NCAA Basketball Coaching Changes: Where Are They Now?
Written by: Nate Hornung
Published: Thu Apr 09, 2026, 3:02 pm ET
Read Time: 7 minutes
ncaab
The college hoops season has finally come to a close. It's going to be a long hot summer without any NCAA Basketball to watch, but in today's world, the offseason will certainly keep us busy. Players are hopping into the transfer portal from all around the country, and coaches seem to be doing the same. Below we'll look at all of the major coaching changes so far, including Michael Malone going back to college to coach the North Carolina Tar Heels.
College Hoops Coaching Carousel
Let's start with some bigger names who aren't going anywhere.
Bill Self announced he would NOT retire, and continue his lifetime contract with Kansas. Yes, I had to start with the Jayhawks. He ain't ******* leaving. Insert Jordan Belfort gif.
There were plenty of names linked to the North Carolina job, including a few top dawgs in Dusty May of Michigan, Ben McCollum of Iowa, and Tommy Lloyd of Arizona. All three opted to stay at their current school. Look out transfer portal, those guys are hunting. As for those who changed schools, let's look at as many as I can fit in this piece.
NCAA Basketball Coaching Changes
Michael Malone is headed back to school! He takes over as Head Coach of the Tar Heels
North Carolina Hires Michael Malone
Michael Malone returns to college hoops for the first time in over two decades. He was an assistant coach at Manhattan in 2001 before getting a job with the Knicks to start his NBA coaching career. Malone led the Nuggets to an NBA Championship in 2023, and at least he's already accustomed to paying the players since everyone's doing that now. Will he be able to handle recruiting, NIL and figuring out the modern college game? Ultimately, can he return the Tar Heels to the kind of program their fans expect?
Arizona State Hires Randy Bennett
Bobby Hurley is out in Tempe, and Randy Bennett is making the move to Power Five basketball. He's spent the last 25 years coaching the Saint Mary's Gaels in the West Coast Conference, capturing seven regular season titles and four conference tournaments, leading them to a 589-228 record. The question will be, can he do it against tougher competition?
The Gaels were 7-12 under Bennett in the NCAA Tournament with just one second weekend appearance in the 2010 Sweet 16. Now he'll be coaching in the toughest conference in college hoops.
Creighton Hires Alan Huss
Greg McDermott gracefully stepped away from the Bluejays after 16 seasons with the program. They brought in Alan Huss last season as an assistant, and now he takes over the team. Huss played college hoops at Creighton from 1997-2001 and was an assistant coach from 2017-2023 before taking over at High Point for two seasons.
As head coach of the Panthers, he lead them to a 27-9 season in his first year with a conference regular season championship and an appearance in the CBI Championship. However, the next season, they went 29-6, won the regular season and conference tournament, and made the Big Dance, where they gave Purdue a run for their money in the Round of 64. Can Huss get the Bluejays back into the tournament and get his first win?
Gerry McNamara takes over as head coach at Syracuse where he played college hoops
Syracuse Hires Gerry McNamara
Remember that pesky Siena team that led No. 1 overall Duke by double digits at halftime in the Round of 64 without making a single sub? They were coached by Gerry McNamara, who now takes over at Syracuse. He played for the Orange from 2002-2006 and got back on the staff in 2009. Much like Huss, McNamara left his alma mater to take the head job at Siena, leading the Saints to a 23-12 season, including a MAAC Tournament Championship, and a memory of giving the Blue Devils their own hell for 35 minutes of a basketball game with only five players.
Good luck, Gerry. College basketball is better when Syracuse is good.
Kansas State Hires Casey Alexander
Jerome Tang is out in Manhappiness, and Casey Alexander is moving in from Nashville. He led the Lipscomb Bison to the NCAA Tournament in 2018 before taking the job at Belmont in 2019. With the Bruins, he would've earned an appearance in the Big Dance in 2020 by winning the OVC Tournament, but the tourney was cancelled. He won the OVC regular season twice, and captured his first MVC regular season this year. Alexander went 166-60 at Belmont and won over 75% of his conference games. But much like Randy Bennett at ASU, can he get it done against MUCH tougher competition all year long?
Bryan Hodgson looks to take the Friars back to the top of the Big East
Providence Hires Bryan Hodgson
Kim English finally got the boot in Rhode Island, so Hogdson takes over the Friars. He coached the Arkansas State Red Wolves to two straight 20 win seasons, their first since Grant McCasland did so in 2017. Then in one year at South Florida, he won the American Conference regular season and tournament, and covered a spread in the NCAA Tournament (Thank You, Bulls). Now he looks to bring this Big East team back to tournament caliber after not making it the past three years.
Friars fans have had two NCAA Tournament wins since the 2017 season, going to the Sweet 16 in 2022 under thou who shall not be named. Rhymes with Fred Fooley.
Mark Turgeon is coming out of retirement to coach the UMKC Roos
Kansas City hires Mark Turgeon
Possibly the best hire this offseason, the UMKC Roos got Mark Turgeon out of retirement. After playing point guard at Kansas under Larry Brown in the 80s, he was an assistant with the 1988 Jayhawks National Championship team, before moving to Oregon and the Philadelphia 76ers as an assistant. He worked his way up, from Jacksonville State (1998-2000), to Wichita State (2000-2007), Texas A&M (2007-2011), and finally to Maryland (2011-2021).
Coach Turg led the Shockers to the Sweet 16 and a 26-9 record in 2006, took the Aggies to four straight tournaments then turned the Terps around for the next decade. He led Maryland to five NCAA Tournament appearances, and won a share of the Big Ten regular season in 2020. After eight games in 2021, he mutually parted ways with the school.
Now Turg, who grew up an hour from Kansas City, is looking to take the Roos to heights they've never seen before. And as a KC native, I am excited to see it happen.
Still Didn't Get Your NCAA Basketball Fix?
Here at Betting News, we offer Free Expert Picks for every major sports league. We also host daily streams on our Twitch Channel with our best bets, as well as sweat out games on Playback! Be sure to tune into everything we have going on at our Youtube, TikTok, and X pages as well, and follow my personal twitter @Shaggy_Bets for my full daily card.
More NCAAB News
NCAAB Betting News
NCAA Expands March Madness Tournament to 76 Teams Beginning in 2027
NCAAB Betting News
NCAA Basketball Transfer Portal Update: Portal Entries and New Signings
NCAAB Betting News
#2 UConn vs. #1 Michigan Picks and Predictions: National Championship
Get FREE Picks and Props Weekly
Sign up for
THE WEEKENDER NEWSLETTER
Check Out All of Our Betting Resources at Betting News
Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.
This site contains commercial content. We may be compensated for the links provided on this page. The content on this page is for informational purposes only. Betting News makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event.