School Basketball 2025-2026 Buzz: Belmont Hires New Head Coach

[ad_1] An enormous-time efficiency — or a key harm — may be the distinction for groups in March Insanity, which is already upon us.

Maintaining observe of notable accidents, information and happenings throughout males's and girls's school basketball because the 2026 NCAA Match ensues.

Mar. 18 Belmont hires Evan Bradds as its subsequent head coach Belmont reportedly employed Evan Bradds as its subsequent head coach on Wednesday. Bradds was most not too long ago an assistant coach at Duke, the place he spent one season. He performed at Belmont for 4 years from 2013-17, averaging 20 factors per recreation as a senior. Bradds additionally spent a number of seasons as a coach with the Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz.

Bradds, 31, turns into the second-youngest energetic head coach in Division I basketball, behind simply Nicholls coach Tevin Saddler. He follows former Belmont coach Casey Alexander, who spent seven seasons at Belmont, main the Bruins to a few Missouri Valley Convention regular-season titles, earlier than taking the place at Kansas State on March 13.

Mar. 17 The Cardinals' star freshman will miss the primary weekend of the NCAA Match attributable to an ongoing again harm, the college introduced.

"I simply don’t really feel 100%," Brown mentioned within the locker room, in response to The Related Press. "I don’t really feel like I can play to our customary."

Brown hasn't performed since Feb. 28. By way of 21 video games this season, Brown is averaging 18.2 factors, 4.7 assists and 1.2 steals per recreation, whereas taking pictures 41.0/34.4/84.4.

Louisville is a No. 6 seed within the East Area of the match and faces No. 11 seed South Florida within the first spherical on Thursday.

Mar. 16 Alabama's Aden Holloway arrested on felony drug cost The second-leading scorer for the Crimson Tide was arrested on Monday morning, days earlier than the NCAA match.

He was booked after brokers with the West Alabama Narcotics Job Drive searched a house close to the Alabama campus. It was there they discovered and "recovered greater than a pound of marijuana, paraphernalia and money" that belonged to Holloway, in response to police spokesperson Stephanie Taylor's electronic mail to The Related Press.

Following the arrest, Holloway was reportedly "faraway from campus" and won't be with the workforce because the UA Workplace of Scholar Conduct investigates his case, the college introduced Monday.

Holloway has had his greatest season, averaging 16.8 factors, taking pictures a prolific 43.8% from past the arc. This might damage Alabama of their NCAA match matchup on March 20 at 12:15 PM ET towards Hofstra.

Matta retiring from teaching Longtime school basketball coach Thad Matta introduced Monday he's retiring after a profession that included 13 NCAA Tournaments and a nationwide title recreation look with Ohio State.

Matta spent the previous 4 seasons at Butler, his second stint on the helm of his alma mater. The Bulldogs suffered a season-ending 91-81 loss to Windfall within the Huge East Match.

Matta, 58, will stay on employees as a particular counselor to President Jim Danko and athletic director Grant Leiendecker. Butler officers mentioned they've begun trying to find his successor.

"The love my spouse, my daughters and I've for Butler is what introduced us again 4 years in the past, and it feels particularly significant that I conclude my teaching profession right here," he mentioned in a press release. "Butler has at all times meant extra to us than simply basketball — and that connection is why I’m grateful to proceed working with the college and providing my assist in any method I can. I need this program to compete on the highest ranges of the Huge East and nationwide panorama, and I'm excited to be a part of what we proceed to construct right here."

Matta finishes his head teaching profession with a 502-223 document, profitable eight convention regular-season titles at three completely different stops — Butler, Xavier and Ohio State. He led the Buckeyes to 2 Closing Fours, shedding to Florida within the 2007 title recreation. He's Ohio State’s winningest coach, compiling 337 wins over 13 seasons.

Mar. 13 Billikens lengthen coach Josh Schertz Second-year Saint Louis coach Josh Schertz has agreed in precept to a long-term contract extension, athletic director Chris Could introduced Friday earlier than the Billikens' recreation within the Atlantic 10 Convention Match.

The Billikens (27-4) tied with Virginia Commonwealth for the A-10 regular-season championship and have been the No. 1 seed within the convention match.

Could locked up Schertz because the coach's title was bandied for numerous jobs in energy conferences.

