March is all about the on-court Madness, but the coaching carousel has not stopped spinning.
Here’s the latest intel on current openings — including both in the state of North Carolina — as the NCAA tournament regionals begin.
March 26
One of the clumsiest coaching changes of the cycle finally came to fruition Thursday as LSU fired Matt McMahon while reaching an agreement to bring Will Wade back to Baton Rouge. Wade spent five seasons as LSU’s head coach from 2018 to 2022, guiding the Tigers to three out of four NCAA tournaments and their first SEC regular-season title in a decade (2019).
After getting fired by LSU on the eve of the 2022 NCAA tournament for multiple NCAA violations, Wade rehabbed his image by winning 58 games in two seasons at McNeese before taking over at NC State last spring. After just one season in Raleigh — a campaign initially filled with promise and optimism before ultimately ending in a First Four loss to Texas — Wade is leaving the Wolfpack.
Where does that leave NC State?
It’s not Duke or North Carolina, but where is NC State in the ACC pecking order?
Part of the appeal of Wade was his track record of instantly turning around programs, bringing in high-level talent quickly and disrupting the status quo. At NC State, that expected outcome was called the “red reckoning.” It didn’t quite turn out that way, as Wade left before his rebuild really got going.
North Carolina, Duke, Louisville and Virginia still top the list of most appealing jobs in the ACC, but NC State is right on the border of the next tier. The Wolfpack funded Wade’s lone roster in Raleigh at a reasonable level, and while they perhaps didn’t want to spend as much as Wade desired, there’s more than enough for a coach to build a competitive roster. The program has two national championships from four Final Fours and is an NCAA tournament staple. The Wolfpack still stand in the shadow of the Blue Devils and Tar Heels on Tobacco Road, but plenty of candidates will find the opening attractive.
Which coaches might the Wolfpack target?
It’s only been 12 months since athletic director Boo Corrigan ran a men’s basketball search, but the top two targets last time around — Wade and Ryan Odom — are no longer viable options.
Expect Saint Louis’ Josh Schertz to be at or near the top of NC State’s short list. Schertz has established himself as one of the premier up-and-coming coaches in college basketball, winning 32 games with Indiana State in 2023-24 before taking over in Saint Louis. He has won 48 games in two seasons with the Billikens, going 29-6 and advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament this season with a first-round win over Georgia. Schertz can afford to be patient with his next job, though, as SLU pays him north of $3 million per year and has filled the coffers with plenty of NIL money.
Tennessee assistant Justin Gainey was on the short list last year and was believed to be one of the final candidates before the Wolfpack hired Wade. Gainey played his college ball at NC State and began his coaching career on the Wolfpack staff under Sidney Lowe. Gainey has spent the last five seasons on Rick Barnes’ staff at Tennessee, including the last four as associate head coach.
George Mason’s Tony Skinn was one of the hottest candidates in the country entering the season, but second-half struggles took away some of the buzz. He has still won at least 20 games in each of his three seasons with the Patriots, though, including a 27-9 campaign in 2024-25 that came with an Atlantic 10 regular-season championship.
There are a slew of successful mid-major head coaches in the Carolinas or who otherwise have ties to the area, too. Furman’s Bob Richey has been in the running for a number of jobs over the last few cycles, most recently linked to vacancies at Georgia Tech and South Florida. He has taken the Paladins to two NCAA tournaments and led them to a win over Virginia in 2023.
High Point’s Flynn Clayman has been a head coach for just one season, but he led the Panthers to 31 wins, a sweep of the Big South regular-season and conference tournament titles, and then a first-round NCAA tournament upset of 5-seed Wisconsin.
East Tennessee State’s Brooks Savage just won the Southern Conference regular-season title, the program’s first since 2020. He also has ties to the area, spending three seasons as an assistant coach under Steve Forbes at Wake Forest.
