Two coaches who have coached in a Final Four, one who won a national title, and another who took two different teams to the Final Four have now retired before the New Year. 

Both are potential Hall of Fame candidates, with one of them on the ballot in 2025.

Each decided to step down during the academic year, causing legitimate unrest with their respective programs.

What’s going on?

Well, there’s no question that the abrupt retirements of Virginia’s Tony Bennett in October and Miami’s Jim Larranaga last week were a surprise. 

But only in the timing. Based on these two specific decisions, there’s no need to assume the sport is in crisis. 

A similar narrative is that neither wanted to deal with the new world of college athletics. The transfer portal creates a new roster each season, and name, image and likeness means coaches have to deal with agents to navigate the financial agreements. 

Bennett’s departure certainly hurts the game and the ACC more because he is only 55. Bennett (433-169) is in the prime years of coaching. But the burnout can be real, and he saw how his father, Dick, had to bow out due to the stress that coaching can produce. The hope is that Bennett can come back to the profession in some form. If he’s done coaching, let’s hope Bennett stays in the game and offers his expertise in some form. Maybe he could follow the path of former Butler and Celtics coach Brad Stevens, who led Boston to its 18th NBA title as the president of basketball operations. 

Larranaga, who was on the Naismith Hall of Fame ballot in 2025, is 75 years old. He’s won 716 games, losing 483 for a win percentage of 59.7. He took George Mason to the Final Four in 2006 and Miami in 2023. He should have walked away then. The Hurricanes, who did well with transfers and NIL on that Final Four team, floundered the last season and a half. Miami went 15-17 in 2023-24 and was 4-8 this season with losses already to Charleston Southern and Mount Saint Mary’s. 

Former UConn coach Jim Calhoun, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, could have walked away after the 2011 national title but did stay on for one more season as the Huskies finished 20-14 in 2012. 

The time for Larranaga to leave was after that Final Four run. The NIL and transfer portal were only going to get more overwhelming. Everyone could see that was happening. 

But he stayed. And now he’s out, frustrated and burned out. 

His Hall of Fame candidacy isn’t tarnished by the subpar seasons. No one should be surprised that he decided to retire, but the timing can be legitimately questioned. 

Just like Bennett’s decision at Virginia. 

Both ACC programs will likely be conducting national searches. Ron Sanchez will be given a chance at Virginia. However, the pressure will be immense to make an NCAA tournament bid run. The Cavaliers have a serious hill to climb at 7-5. The mountain seems insurmountable for the ‘Canes to get a bid and interim coach Bill Courtney is unlikely to be the permanent coach. 

Both jobs will be highly coveted, proving that the game is still healthy. There are plenty of qualified candidates to take over these two programs that have had ACC championships. 

So fans should not fret. The new era in the sport has shifted the power to the players, but the desire to stay in the game for passionate coaches remains. 

If you want an example of a coach who may not love the new world but is embracing the challenge, then look no further than Michigan State’s Tom Izzo. He’s going to be 70 next month. And he isn’t giving any indication that he’s retiring anytime soon. 

And his team is playing its best basketball in years. Just check our latest Power 37 rankings below.

RANKINGS: AP Top 25 Poll | NET rankings

Power rankings for Dec 30:

1. Auburn (Prev. 1,11-1): The best team in the country entering the new year. 
2. Tennessee (Prev. 2, 12-0): The Vols are once again a Final Four threat. 
3. Iowa State (Prev. 3, 10-1): The Cyclones have all the pieces to win the Big 12 and challenge for a national title. 
4. Duke (Prev. 4, 10-2): The Blue Devils are the class of the ACC. This is their league title to lose. 
5. Florida (Prev. 5, 13-0): The Gators are one of the season’s biggest surprises. 
6. Alabama (Prev. 6, 11-2): The Tide still have the goods for a repeat Final Four run. 
7. Oklahoma (Prev. 7, 13-0): This is Porter Moser’s best season to date, outside of the 2018 Loyola-Chicago Final Four run. 
8. UConn (Prev. 8, 10-3): The Huskies have flirted with some tight games in the Big East, but they still find a way to win and are the team to beat in the Big East. 
9. Marquette (Prev. 9, 11-2): The Golden Eagles have a great 1-2 punch in Kam Jones and David Joplin. 
10. Kansas (Prev. 10, 9-2): The Jayhawks may not be the favorite in the Big 12, but the league chase will still have to go through Lawrence for Iowa State and others. 
11. Texas A&M (Prev. 11, 11-2): The Aggies will be a tough out every game in the SEC. 
12. Oregon (Prev. 12, 12-1): The Ducks enter the New Year as one o the favorites to win the Big Ten. 
13. Maryland (Prev. 13, 11-2): The Terps will get a chance to be a contender with a weekend in the Northwest. 
14. Kentucky (Prev. 14, 10-2): The Wildcats should end up as a top-10 team. 
15. UCLA (Prev. 15, 11-2): The Bruins got a much-needed win over Gonzaga in LA. 
16. Mississippi State (Prev. 16, 11-1): Chris Jans wins wherever he lands. 
17. Memphis (Prev. 17, 10-3): The Tigers had a tremendous bounce-back win at home against Ole Miss after losing the previous week to Mississippi State. 
18. Illinois (Prev. 20, 9-3): The Illini are confidently rolling into a Northwest Big Ten trip. 
19. Michigan State (Prev. 19, 10-2): There aren’t too many teams clicking more than the Spartans. 
20. Arkansas (Prev. 18, 10-2): The Hogs will be one of the most improved teams by season’s end. 
21. Clemson (Prev. 22, 10-3): The Tigers should be the second-best team in the ACC. 
22. Cincinnati (Prev. 24, 10-1): I love the patience the Bearcats have shown with Wes Miller, as he now has a legit top-four Big 12 contender. 
23. Houston (Prev. 36, 8-3): I still have some pause on the ceiling for the Cougars, but the more they play, the better they are becoming. Now, the challenge is to compete for a Big 12 title as projected. 
24. St. John’s (Prev. 31, 11-2): The Red Storm are in my top 25 now with their continued late-game heroics. 
25. Utah State (Prev. NR, 12-1): The Aggies are back in the top 25 after a stellar effort to win at San Diego State. 
26. Gonzaga (Prev. 21, 9-4): The Bulldogs couldn’t close out again — this time against UCLA. Now, the chore will be to dominate a better-than-expected WCC. 
27. San Diego State (Prev. 25, 8-3): The Aztecs got stung by the Aggies but are still worthy of a ranking. 
28. Michigan (Prev. 26, 10-3): The Wolverines seemed to return to their efficient ways. 
29. Missouri (Prev. 27, 10-2): Look for the Tigers to claim the most significant turnaround of any team from last season. 
30. Baylor (Prev. 28, 8-3): The Bears would probably be top-15 if they had been healthy all season. 
31. Wisconsin (Prev. 29, 10-3): The Badgers are now getting quality production from their bigs. 
32. Purdue (Prev. 30, 9-4): Braden Smith’s 34 Sunday in a win over Toledo should be a strong signal to the rest of the Big Ten. 
33. Georgia (Prev. 32, 12-1): The Bulldogs enter the SEC with a chance to get a bid. There will be plenty of chances for quality wins in the SEC. 
34. Penn State (Prev. 33, 11-2): The Nittany Lions have had a tremendous non-conference and are ready to make an NCAA-bid run. 
35. Drake (Prev. 34, 12-0): The Bulldogs continue to churn out wins, with their likely toughest rival being Bradley. 
36. West Virginia (Prev. 35, 9-2): Javon Small has been one of the top hidden gems this season. 
37. Dayton (Prev. 37, 10-3): The Flyers are still the favorite in the A-10, but there will be plenty of competition from St. Bonaventure, Rhode Island, VCU, GW, Davidson and Saint Joseph’s. 

