College basketball coaching hire rankings during March Madness

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Duke, Florida, Auburn, Houston punch their ticket to the Final Four

The madness continues as Mackenzie Salmon previews the Men’s Final Four matchups, which will feature all No. 1 seeds for the first time since 2008.

Sports Seriously

Unsurprisingly, this year’s coaching-change cycle has schools in the Power Five basketball conferences dipping into the men’s NCAA tournament bracket to locate new hires with a recent track record of regular-season and postseason success.

Of the nine major-conference hires with previous college experience as a head coach, eight led teams into this year’s tournament. That led to some awkwardness involving new North Carolina State coach Will Wade and new Villanova coach Kevin Willard.

But the hiring approach is solid. Of the head coaches in this year’s Elite Eight, six had previously led a different school into tournament; the exceptions were Michigan State’s Tom Izzo and Duke’s Jon Scheyer, who were promoted as assistants.

Time will tell if this year’s new hires will repeat this success in a new environment. With two open positions remaining in Texas A&M and West Virginia, here’s our ranking of the major-conference coaching changes:

1. Will Wade, North Carolina State

Wade comes with serious baggage, as he readily admitted during the McNeese State’s tournament run. He was given a two-year, show-cause order and suspended for the first 10 games of his tenure there after the NCAA found him guilty of rules violations at LSU. But he also wins: McNeese went 58-11 in his two seasons, losing just twice in Southland Conference play, and previously led Virginia Commonwealth and LSU into tournament play. The road back to the Final Four won’t be easy even in an ACC that took a step back this year, but Wade will recruit at a high level and implement a style of play that should provide North Carolina State with an immediate boost next season.

2. Kevin Willard, Villanova

The way he handled the departure from Maryland has overshadowed Willard’s…

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Source link : https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2025/04/02/college-basketball-coaching-hire-ranking/82756090007/

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Publish date : 2025-04-02 10:05:00

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