March 24
Hubert Davis is out at North Carolina, just five days after the Tar Heels’ catastrophic collapse against VCU. After entering the season on the hot seat, a signature win against Duke in February and a 24-8 record seemed to have kept Davis safe from dismissal after entering the NCAA tournament as a 6-seed.
Especially given the season-ending injury to star forward Caleb Wilson, all signs pointed to Davis returning to Chapel Hill regardless of what happened in March. Then the Tar Heels blew a 19-point lead to 11-seed VCU in the second half of their first-round game, with Davis mismanaging down the stretch of regulation.
Davis’ head coaching tenure at Carolina comes to an end after five seasons, a stretch that included a national championship game appearance in 2022 and an ACC regular-season championship in 2024.
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What the next UNC coach needs to be successful
Seth Greenberg looks at potential replacements for Hubert Davis as the next coach of the Tar Heels.
What’s next in Chapel Hill?
When Roy Williams retired, North Carolina opted to keep it in the family, promoting Davis to the top job after nine seasons on Williams’ staff. Davis, of course, also played for the program under Dean Smith from 1988 to 1992. It’s unlikely the school will select another former Tar Heel this time.
Expect Carolina to take some massive swings.
Billy Donovan is expected to be at or near the top of the list. The Chicago Bulls head coach hasn’t coached at the college level since 2015, spending the past 11 years with the Oklahoma City Thunder (2015-20) and Bulls (since 2020). He has rejected opportunities to return to college before, but he could be more open to the idea now that the Bulls are going to miss the playoffs. He led Florida to two national championships (2006 and 2007) and took the Gators to two additional Final Fours (2000 and 2014). One complicating issue with Donovan would be timing; the Bulls’ last game is April 12.
Brad Stevens also wouldn’t be a surprising target. The Boston Celtics president of operations hasn’t coached at the college level since 2013, or in any capacity since 2021. But he led Butler to back-to-back national title game appearances in 2010 and 2011, then made seven trips to the NBA playoffs at the helm of the Celtics before transitioning into the front office in 2021.
Industry insiders also believe the best of the best in the college ranks are likely on the short list: Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd, Michigan’s Dusty May, Iowa State’s TJ. Otzelberger, Florida’s Todd Golden and Alabama’s Nate Oats. Texas Tech’s Grant McCasland could also be in the conversation. The Tar Heels could even gauge interest from UConn’s Dan Hurley, like Kentucky (and the Lakers) did a couple of years ago.
A few of those coaches come with massive buyouts: Lloyd’s would be between $9 million and $12 million, depending on timing; Golden’s would cost $16 million; and Oats’ would cost $18 million until April 1, when it drops to $10 million. McCasland’s buyout is just north of $10 million as well. May and Otzelberger have smaller buyouts, with May’s believed to be around $7 million and Otzelberger’s around $4 million.
March 19
Intel has been hard to come by for this search. Creighton‘s Greg McDermott does not appear to be a legitimate candidate at this point, but it’s too early to rule out Saint Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett or New Mexico‘s Eric Olen. UC Santa Barbara assistant — and former Arizona State guard — Derek Glasser continues to come up in conversations with sources, and he met with the school earlier this week.
After an initial interview list that went well into the double digits, the Eagles are finalizing a short list and identifying candidates to see in person. A long list of names has been linked to the job: Vermont‘s John Becker, UConn assistant Luke Murray, Duke assistant Emanuel Dildy, New Mexico’s Eric Olen, Siena‘s Gerry McNamara, Merrimack‘s Joe Gallo, Tulsa‘s Eric Konkol, San Francisco‘s Chris Gerlufsen and LA Clippers assistant Jay Larranaga, among others.
After Thad Matta’s retirement on Monday, Butler has moved quickly in its search, already conducting virtual interviews with candidates. Current Atlanta Hawks assistant and former Butler guard Ronald Nored is the perceived favorite for the job, but several mid-major coaches with Butler ties are also expected to be involved: Akron‘s John Groce, Miami (Ohio)‘s Travis Steele and Illinois State‘s Ryan Pedon.
