How Kevin Keatts, NC State basketball are playing percentages at Final Four
Rodd BaxleyGLENDALE, Ariz. — Business or pleasure?
NC State basketball mixed the two in the Wolfpack’s first two days at the Final Four in Arizona. Once Saturday arrives, it’s all business.
“When you check into a hotel — a good hotel — most of them ask you, ‘Are you here on business or pleasure?’" NC State coach Kevin Keatts said Thursday in his opening press conference at State Farm Stadium.
“I say, if you get asked that, if anyone asks you that, you need to tell them that you're here for both.”
He reiterated that message Friday in the 11th-seeded Wolfpack’s final media appearances before Saturday’s game (6:09 p.m. ET, TBS) against No. 1 seed Purdue (33-4).
Throughout NC State’s stay in Arizona, Keatts has been playing the percentages.
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When the team arrived at State Farm Stadium on Thursday, Keatts wanted his players to capture every moment. He even allowed them to take their phones on the court to take photos so they would have those memories to look back on down the road.
It was a 50-50 split of business and fun on Thursday. On Friday, Keatts wanted the Wolfpack to increase their business-like focus to 75%, including when the team took the court for its open practice.
“I want 100% business by the time we get to Saturday,” he said.
He wants the Wolfpack to have fun, but he doesn’t want his players to forget why they’re here.
“We came here to win. I think a lot of times folks do get to the Final Four and they're so excited about it, they forget the main ingredient,” Keatts said.
"The main ingredient is to come here, work hard to win. That's why I've had this 50/50, 75/25, 100 in the last three days, business versus pleasure. … Now it’s time to get closer to locking into obviously what our job is.”
DJ Burns, who is averaging 18.2 points in the NCAA Tournament, has received the message loud and clear.
“He told us when we first got here, 'Go enjoy it. When you get on the court, I need your focus 100%,'” Burns said.
“He's done a good job of reeling us back in when we need it and letting us enjoy it when we're not. We need to be focused right now at the moment.”
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached atrbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.