Saint Louis entered Friday one win away from tying its season document, and in January the Billikens made their first look in The Related Press High 25 since 2020-21. They have been ranked as excessive as No. 18 and appeared in seven straight polls earlier than dropping out Monday.

Saint Louis employed Schertz away from Indiana State in 2024 after he led the Sycamores to their first Missouri Valley regular-season championship since 2000.

The Billikens have been 19-15 with an look within the Nationwide Invitation Match final season.

Pitt holding embattled Capel Athletic director Allen Greene introduced Friday that Jeff Capel will likely be again for a ninth season with Pitt regardless of a disappointing 13-20 mark this 12 months, that ended with a 98-88 loss to North Carolina State within the second spherical of the ACC match.

"I imagine our greatest path ahead is management continuity paired with clear expectations and a willingness to evolve," Greene mentioned in a press release.

Capel, who has 4 years left on the contract extension he signed in 2024, is 127-127 at Pitt. The Panthers have made the NCAA match simply as soon as throughout Capel’s tenure, when the 2022-23 workforce received 24 video games and superior to the second spherical.

Pitt narrowly missed the match in 2024 and noticed a 12-2 begin to the 2024-25 season flip right into a sluggish 17-15 end. Issues weren't any higher this winter, resulting in a dwindling of fan assist and hypothesis about Capel's job safety.

Greene put that hypothesis to relaxation, for now anyway. He pointed to the way in which the Panthers performed down the stretch whereas profitable 4 of their closing seven video games as proof that every one isn't misplaced.

"They fought till the top and represented this college with toughness," Greene mentioned. "Effort alone isn't sufficient. We should be higher going ahead. I do know it. Jeff is aware of it."

Mar. 12 Syracuse introduces Bryan Blair as new AD Syracuse College employed Bryan Blair as its athletic director on Thursday, at a time the ACC faculty is looking to regain relevance and with its once-proud males’s basketball program in transition.

The 40-year-old Blair takes over after spending the previous 4 years holding the identical job at Toledo, the place in 2022 he was nation’s youngest AD. And Syracuse is relying on Blair’s youth and familiarity with the NCAA’s altering income panorama to information Orange athletics into the long run.

"Bryan Blair is the athletics chief for this second and for the way forward for Syracuse College," Syracuse chancellor-elect Michael Haynie mentioned in a launch. "He's a fierce competitor who is aware of the right way to construct profitable packages, a visionary who approaches the enterprise of school athletics with real creativity and ingenuity."

He will likely be changing John Wildhack, who had beforehand introduced his retirement in July following a 10-year tenure. One among Wildhack’s closing choices was firing males’s basketball coach Adrian Autry on Wednesday. Autry was fired after three largely unsuccessful seasons through which he struggled in changing Jim Boeheim.

Anderson slips, injured on Huge 12 match glass flooring Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson strained a muscle whereas slipping on the brand new glass flooring on the Huge 12 Match, leaving the all-conference participant to look at from the bench as No. 7 Iowa State beat the No. 16 Purple Raiders 75-53 on Thursday.

Anderson was damage on an inbounds cross when his foot slipped close to his personal free throw line with about 8 and a half minutes remaining within the recreation. He instantly grabbed at his groin space whereas Iowa State proceeded to attain a basket and play was stopped.

Anderson limped over to the top of the Texas Tech bench, was examined by a coach and spent the remainder of the sport there.

"I am feeling good," Anderson mentioned afterward. "Clearly the ground is a bit slippery, so I feel I simply form of misstepped or did a motion that triggered me to slide and form of ended up in slightly unnatural place. That is what it was."

The revolutionary glass floor has drawn combined evaluations throughout the Huge 12 girls’s match final week and the primary two days of the boys’s match this week. It has been praised by coaches and gamers alike for its glitzy capacity to show graphics and hype up the followers, however quite a few gamers in each of the occasions have complained about its comparatively slick nature.

Mar. 11 Arizona State components with Bobby Hurley The Solar Devils will likely be pivoting in one other route as Bobby Hurley's teaching tenure at ASU has completed after 11 seasons, in response to Chris Karpman. He will likely be despatched on paid administrative go away for the remainder of his contract in June.

Beforehand an NBA participant, Hurley took his abilities to the whiteboard in 2010, aiding his brother at Wagner School, 12 years after his time within the league. He then transitioned to a head teaching place on the College of Buffalo in 2013, earlier than taking his most up-to-date gig with the Arizona State Solar Devils in 2015.