All signs point to Utah State‘s Jerrod Calhoun being the Bearcats’ top choice. Calhoun graduated from Cincinnati and spent time as an assistant under Hall of Famer Bob Huggins at multiple schools. He has a buyout believed to be worth around $4 million.
The Yellow Jackets are deep into their search, and sources have speculated they could already have a preferred candidate. Troy‘s Scott Cross is considered the front-runner — Georgia Tech’s No. 2 in the athletic department, Brent Jones, was the athletic director at Troy before joining Tech in the summer. George Mason‘s Tony Skinn was also believed to be involved as recently as last weekend.
A third job whose perceived favorite is coaching in the NCAA tournament, with South Florida‘s Bryan Hodgson gathering the most momentum for this one. The Friars moved quickly to the front of the queue for Hodgson after firing Kim English and have been the program most heavily in pursuit.
Although outgoing athletic director John Wildhack did a considerable amount of background work to prepare his successor for this search, things have understandably slowed since the school named Toledo’s Bryan Blair its new AD. Former Cuse star and current Siena coach Gerry McNamara is one of the front-runners, with his recent MAAC tournament championship elevating his candidacy. Another name mentioned here is Akron’s John Groce.
Other scuttle around the carousel
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Three names buzzing most prominently for Florida International are Miami assistant Erik Pastrana, UCLA assistant Nemanja Jovanovic and Mercer‘s Ryan Ridder.
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The favorite at Little Rock is former Saint Louis head coach Travis Ford, while Southeast Missouri‘s Brad Korn is also still involved.
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The two early names for St. Bonaventure were two former Bonnies — Daemen College coach Mike MacDonald and Washington Wizards assistant coach David Vanterpool — but don’t discount Merrimack’s Joe Gallo.
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A dark-horse name at Weber State could be Troy assistant Kaleb Canales, who coached Damian Lillard with the Portland Trail Blazers early in his career.
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Two candidates at UL Monroe are UAB assistant Ryan Cross and LSU-Shreveport’s Kyle Blankenship.
March 16
Nothing is ever quite what it seems on the coaching carousel. Seventy-two hours after Butler administrators informed reporters that Thad Matta was returning next season, the longtime head coach announced his retirement Monday morning. It was a long-rumored move, one that has frequently popped up during each of the last two seasons, particularly as the Bulldogs finished a 16-16 campaign (7-13 in Big East).
Where does Butler fall in the Big East pecking order?
While Matta was rightly viewed as a pillar of Butler basketball history, the program has stagnated in recent years. It’s near the bottom of the Big East from an NIL perspective and simply doesn’t have the resources that many of the other schools in the conference possess. It’s a bottom-three job in the league, alongside Seton Hall and DePaul. Athletic director Grant Leiendecker has gone on record in recent weeks saying they’re going to be competitive in the NIL space and will increase those resources in the coming years.
What names will we hear?
It’s not a very long list.
The perceived favorite to succeed Matta has been former Butler guard Ronald Nored. He was part of the Brad Stevens-coached Bulldogs team that went to back-to-back national championship games in 2010 and 2011, and he has spent the past 14 years coaching at different levels. He had two seasons of head coaching experience with the Long Island Nets from 2016 to 2018 and is currently on the Atlanta Hawks’ staff.
Expect three more names with Butler ties to be linked to the opening: Akron’s John Groce, Miami (Ohio)’s Travis Steele and Illinois State’s Ryan Pedon. Groce spent a season under Matta at Butler in 2000-01 and has proven himself as one of the best mid-major coaches in the country, leading the Zips to four NCAA tournaments in the past five years. Steele, who graduated from Butler in 2004, just helmed a remarkable 31-0 regular-season run for the RedHawks before losing in the MAC tournament, still making the NCAA tournament as a First Four team. Then there’s Pedon, who was an assistant under Chris Holtmann at Butler from 2015 to 2017 before following him to Ohio State, where Holtmann replaced Matta. Pedon took over at Illinois State in 2022 and has won 20 games each of the past two seasons.
