NC State basketball coaching search watch: March Madness viewing guide

The opening Thursday and Friday of the NCAA Tournament provide two full action-packed days of basketball with seasons on the line. It is where every college basketball program aspires to be this time of the year, and where the next head coach of NC State will be tasked to take the Pack back after a pair of subpar seasons that led to the ouster of Mark Gottfried.

And there is a decent chance that Gottfried’s eventual replacement will have some familiarity with March Madness because he could be coaching in it this week.

The Wolfpacker hot board has detailed the candidates we have been watching, and the names have remained fairly consistent. With that in mind, here is a viewing guide for how NC State fans may want to watch the tournament with their beloved Wolfpack done for the year.

Thursday, March 16

12:40 p.m., UNC Wilmington vs. Virginia on TruTV: UNC Wilmington head coach Kevin Keatts has been one of the names most prominently mentioned in The Wolfpacker’s reports on the coaching search from the second it began, and nothing has changed there. Keatts led UNCW to a second straight Colonial Athletic Association tournament crown, and the Seahawks gets a familiar foe to NC State fans in ACC rival Virginia.

This is the second straight year UNCW opened against an ACC team in the NCAA Tournament. In 2016, the Seahakws led NCSU’s Tobacco Road rival Duke at halftime before falling in a tightly contested game, 93-85. It is unlikely, however, Keatts will find himself in such a shootout against the methodical, defensive-minded Cavaliers. If he can coach UNCW to go toe-to-toe with the well-respected Tony Bennett at Virginia after doing so against Hall of Famer and all-time great Mike Krzyzewski at Duke a year ago, Keatts’ stock could rise even more around Raleigh.

1:30 p.m., Winthrop vs. Butler on TNT: Fans should probably remained glued to the UNCW-Virginia matchup (unless it is a blowout), but in-between breaks see how this game is going. Butler’s Chris Holtmann is another hot name from the mid-major ranks and would be high on the wishlist to replace Gottfried, but he appears to be a long shot after initial indications of perhaps some mutual interest between NC State and Holtmann.

Winthrop head coach Pat Kelsey, a former assistant at Wake Forest, might be a sleeper in the NC State coaching search. He has steadily rebuilt the Winthrop program that former coach and Wolfpack nation fan favorite Gregg Marshall established as a Big South powerhouse before leaving for Wichita State.

7:20 p.m., VCU vs. Saint Mary’s on TBS: Aside from Keatts, VCU head coach Will Wade is another prominent name in the mix that The Wolfpacker has been reporting on from the get-go. He has a tough opening draw however in Saint Mary’s, which went 28-1 against teams not named Gonzaga (a No. 1 seed) during the regular season.

Wade though generated some magic last season for VCU under a similar draw. The Rams, who like last year were seeded 10th, beat Oregon State in the first round and nearly knocked off No. 2 seed and eventual Final Four participant Oklahoma in the round of 32, falling by just four points at 85-81.

Friday, March 17

7:10 p.m., Dayton vs. Wichita State on CBS: Former NC State guard and assistant coach Archie Miller has Dayton into the NCAA Tournament for the fourth-straight year in his sixth season overall as head coach, after leading the Flyers to the Atlantic 10 regular-season championship over Wade and VCU.

Thus it is natural that Miller could be among those at the top of NCSU athletics director Debbie Yow’s list. Matching his Elite Eight run of 2014 will be a tall order. Dayton’s opening round showdown is Wichita State, coached by Marshall. There was some speculation that Marshall himself could be a candidate for the NC State vacancy after he was a finalist in 2011, but Marshall is not expected to be in the mix to replace Gottfried.

Nevertheless, it will be must-see television for Pack fans. The Shockers may have had the paper profile of a No. 10 seed, but their 30-4 record and eyeball test analysis have many college basketball experts proclaiming it is much better than where it was seeded.