The calendar flipping to February means the coaching carousel in men’s college basketball is coming into focus. It was a fairly quiet cycle in football as schools gear up to spend big on player acquisition through revenue-sharing, but that trend may not continue into basketball season. Three jobs (all in the ACC) are already open, and a handful of high-profile gigs could open in the coming weeks. 

Here’s an early look at which coaches’ seats are heating up. 

Miami Hurricanes 

Jim Larrañaga stepped down the day after Christmas, allowing him to avoid what has been a truly miserable ACC slate for the Hurricanes. Miami has won just twice in 19 tries since the third week of the season. That said, this is still a very attractive opening, both for basketball reasons (a weakened ACC, national recruiting footprint) and personal (living in Miami). There’s been plenty of industry speculation here about New Mexico Lobos coach Richard Pitino, who has spent time in the state as an assistant under Billy Donovan and later as the head coach of the FIU Panthers. But a number of other top mid-major names could be involved, and a lateral move from a sitting high-major coach shouldn’t be ruled out either. 

Virginia Cavaliers 

Tony Bennett’s sudden retirement weeks before the season put the Cavaliers in a tough spot, and interim coach Ron Sanchez has taken UVA to just a 11–12 record. New blood is needed here, as is a modernization of the Cavs’ operations offensively after years of Bennett’s grind-it-out system. In state, there’s the VCU Rams’ Ryan Odom, who might have the A-10’s best team this season and famously beat UVA as the UMBC Retrievers coach in 2018. 

Florida State Seminoles 

The school announced Monday that Leonard Hamilton will resign at the end of the season, a move that has been widely expected for months. Hamilton, 76, was on his way to a fourth straight season missing the NCAA tournament. FSU seems like a strong personality fit for Will Wade, who’s widely expected to be in play for multiple big jobs this cycle. Other sharp recruiters like the High Point Panthers’ Alan Huss and Arkansas State Red Wolves’ Bryan Hodgson could also make sense. Florida State also has a significant alumni base now working in the NBA, such as Sam Cassell and Luke Loucks who could look into making the jump to college. Loucks played for Hamilton and is now an assistant with the Sacramento Kings.

Mike Woodson, Indiana Hoosiers 

It’s never easy to part with a program legend, but Woodson returning for another year in Bloomington, Ind., looks increasingly untenable as the Hoosiers’ tailspin continues. Losses in five of its last six has taken IU out of the projected NCAA tournament field. After being given near-limitless resources to rebuild the roster last spring from a disappointing 19–14 campaign, failing to go dancing would likely spell the end of the road. 

The more interesting question remains who the ideal candidate to replace him would be, a question very few in the industry have a good answer to. The natural fit is former IU manager Dusty May, now the Michigan Wolverines coach, but coaxing him to Bloomington from a lower-stress gig in the same league looks like a serious uphill battle. Logically, the Hoosiers need a sitting high-major coach with a long résumé, but several of those who might pique their interest come with serious baggage. In a world where the Kentucky Wildcats and Louisville Cardinals each hired coaches with zero career NCAA tournament wins, are we sure the Hoosiers don’t just target an elite basketball mind from the mid-major ranks and arm him with a war chest for talent acquisition? 

Kyle Neptune, Villanova Wildcats  

This is just Year 3 for Neptune replacing Jay Wright, but three straight missed NCAA tournaments would be hard to ignore. This season started ugly with losses to the Columbia Lions and Saint Joseph’s Hawks, but Villanova bounced back well to start 4–1 in Big East play, including a win over the two-time defending champion UConn Huskies. Since, the Wildcats have lost five of six, likely dashing any hope of sneaking into the Big Dance and buying Neptune some temporary security. This is a politically fraught choice, ditching Wright’s handpicked successor this early. But the alternative of watching what was arguably the best program of the 2010s continue to slip doesn’t feel defensible either. New athletic director Eric Roedl doesn’t have a fun first spring on the job ahead of him.

This is another job without a clear successor. Odom, mentioned above at Virginia, makes some sense. The Hofstra Pride’s Speedy Claxton has ties to Wright, but is in the midst of a 12–11 campaign. The Colgate Raiders’ Matt Langel has had an incredible run of late and has significant ties to Philadelphia, but is also suffering through an uncharacteristically bad season. Among sitting high-major names, the Northwestern Wildcats’ Chris Collins has been speculated about as a potential fit (his father, Doug, was the No. 1 overall pick of the Philadelphia 76ers in 1973), though he hasn’t shown much interest in leaving Evanston, Ill., in previous cycles. 

