A big-time performance — or a key injury — can be the difference for teams in March Madness, which is already upon us.
Keeping track of notable injuries, news and happenings across men’s and women’s college basketball as the 2026 NCAA Tournament ensues.
Mar. 18
Belmont hires Evan Bradds as its next head coach
Belmont reportedly hired Evan Bradds as its next head coach on Wednesday. Bradds was most recently an assistant coach at Duke, where he spent one season. He played at Belmont for four years from 2013-17, averaging 20 points per game as a senior. Bradds also spent multiple seasons as a coach with the Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz.
Bradds, 31, becomes the second-youngest active head coach in Division I basketball, behind just Nicholls coach Tevin Saddler. He follows former Belmont coach Casey Alexander, who spent seven seasons at Belmont, leading the Bruins to three Missouri Valley Conference regular-season titles, before taking the position at Kansas State on March 13.
Mar. 17
The Cardinals’ star freshman will miss the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament due to an ongoing back injury, the school announced.
“I just don’t feel 100%,” Brown said in the locker room, according to The Associated Press. “I don’t feel like I can play to our standard.”
Brown hasn’t played since Feb. 28. Through 21 games this season, Brown is averaging 18.2 points, 4.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game, while shooting 41.0/34.4/84.4.
Louisville is a No. 6 seed in the East Region of the tournament and faces No. 11 seed South Florida in the first round on Thursday.
Mar. 16
Alabama’s Aden Holloway arrested on felony drug charge
The second-leading scorer for the Crimson Tide was arrested on Monday morning, days before the NCAA tournament.
He was booked after agents with the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force searched a home near the Alabama campus. It was there they found and “recovered more than a pound of marijuana, paraphernalia and cash” that belonged to Holloway, according to police spokesperson Stephanie Taylor’s email to The Associated Press.
Following the arrest, Holloway was reportedly “removed from campus” and will not be with the team as the UA Office of Student Conduct investigates his case, the school announced Monday.
Holloway has had his best season, averaging 16.8 points, shooting a prolific 43.8% from beyond the arc. This could hurt Alabama in their NCAA tournament matchup on March 20 at 12:15 PM ET against Hofstra.
Matta retiring from coaching
Longtime college basketball coach Thad Matta announced Monday he is retiring after a career that included 13 NCAA Tournaments and a national title game appearance with Ohio State.
Matta spent the past four seasons at Butler, his second stint at the helm of his alma mater. The Bulldogs suffered a season-ending 91-81 loss to Providence in the Big East Tournament.
Matta, 58, will remain on staff as a special counselor to President Jim Danko and athletic director Grant Leiendecker. Butler officials said they have begun searching for his successor.
“The love my wife, my daughters and I have for Butler is what brought us back four years ago, and it feels especially meaningful that I conclude my coaching career here,” he said in a statement. “Butler has always meant more to us than just basketball — and that connection is why I’m grateful to continue working with the university and offering my help in any way I can. I want this program to compete at the highest levels of the Big East and national landscape, and I am excited to be part of what we continue to build here.”
Matta finishes his head coaching career with a 502-223 record, winning eight conference regular-season titles at three different stops — Butler, Xavier and Ohio State. He led the Buckeyes to two Final Fours, losing to Florida in the 2007 title game. He is Ohio State’s winningest coach, compiling 337 wins over 13 seasons.
Mar. 13
Billikens extend coach Josh Schertz
Second-year Saint Louis coach Josh Schertz has agreed in principle to a long-term contract extension, athletic director Chris May announced Friday before the Billikens’ game in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament.
The Billikens (27-4) tied with Virginia Commonwealth for the A-10 regular-season championship and were the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
May locked up Schertz as the coach’s name was bandied for a number of jobs in power conferences.
Saint Louis entered Friday one win away from tying its season record, and in January the Billikens made their first appearance in The Associated Press Top 25 since 2020-21. They were ranked as high as No. 18 and appeared in seven straight polls before dropping out Monday.
Saint Louis hired Schertz away from Indiana State in 2024 after he led the Sycamores to their first Missouri Valley regular-season championship since 2000.
The Billikens were 19-15 with an appearance in the National Invitation Tournament last season.
Pitt keeping embattled Capel
Athletic director Allen Greene announced Friday that Jeff Capel will be back for a ninth season with Pitt despite a disappointing 13-20 mark this year, that ended with a 98-88 loss to North Carolina State in the second round of the ACC tournament.
“I believe our best path forward is leadership continuity paired with clear expectations and a willingness to evolve,” Greene said in a statement.
Capel, who has four years left on the contract extension he signed in 2024, is 127-127 at Pitt. The Panthers have made the NCAA tournament just once during Capel’s tenure, when the 2022-23 team won 24 games and advanced to the second round.