Dropped out: Ole Miss (23)
Under consideration: Nebraska, Pitt, Ohio State, Texas Tech, New Mexico, Colorado, South Carolina, Texas, Northwestern, BYU, St. Bonaventure, UC San Diego, SMU, Boise State, North Carolina, Georgetown. 

COOPER FLAGG: The freshman phenom who only now can vote

March Madness National Player of the Week

Brice Williams, Nebraska: The senior guard was the MVP of the Diamond Head Classic, leading the Cornhuskers to wins over Murray State, host Hawaii and Oregon State. Williams scored 32 in the win over the Rainbow Warriors and 25 in the title game against the Beavers. Williams leads the Huskers with 19.7 points a game while shooting 51.4 percent. The Huskers are off to a 10-2 start, 1-1 in the Big Ten with wins at Creighton and over Indiana. The only two losses were against potential NCAA-bound teams Saint Mary’s in South Dakota and Michigan State. 

March Madness National Team of the Week

Utah State: Tucker Anderson buried a three-pointer with seconds left to lift the Aggies to an upset at San Diego State, 67-66. The Aggies moved to 2-0 and 12-1 overall. There is clearly something going on in Logan, regardless of who the coach is at the current time. Larry Eustachy, Stew Morrill, Craig Smith, Ryan Odom, Danny Sprinkle and now Jerrod Calhoun have all won at Utah State. The Aggies have a real shot at going to the NCAA Tournament three straight seasons with three different head coaches. The Aggies have wins over Iowa on a neutral court in Kansas City and potential NCAA teams St. Bonaventure and Saint Mary’s. The only loss was to UC San Diego, which is currently atop the Big West. The win at San Diego State could be a difference-maker in the Mountain West title chase. 

March Madness Top-10 games of the week

Florida at Kentucky, Saturday: The Gators will put their undefeated season on the line at Lexington. Great to see both of these teams back to competing for the top of the SEC at the same time again. 

Oklahoma at Alabama, Saturday: The undefeated Sooners will be put to the ultimate test in the SEC by trying to be unscathed in Tuscaloosa. 

Arkansas at Tennessee, Saturday: The SEC dominates the top of our games this week, with John Calipari taking the Hogs into one of the most challenging spots in the league up against the undefeated Volunteers. 

Illinois at Oregon, Thursday: This is a monster weekend for Oregon at home and the road teams, as well, in Eugene in the Big Ten. This should be a high-scoring affair. 

Maryland at Oregon, Sunday: The Terps will be hoping they are going for a sweep after a road game at Washington. A split on this trip would be quite alright, but a sweep would certainly send a message that the Terps are a new favorite in the Big Ten title chase. 

Duke at SMU, Saturday: The Mustangs are flirting with being relevant in their first season in the ACC. A home win over Duke would do wonders to pass the first major test. 

Iowa State at Colorado, Monday: This is a rematch of a quality non-conference game in Maui. The Buffaloes now know what to expect from the Cyclones. If they can pull off the upset, then the Buffs should continue what could be a bubble-type season in the Big 12. 

St. John’s at Creighton, Tuesday: The Bluejays have been a bit erratic this season, but a lot of that has to do with not being totally healthy. This would be a great chance to reset the narrative in the Big East title chase. 

San Diego State at Boise State, Saturday: The Aztecs got upset at home by Utah State. Winning at Boise State would do wonders for keeping them on pace with Utah State and New Mexico. 

Rutgers at Indiana, Thursday: These two teams have been disappointing thus far. The winner will get a chance for a course correction. The loser will be in a hole that could be tough to climb out of in January.