
NC State’s basketball team fell to Duke on Tuesday 71-67, dropping their record to 22-9 overall to end the regular season.
However, Wolfpack head coach Kevin Keatts was quick with an explanation for the team’s loss.
“Nobody likes to lose, especially not me,” Keatts told reporters following the game. “Our guys fought hard to the very end.”
“I don’t want to talk about the officials, and I don’t want to talk about the missed shots. There is a perfectly good reason for why we lost this game.”
The reason? The city of Durham.
Keatts explained that the crime rate in Durham, where Duke University is located, was the real catalyst for the Wolfpack’s defeat.
“Think about it,” Keatts said. “Every time we win a game on the road we go out for ice cream afterwards.”
“Would you want to go out for ice cream anywhere in the city of Durham, the city brought to you by guns, at night? I sure don’t.”
Keatts clarified that his priority was the safety of his players.
“I’ll go out for ice cream in Blacksburg, in Winston-Salem, and in The Bahamas. Without hesitation,” Keatts said. “But Durham? You’d better get me a bulletproof vest for that venture. We don’t need to lose any more players right before the conference tournament starts.”
NC State finishes the regular season with a 12-8 record in the ACC. The ACC Tournament starts next week.
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