Rodney Terry, Texas Longhorns 

Terry got the full-time gig just two years ago after a strong season as interim following Chris Beard’s dismissal, but a 1–4 start in SEC play drove plenty of buzz that AD Chris Del Conte could deliver a quick hook. The Longhorns bounced back well with recent victories over the Missouri Tigers and Texas A&M Aggies and right now find themselves squarely on the bubble for the NCAA tournament. Finding a way into the Big Dance could quiet some of the noise. 

Del Conte is known for swinging big with his biggest hires. If he’s interested in going that route again, a logical name to make a full-court press for would be Illinois Fighting Illini coach Brad Underwood, who spent time in the state while with the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks. The chances of landing him? Likely slim, but Texas has the money to make things interesting for just about anyone. In the more realistic realm, McNeese State Cowboys (and former LSU Tigers) coach Will Wade could be a target, while Houston Rockets assistant Royal Ivey (a former Texas player) has had his name connected to the gig in the past. Ivey also coached the South Sudan national team that made its Olympics debut in 2024.

Matt McMahon, LSU Tigers 

McMahon inherited a difficult situation at LSU, dealing with the specter of potential NCAA sanctions from Wade’s tenure and a bare cupboard roster-wise. Now, he’s the victim of a loaded SEC, starting 1–7 in league play with all seven losses to top-50 KenPom opponents. McMahon got a seven-year deal in 2022 and some patience after losing two projected key pieces in Jalen Reed (injury) and Tyrell Ward (mental health) should be shown. 

Ben Johnson, Minnesota Golden Gophers 

Johnson built some momentum last season with an NIT appearance, but the Golden Gophers are back close to the Big Ten basement in 2024–25. Much can be attributed to poor fortune in the spring, losing starting point guard Elijah Hawkins to the Texas Tech Red Raiders, center Pharrel Payne to Texas A&M and promising young wing Cam Christie to the NBA. Johnson is by all accounts well-respected in the state, but missing the Big Ten tournament might make a change hard to avoid. 

Craig Smith, Utah Utes 

The Utes haven’t made the NCAA tournament since 2016, and Smith’s efforts to reignite a program that had gotten stale under Larry Krystkowiak haven’t succeeded yet. A late-season collapse last year took Smith’s team off the NCAA tournament bubble, and so far this season Utah doesn’t have a single win over a clear NCAA tournament team. Another year to adjust to the Big 12 would seem reasonable, but it’s worth tracking how the Utes finish. 

Fran McCaffery, Iowa Hawkeyes 

McCaffery is in Year 15 in Iowa City. It’s been a successful tenure overall, with seven NCAA tournament appearances and some high-level teams lately with Luka Garza and Keegan Murray. But things feel stale here, and McCaffery isn’t getting any younger at 65. His youngest son, Jack, graduates high school this summer and will play next season with the Butler Bulldogs, where one McCaffery (Patrick) is currently playing and another (Connor) is coaching. His contract at Iowa runs through 2027–28, but a change in direction might make most sense for both sides. 

Thad Matta, Butler Bulldogs 

Matta returned to Butler three years ago to reinject life into the program after several years out of the game. The Bulldogs showed real progress in Year 2, but have regressed in his third season at just 9–13 overall and 2–9 in Big East play. Butler has a strong incoming high school class, and Matta has plenty of political capital built up there, so an outright firing seems unlikely and perhaps unwarranted. But Matta walking away or mutually deciding new blood is needed wouldn’t be a shock. Whenever the time comes for Matta, opening things up beyond the Butler family is a must.

Hubert Davis, North Carolina Tar Heels 

North Carolina is one of the most disappointing teams in college basketball, teetering on the brink of missing the NCAA tournament for a second time in three years. It’d be a shock if the Heels moved on from Davis even if UNC falters further down the stretch. But Davis will almost assuredly enter next season with pressure to right the ship quickly and get the Heels back to elite status nationally.

Adrian Autry, Syracuse Orange 

Replacing Jim Boeheim was always going to be a tough gig, but Year 2 has been ugly for Autry. The Orange are 10–12, and more notably have been flat-out uncompetitive in several games this year. Autry has made some splashes on the recruiting trail, including signing Syracuse legend Carmelo Anthony’s son, Kiyan, for 2025, but will need to convert those recruiting victories into wins on the hardwood to avoid his seat heating up. 

Wes Miller, Cincinnati Bearcats

This was supposed to be Cincinnati’s big breakthrough under Miller in his fourth year, with a strong veteran roster. Instead, the Bearcats have flopped in league play, 2–8 in Big 12 with their only wins over the 3–7 Arizona State Sun Devils and 0–10 Colorado Buffaloes. Four years without a tournament appearance would be a bad look, but Miller would be owed $13 million if fired before March 31 and $9.9 million if fired after that. That’s likely too big of a number to seriously consider.