betting outlets a boost.
Keatts’ time in Raleigh lasted eight years, with three NCAA Tournament berths and a .572 winning percentage. But on Sunday, NC State athletic director Bob Corrigan sent shockwaves across the college basketball landscape by letting Keatts go.
BetCarolina.com broke down some hypothetical college basketball betting odds on which candidate will replace Keatts at NC State in 2025. A few coaches with local and regional ties plus some up-and-comers from the mid-major ranks stand atop our initial odds board.
Coach, Current Position | Percentage Chance | Odds |
Will Wade, McNeese State Head Coach | 18.2% | +450 |
Alan Huss, High Point Head Coach | 15.4% | +550 |
Ryan Odom, VCU Head Coach | 13.3% | +650 |
Justin Gainey, Tennessee Associate Head Coach | 11.1% | +800 |
Archie Miller, Rhode Island Head Coach | 11.1% | +800 |
Bucky McMillan, Samford Head Coach | 8.3% | +1100 |
Bob Richey, Furman Head Coach | 7.4% | +1250 |
Takayo Siddle, UNC Wilmington Head Coach | 7.4% | +1250 |
The Field | 10.0% | +900 |
These odds are not to be found at sportsbooks in the state, but operators offering real money NC sports betting promo codes will have lines and props galore for this week’s conference tournaments and the NCAA Basketball Tournament for both men and women.
Out of the gate, our top pick for Corrigan and the Wolfpack brass is former VCU and LSU head coach Will Wade. Wade is currently coaching at McNeese State after an NCAA investigation into recruiting violations led to his ouster at LSU in 2022. He checks in with an 18.2% chance on our board, which would equate to +450 odds if it were offered at North Carolina sportsbook apps.
High Point head coach Alan Huss is next up, at +550. His Panthers won the Big South conference tournament final on Sunday, clinching a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history, surely making folks about 90 miles east in Raleigh take note.
From there, keep an eye on former UMBC and Utah State head coach Ryan Odom, who has VCU in the thick of the Atlantic 10 race, with the longtime CBB head coach listed at +650 to be the next man up at NC State. At BetMGM North Carolina Sportsbook, his top-seeded Rams have -110 odds to win the A-10 tournament; they have a bye into Friday’s quarterfinals.
His odds to take the job in Raleigh are ahead of Tennessee associate head coach Justin Gainey and Archie Miller of Rhode Island, who are co-listed at +800. From there, the longshots to lead the Wolfpack include Samford head coach Bucky McMillan at +1100, Bob Richey of Furman and Keatts’ heir apparent at UNCW (Takayo Siddle), with each of the final two candidates listed at +1250.
For now, what we know for sure is that the Wolfpack will need a new leader on the sidelines in 2025, with Keatts getting shown the door after going from the penthouse of the Final Four to the outhouse of mediocrity in one fell swoop.
For a look at happier times for Wolfpack fans, check out our choices for NC State Wolfpack men’s basketball team of the last decade at BetCarolina.com.
USA Today photo by Jaylynn Nash
Author
Christopher Boan is a lead writer at BetCarolina.com specializing in covering state issues. He has covered sports and sports betting in Arizona for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
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