Finally, one long shot name that could enter the mix is Notre Dame’s Micah Shrewsberry, who was an assistant under Stevens from 2007 to 2011 and then followed him to the Boston Celtics. Shrewsberry could enter next season in South Bend on the hot seat, making a move appear more viable, but it’s unclear whether either side wants a reunion.
March 13
Cincinnati’s late surge toward an NCAA tournament bid fell short on Wednesday with an overtime loss to UCF, and Wes Miller’s tenure came to an end not long after. The Bearcats were in contention for NCAA tournament bids each of the past four seasons, but they ended up on the wrong side of the bubble every time. Miller finished 100-74 during his five seasons at the helm, but athletic director John Cunningham will now look for someone to get Cincy back to the dance.
Where does the job stack up in the Big 12?
Cincinnati is squarely in the middle of the pack when it comes to the attractiveness of the job. The Bearcats were a regular in the NCAA tournament under Mick Cronin and Bob Huggins in recent decades, but haven’t heard their name on Selection Sunday since Cronin left for UCLA in 2019. They have the resources to build a quality team, as the on-paper talent the past couple of years has been more than enough. The program also has a sound NIL structure, having hired general manager Corey Evans from the Oklahoma City Thunder last spring.
What names will be in the mix?
There are three sitting head coaches who stand out as potential options: Utah State‘s Jerrod Calhoun, Miami (Ohio)‘s Travis Steele and Akron‘s John Groce.
Calhoun is considered the favorite and checks a lot of boxes. He’s from Ohio, he was a student assistant under Bob Huggins at Cincinnati and an assistant under Huggins at West Virginia, and he has had varying levels of success at three different schools. He led Utah State to the NCAA tournament last season and won the Mountain West regular-season title this season. He was Kansas State’s top target before the Wildcats were forced to move on, but Cincinnati is a more appealing job to Calhoun.
Steele is plenty familiar with the area. He spent 14 years at Xavier, first as an assistant coach then as a head coach, and has been at Miami (Ohio) since 2022. He led the RedHawks to a remarkable campaign, going 31-0 in the regular season before losing in the MAC tournament quarterfinal.
Groce is another name with success as a head coach and ties to the state. He was an assistant at Xavier and Ohio State, a head coach at Ohio — and after five seasons at Illinois, he has been at Akron since 2017, leading the Zips to three NCAA tournaments in four years.
March 11
It didn’t take Arizona State long to make a decision on coach Bobby Hurley’s future. Hours after the Sun Devils’ season-ending blowout loss to Iowa State in the Big 12 tournament, the school announced it wasn’t renewing or extending Hurley’s expiring contract and his 11-year tenure had come to an end. It was the expected outcome for most of the past year, with Arizona State missing the NCAA tournament in five of the last six seasons.
Where does the job stack up in the Big 12?
The Big 12 has established itself as a dominant basketball league, finishing as the No. 1 conference at KenPom in nine of the last 13 seasons, and ranking second in three of the other four. The conference routinely sends seven-plus teams to the NCAA tournament and three teams to the Sweet 16 on a regular basis.
Arizona State hasn’t been particularly competitive in recent years and would rank somewhere in the bottom-half of the conference’s head-coaching jobs. There’s been minimal recent success, reaching one Sweet 16 since 1975 — and that came in 1995. It’s been fighting an uphill battle since moving to the Big 12, although its commitment and resources on the football side provide some optimism if the Sun Devils can get it rolling on the hardwood. The location is appealing to plenty of candidates, too.
Who might be in the mix?
There are several directions athletic director Graham Rossini can go to replace Hurley. Two of the more prominent names that have consistently been mentioned over the last few weeks have been Saint Mary’s Randy Bennett and New Mexico’s Eric Olen.
