Kevin Keatts looks for the positives in NC State’s loss at UNC
N.C. State is almost to the finish line for the 2019-20 season.
The Wolfpack gets to choose how it wants the season to end: in the NCAA tournament or the NIT. Tuesday’s 85-79 loss at North Carolina didn’t help the Wolfpack’s chances to get back to the preferred postseason tournament.
That’s not what third-year coach Kevin Keatts wanted to emphasize after N.C. State’s latest loss to Roy Williams and the Tar Heels.
“(The loss is) not going to define us,” Keatts said. “We’ve got plenty of basketball to go. I like where my team is right now. We’ll bounce back and move on.”
Keatts added: “I’m proud of my guys how they competed. I’m proud of my guys how they fought.”
With three games left in the regular season and at least one in the ACC tournament, Keatts stayed positive after N.C. State (17-11, 8-9 ACC) was swept by the last-place Tar Heels (11-17, 4-13). The loss to UNC didn’t help but N.C. State’s resume is still better at this point in the season than it was last season when it ended up in the NIT.
Keatts did get another standout performance from senior guard Markell Johnson (21 points, 10 assists) and forward D.J. Funderburk added 18 points and nine rebounds.
“I thought we did a lot of good things,” Keatts said.
But a 22-4 run, after UNC fell behind 52-45 at 15:45 in the second half, turned the game in UNC’s favor. Junior forward Garrison Brooks scored a game-high 30 points and guard Christian Keeling added a season-high 16 points.
The Tar Heels have little to play for at this point, with Williams’ first losing season in 42 seasons in college coaching nearly inevitable. UNC has had only two losing seasons in the past 65 years.
With nothing else going right, UNC sandwiched seven losses between wins over the Wolfpack, Williams still has his mastery of the Wolfpack. He has a 32-4 record in the series and another five wins from his time as Kansas’ coach.
“Listen, this is still North Carolina,” Keatts said. “They still have McDonald’s All-Americans. They’re still a great program. They’re not dead.”
The loss is enough to sour the fans, with a good chunk making the trip to the Smith Center for the late start in the hopes of seeing a rare road win here. But there’s a difference between the fans and the players.
It was just six days ago the players were celebrating with the fans on the court after an 88-66 home win over Duke. Johnson, who had eight quick points and finished 7 of 16 from the floor and had five rebounds and four steals, understands the mood can change quickly.
“They’re fans,” Johnson said. “When you’re winning, they are going to love you. When you’re losing, they’re going to hate you. We just try not to get caught up in all of that.”
The only thing to do, Keatts said, is move on. The Wolfpack gets Pittsburgh on Saturday, Duke on the road on Monday and Wake Forest at home next Friday. Then it’s on to Greensboro.
“We have a lot of basketball left in us,” Keatts said.
The finish line is almost here. Say this for Keatts: he is running short on chances but not optimism.
This story was originally published February 26, 2020 at 12:59 AM.
