Kevin Keats takes full blame for NC State’s basketball woes

After his Wolfpack (5-2, 0-0 ACC) suffered double-digit losses in the Rady Children’s Invitational against the 13th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers and the 13th-ranked BYU Cougars in San Diego, Chief North Carolina State basketball coach Kevin Keats took full responsibility for the misfortune when talking to the program’s broadcast team.

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And judging by his comments, it’s safe to say Keats, 52, is keenly aware of the fact that he and his team have a lot of work to do to prepare their players for a four-game stretch that includes bouts with three high-profile opponents and ends in the present on the road against the top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks on December 14th.

“I don’t think we’ve been very good all week,” Keats said. “And it all starts with me being on top.

“You know, we need to get better. If you look at it, we gave up 13 offensive rebounds (in Thursday’s 71-61 loss to Purdue) and 15 offensive rebounds (in the 72-61 tournament loss to BYU). Friday). We need to play with a sense of toughness and that starts with me at the top.

“Obviously one of the things about the band is that some bands take a little longer and we need to become a little more connected. Right now we’re a little more of an individual than a team, and we need to figure it out – fast.

“No one is to blame for this but me… We will get better.”

Keatts’ No. 8 NC State basketball team is now back in Raleigh with a few days to practice before its SEC/ACC Challenge showdown against the visiting Texas Longhorns (6-1, 0-0 SEC) at Lenovo Center at 9:15 p.m. ET time. Wednesday (ESPN2).

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