Bennett is a Mesa, Arizona native who has built Saint Mary’s into one of the most successful programs on the West Coast over the last 25 years. The program has been to 11 NCAA tournaments in his tenure, and this should be the Gaels’ fifth straight year going to the Big Dance. He hasn’t previously shown much interest in leaving Saint Mary’s but Gonzaga’s departure from the WCC is a new wrinkle.
While the Lobos struggled down the stretch of Olen’s first regular season at the helm, he showed serious coaching chops at UC San Diego, including leading the Tritons to 30 wins and an NCAA tournament appearance last season. He also has a longstanding relationship with Rossini.
Could popular mid-major names Jerrod Calhoun from Utah State or Josh Schertz from Saint Louis be interested? What about a successful, veteran West Coast coach like UC Irvine’s Russell Turner or Grand Canyon’s Bryce Drew?
There are also a couple of wildcard names. Creighton’s Greg McDermott could be nearing his departure from the Bluejays, already naming Alan Huss as his head-coach-in-waiting last spring. McDermott has long enjoyed spending time in the Phoenix and Scottsdale area, so a move could be potentially appealing.
Then there’s UC Santa Barbara assistant Derek Glasser, who played at Arizona State and was a college and high school teammate of former Sun Devil star James Harden. Sources indicate it’s a longshot, but he’ll certainly have his backers.
Syracuse officially informed head coach Adrian Autry of his firing on Wednesday morning after a three-season run. Autry was the successor to Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim, who retired in 2023 after 47 years as the head coach of the Orange. A former Syracuse player under Boeheim, Autry spent 12 seasons as an assistant coach on Boeheim’s staff before taking over as head coach.
Who will hire the next coach?
Editor’s note: The following was written before ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Syracuse agreed to terms with Bryan Blair to become its next athletic director.
The firing was not a surprise — the only question was timing, which could also potentially impact the search for a new head coach. Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack announced his retirement last month and plans to leave the school on July 1. Syracuse has not officially announced his replacement yet, though college football Bowl Season executive director Nick Carparelli is considered the favorite. It has been understood that Wildhack would let Autry go, then the incoming athletic director would make the next hire, although sources told ESPN that Wildhack has been working behind the scenes on the preliminary stages of the search for a few weeks.
What’s the perception of the job?
Boeheim built Syracuse into one of the most consistent and prominent programs in college basketball over his five decades at the helm of the Orange. They went to five Final Fours, won the 2003 national championship and were a staple in the second weekend of the NCAA tournament. The March runs papered over the cracks of a program that didn’t finish better than sixth in the ACC in any of Boeheim’s last nine seasons, though, and finished 14th in two of Autry’s three seasons as head coach. They are not a ready-made contender anymore.
That said, the NIL structure has improved, and there were certainly enough resources to put together a talented roster with March expectations entering this season.
What names are worth monitoring?
Three current head coaches stand out: Siena’s Gerry McNamara, Saint Louis’ Josh Schertz and South Florida’s Bryan Hodgson.
McNamara is a Syracuse legend and was on Boeheim’s staff alongside Autry for 12 years before spending one season under Autry as his associate head coach. McNamara just led Siena to the MAAC tournament title and an NCAA tournament bid on Tuesday, taking the Saints to their first Big Dance since 2010. Siena went 4-28 the season before McNamara took over; just two years later, it won 23 games.
Schertz is arguably the most sought-after mid-major coach of the cycle, along with Utah State’s Jerrod Calhoun. Schertz built a stellar reputation for himself with multiple Division II Final Four appearances at Lincoln Memorial, then led Indiana State to 32 wins in 2023-24 and now has Saint Louis tracking toward the NCAA tournament this season.
Hodgson is an upstate New York native whose stock has risen dramatically over the past few years. He has won back-to-back regular-season titles the past two seasons, split the Sun Belt title and won 25 games at Arkansas State last season, then won the American in his first season at South Florida.
