College Hoops Coaching Carousel Is Nearly Done Spinning, and Here's Who Got Hired

The men's college basketball coaching carousel is basically done for 2026, and it's been wild. As the Final Four wraps up in Indianapolis, only one elite job is still vacant among the power-conference programs. Out of 49 total openings this cycle, nine positions remain unfilled, but the big dominos have all fallen.

Lloyd Stays Put, May Shuts Down the Speculation

Arizona's Tommy Lloyd took himself completely off the board on Friday by signing a new five-year deal with the Wildcats. This was huge news because Lloyd had been a major target for the UNC opening in Chapel Hill. According to ESPN sources, the new contract makes Lloyd one of the five highest paid coaches in college basketball. His buyout, which was $9 million under the old deal, is expected to stay just as high moving forward.

Michigan's Dusty May also got asked constantly about the UNC job and shut down the speculation before Lloyd's announcement. May made it clear he's locked in at Michigan, saying "it's well-documented how happy I am at Michigan." He didn't directly comment on the vacancy, but his current deal runs through 2030 with a $7 million buyout if he leaves for another job this spring. Apart from Lloyd and May, Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan has been the most prominent name connected to the UNC position.

The Hiring Blitz: Who's Going Where

Most of the big jobs got filled by mid-major coaches who had been connected to the openings for weeks. Here's the rundown: Arizona State grabbed Arizona native Randy Bennett from Saint Mary's, Cincinnati hired alum Jerrod Calhoun from Utah State, Providence picked South Florida's Bryan Hodgson, and Syracuse landed program legend Gerry McNamara from Siena. Kansas State, which was the first high-major job to open this cycle, picked Belmont's Casey Alexander. Georgia Tech went for Troy's Scott Cross, and Creighton promoted coach-in-waiting Alan Huss to replace outgoing Greg McDermott.

From the ACC, Boston College hired UConn's Luke Murray and NC State went with alum Justin Gainey. The biggest move of the entire cycle was LSU bringing back Will Wade, who had been fired four years ago. That deal came wrapped up in connections to Louisiana state politics and came with NCAA sanctions attached to the program.

We're down to the final stretch now. Keep an eye on that UNC job as the offseason heats up.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.