With the Solar Devils, Hurley went 185-167 total and held a convention recreation document of 90-115.

Syracuse fires Adrian Autry The Orange are turning the web page at head coach, as they've fired Autry after three seasons on the helm, in response to CBS Sports activities. Syracuse misplaced to SMU within the first spherical of the ACC Match on Tuesday evening, 86-69. This season, they went 15-17 total and 6-12 in ACC play, good for 14th within the convention. Over Autry's three seasons at Syracuse, the Orange went a mixed 49-48.

Autry, who performed 4 seasons at Syracuse (1990-91 season to 1993-94 season) and was a two-time All-Huge East honoree, was an assistant coach at Syracuse beneath Jim Boeheim for 13 seasons earlier than succeeding his former head coach in 2023.

Mar. 10 Accidents rock Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer revealed that junior guard Caleb Foster suffered a fracture in his proper foot and is out for the foreseeable future following latest surgical procedure for the matter, per ESPN. Scheyer additionally introduced that sophomore heart Patrick Ngongba II will miss this week's ACC Match attributable to foot soreness.

This season, Foster is averaging 8.5 factors, 3.6 rebounds and a pair of.8 assists per recreation, whereas taking pictures 44.2/40.2/58.5. In the meantime, Ngongba is averaging 10.7 factors, six rebounds and 1.1 blocks per recreation, whereas taking pictures 60.2% from the sector. Duke (29-2, 17-1) is the No. 1 seed within the ACC.

Mar. 6 UNC's star freshman ahead broke his proper thumb in a non-contact drill at apply on Thursday and can want surgical procedure. In consequence, Wilson's season is formally over. Wilson beforehand sustained a fractured left hand throughout the workforce's loss to Miami (Fla.) on Feb. 10. By way of 24 video games this season, Wilson averaged 19.8 factors, 9.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks per recreation, whereas taking pictures 57.8% from the sector.

Mar. 3 Pelphrey is out after his seventh consecutive shedding season ended with the Golden Eagles failing to qualify for the Ohio Valley Convention Match. Pelphrey, 55, posted a 79-138 document that included a 13-18 mark this season.

Tennessee Tech was the third head teaching cease for Pelphrey, who owns an total document of 228-264 in 16 seasons. He posted an 80-67 document at South Alabama (2002-07) and went 69-59 at Arkansas (2007-11) earlier than his seven-year run at Tennessee Tech. Pelphrey reached the NCAA Match with South Alabama in '06 and with Arkansas in '08.

Michigan considers choices at level guard Michigan misplaced the most effective backup level guard in school basketball, in response to coach Dusty Could, when L.J. Cason tore a knee ligament because the workforce clinched an outright Huge Ten title with a win at then-No. 10 Illinois.

The Wolverines will definitely miss the smooth-shooting sophomore, who averaged 8.4 factors and a couple of 3-pointer per recreation, however Could mentioned the harm will give guards a possibility to play bigger roles. Start line guard Elliot Cadeau performs about 25 minutes a recreation, a quantity which will enhance if he can keep away from foul bother. Freshman Trey McKenney, sixth-year participant Nimari Burnett and senior Roddy Gayle every common about 20 minutes a recreation — and all of them could have an opportunity to be on the court docket extra with out Cason.

Rutgers fires girls's basketball coach Coquese Washington is out after Rutgers ended the season with 11 consecutive losses and did not win 10 video games for the second time in three years. Rutgers was 9-20 this season; its 1-17 Huge Ten document was the worst in program historical past in convention play. Washington succeeded Naismith Basketball Corridor of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer, who retired in 2022. A nationwide seek for a brand new head coach will start instantly, Keli Zinn, Rutgers' athletic director, mentioned.

Mar. 1 The USC males's basketball workforce introduced that guard Baker-Mazara is not a member of this system on Sunday. He sustained an harm throughout the Trojans' loss to Nebraska. It was USC's fifth consecutive loss because it continues to fall off the NCAA Match bubble.

Baker-Mazara handled a number of accidents this season. He sustained a knee harm in a Feb. 3 recreation towards Indiana, which saved him out three video games. He returned for USC's video games towards Oregon and UCLA earlier than getting re-injured towards Nebraska and parting methods with the workforce. That mentioned, there is no particular cause — harm or in any other case — that is been launched as the reason for his departure.