Another name to watch is UConn assistant Luke Murray, who has been part of two national-championship-winning staffs under Dan Hurley in Storrs. Murray has been credited with helping build UConn’s vaunted offensive system over the past few years.
More openings
There have been several names linked to this opening since Boston College fired Earl Grant last Friday. Merrimack’s Joe Gallo, Colgate’s Matt Langel, UConn assistant Luke Murray, Yale’s James Jones, Furman’s Bob Richey and Los Angeles Clippers assistant Jay Larranaga are rumored to be in consideration. One dark-horse name also in the mix: Tulsa’s Eric Konkol, who worked with BC athletic director Blake James at Miami.
With Damon Stoudamire out, Belmont’s Casey Alexander and Troy’s Scott Cross have the most perceived momentum for the opening at Tech. Alexander just guided the Bruins to the Missouri Valley regular-season title before losing in the conference tournament, while Cross has the Trojans going to back-to-back NCAA tournaments. Tech deputy AD Brent Jones also overlapped with Cross at Troy. Other names that have been mentioned include Furman’s Bob Richey, Tennessee assistant Justin Gainey, Appalachian State’s Dustin Kerns, former NC State coach Kevin Keatts and George Mason’s Tony Skinn. Long Island Nets coach Mfon Udofia, who played at Tech, has been linked as well.
With the mid-February firing of Jerome Tang, Kansas State is furthest along among the power-conference searches. Utah State’s Jerrod Calhoun is considered the favorite for the position — the Ohio native could opt to slow-play his decision and wait to see if the Cincinnati or Pittsburgh roles open and either program expresses interest. Belmont’s Casey Alexander and Creighton associate head coach Alan Huss are also involved. Northern Iowa’s Ben Jacobson is believed to be on the list as well.
Kim English’s ousting hasn’t been officially announced yet, though the administration has informed him he will not be returning next season. There have been a long list of names linked to this job in recent days, although Santa Clara’s Herb Sendek has been buzzing as a legitimate candidate. Clippers assistant Jay Larranaga, Utah State’s Jerrod Calhoun, South Florida’s Bryan Hodgson and Merrimack’s Joe Gallo have also been linked.
What’s next?
The rest of the week could be busy.
With Cincinnati and Pittsburgh winning in their respective conference tournament games on Tuesday, any potential decisions on their futures will have to wait at least another day.
While not definitive, signs at Pittsburgh point to the Panthers parting ways with Jeff Capel after eight seasons. He still has eight figures left on a fully-guaranteed deal, however, which makes the decision more complicated for athletic director Allen Greene. Wes Miller and Cincinnati surged onto the bubble down the stretch of the season — potentially saving his job in the process — but if the Bearcats fall short of the NCAA tournament, a change could be in store.
In addition to the above programs, another handful of schools with hot seat questions play on Wednesday: Memphis, Butler, LSU and Oklahoma. One could make the argument that none of those four programs ends up making a coaching change this spring. Things are trending toward Porter Moser getting another season at Oklahoma, although he could also look to make a move on his own before facing another year on the hot seat in 2026-27. Memphis and Butler are difficult to read, while Matt McMahon’s future at LSU is not quite solidified, either.
More chatter
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Michigan assistant Justin Joyner is the heavy favorite at Oregon State.
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Top candidates at St. Bonaventure include Daemen College coach Mike MacDonald and Washington Wizards assistant coach David Vanterpool — both former Bonnies.
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Little Rock is viewed as a desirable job, with the likes of Southeast Missouri’s Brad Korn, former Saint Louis head coach Travis Ford and DePaul assistant Bryan Mullins all linked to the position.
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UL Monroe let go of Phil Cunningham after just one season with the Warhawks defeating only two Division I teams. UAB assistant Ryan Cross and Chipola College coach Donnie Tyndall have the most buzz here.
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New Mexico State’s Jason Hooten has been among the names swirling around for the Tarleton State vacancy.
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Among the names involved for the UNC Greensboro Spartans job is former Stanford head coach Jerod Haase.