Baker-Mazara was a fifth-year senior, so this might imply the top of his school basketball profession. His journey included a number of completely different spots — Duquense, San Diego State, Auburn and one season on the junior school degree.

Feb. 27 Tarleton State coach Billy Gillispie will not return Gillispie, who has been away from the bench for greater than a month due to medical points, received’t return subsequent season, the college introduced Friday. Glenn Cyprien was named performing head coach on Jan. 30, about two weeks after Gillispie stepped away. The 66-year-old Gillispie mentioned earlier this month that he was coping with coronary heart and blood-pressure points which have plagued him for years. The previous Kentucky coach had a kidney transplant in 2018.

Feb. 18 Toppin was doing his standard work within the paint Tuesday evening, pouring in buckets and grabbing rebounds towards Arizona State in a troublesome highway atmosphere. Then, late within the second half, the junior ahead drove to the basket earlier than taking place in a heap, holding his proper leg. Toppin stayed down for a couple of minutes earlier than needing help to gingerly limp off the court docket. The varsity introduced on Feb. 18 that Toppin suffered a torn ACL, ending his season.

Toppin completed with 20 factors, eight rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks, and the Purple Raiders have been clearly shaken when he left the ground. He sat on the bench for a quick interval earlier than going again to the locker room.

Texas Tech was trailing 61-56 on the time of the harm and fell behind 67-56 over the subsequent couple of minutes. The Purple Raiders regrouped and pulled to 70-67 within the closing seconds, however Christian Anderson turned the ball over, costing them an opportunity to tie the sport with a 3-pointer.

Lavin is out because the Toreros' head coach after three-plus seasons. In 4 mixed seasons, San Diego went 46-79 beneath Lavin, together with 11-17 this season. He had earlier head-coaching stints at UCLA and St. John's.

Feb. 16 Huff will miss the rest of the 2025-26 regular-season due to a left knee harm sustained in apply on Jan. 14. He was given an unique timeline of 4-to-8 weeks, which meant there was an opportunity he'd return earlier than the top of the common season. Nonetheless, on Feb. 16, Bulldogs coach Mark Few mentioned that his return will doubtless be a minimum of eight weeks, that means he will not return till after the West Coast Convention Match concludes.

Feb. 15 Ok-State fired Tang on Sunday "for trigger," per the athletic division, citing Tang's "public feedback and conduct, along with this system’s total route."

Moreso, athletic director Gene Taylor filed this assertion as a cause to fireplace Tang for trigger:

"There’s language in his contract that addresses sure issues that may probably carry embarrassment," Taylor mentioned. "Mainly, his feedback concerning the student-athletes and the unfavourable response to these feedback from lots of sources, each nationally and domestically, is the place I assumed we would have liked to make the choice."

After Ok-State's 91-62 loss to Cincinnati on Feb. 11, Tang mentioned his gamers "don't need to put on this uniform."

"There will likely be only a few of them in it subsequent 12 months," Tang added. "I’m embarrassed for the college, and I’m embarrassed for our followers, our scholar part. It's simply ridiculous. We’ve obtained apply at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning, and we are going to get this factor proper. I've no reply and no phrases. … Proper now, I’m like pissed."

Tang defended these feedback in a press release. "I'm deeply upset with the college’s choice and strongly disagree with the characterization of my termination," he wrote. "I've at all times acted with integrity and faithfully fulfilled my tasks as head coach."

Tang coached at Ok-State for the higher a part of 4 seasons. He led the Wildcats to the Elite Eight in 2023, his first season. Following that 12 months, Kansas State rewarded him with a seven-year contract extension, beginning with a $3.6 million base wage, together with a $100,000 enhance every year, and an $18.7 million buyout. The Wildcats have been 10-15 total on the time of Tang's for-cause firing.

Feb. 14 BYU ahead Richie Saunders sustains season-ending harm Saunders sustained a torn ACL throughout the Cougars' win towards Colorado on Valentine's Day. The harm successfully ends the senior's school basketball profession. He has performed all 4 seasons at BYU and leads the workforce with 64 made 3-point pictures this season. The Cougars had dropped 4 of their previous 5 video games earlier to a 90-86 time beyond regulation victory towards Colorado. They'd additionally misplaced senior guard Dawson Baker to a season-ending ACL harm earlier this season. Saunders' harm is one other impediment contributing to BYU's dwindling nationwide championship probabilities.