Pitt narrowly missed the tournament in 2024 and saw a 12-2 start to the 2024-25 season turn into a sluggish 17-15 finish. Things weren’t any better this winter, leading to a dwindling of fan support and speculation about Capel’s job security.
Greene put that speculation to rest, for now anyway. He pointed to the way the Panthers played down the stretch while winning four of their final seven games as proof that all is not lost.
“They fought until the end and represented this university with toughness,” Greene said. “Effort alone is not enough. We must be better going forward. I know it. Jeff knows it.”
Mar. 12
Syracuse introduces Bryan Blair as new AD
Syracuse University hired Bryan Blair as its athletic director on Thursday, at a time the ACC school is searching to regain relevance and with its once-proud men’s basketball program in transition.
The 40-year-old Blair takes over after spending the past four years holding the same job at Toledo, where in 2022 he was nation’s youngest AD. And Syracuse is counting on Blair’s youth and familiarity with the NCAA’s changing revenue landscape to guide Orange athletics into the future.
“Bryan Blair is the athletics leader for this moment and for the future of Syracuse University,” Syracuse chancellor-elect Michael Haynie said in a release. “He is a fierce competitor who knows how to build winning programs, a visionary who approaches the business of college athletics with genuine creativity and ingenuity.”
He will be replacing John Wildhack, who had previously announced his retirement in July following a 10-year tenure. One of Wildhack’s final decisions was firing men’s basketball coach Adrian Autry on Wednesday. Autry was fired after three largely unsuccessful seasons in which he struggled in replacing Jim Boeheim.
Anderson slips, injured on Big 12 tournament glass floor
Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson strained a muscle while slipping on the new glass floor at the Big 12 Tournament, leaving the all-conference player to watch from the bench as No. 7 Iowa State beat the No. 16 Red Raiders 75-53 on Thursday.
Anderson was hurt on an inbounds pass when his foot slipped near his own free throw line with about 8 and a half minutes remaining in the game. He immediately grabbed at his groin area while Iowa State proceeded to score a basket and play was stopped.
Anderson limped over to the end of the Texas Tech bench, was examined by a trainer and spent the rest of the game there.
“I’m feeling good,” Anderson said afterward. “Obviously the floor is a bit slippery, so I think I just kind of misstepped or did a movement that caused me to slip and kind of ended up in a little unnatural position. That’s what it was.”
The innovative glass surface has drawn mixed reviews during the Big 12 women’s tournament last week and the first two days of the men’s tournament this week. It has been praised by coaches and players alike for its glitzy ability to display graphics and hype up the fans, but numerous players in both of the events have complained about its relatively slick nature.
Mar. 11
Arizona State parts with Bobby Hurley
The Sun Devils will be pivoting in another direction as Bobby Hurley’s coaching tenure at ASU has finished after 11 seasons, according to Chris Karpman. He will be sent on paid administrative leave for the rest of his contract in June.
Previously an NBA player, Hurley took his talents to the whiteboard in 2010, assisting his brother at Wagner College, 12 years after his time in the league. He then transitioned to a head coaching position at the University of Buffalo in 2013, before taking his most recent gig with the Arizona State Sun Devils in 2015.
With the Sun Devils, Hurley went 185-167 overall and held a conference game record of 90-115.
Syracuse fires Adrian Autry
The Orange are turning the page at head coach, as they’ve fired Autry after three seasons at the helm, according to CBS Sports. Syracuse lost to SMU in the first round of the ACC Tournament on Tuesday night, 86-69. This season, they went 15-17 overall and 6-12 in ACC play, good for 14th in the conference. Over Autry’s three seasons at Syracuse, the Orange went a combined 49-48.
Autry, who played four seasons at Syracuse (1990-91 season to 1993-94 season) and was a two-time All-Big East honoree, was an assistant coach at Syracuse under Jim Boeheim for 13 seasons before succeeding his former head coach in 2023.
Mar. 10
Injuries rock Duke
Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer revealed that junior guard Caleb Foster suffered a fracture in his right foot and is out for the foreseeable future following recent surgery for the matter, per ESPN. Scheyer also announced that sophomore center Patrick Ngongba II will miss this week’s ACC Tournament due to foot soreness.
This season, Foster is averaging 8.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, while shooting 44.2/40.2/58.5. Meanwhile, Ngongba is averaging 10.7 points, six rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game, while shooting 60.2% from the field. Duke (29-2, 17-1) is the No. 1 seed in the ACC.
Mar. 6
UNC’s star freshman forward broke his right thumb in a non-contact drill at practice on Thursday and will need surgery. As a result, Wilson’s season is officially over. Wilson previously sustained a fractured left hand during the team’s loss to Miami (Fla.) on Feb. 10. Through 24 games this season, Wilson averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks per game, while shooting 57.8% from the field.
Mar. 3
Pelphrey is out after his seventh consecutive losing season ended with the Golden Eagles failing to qualify for the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. Pelphrey, 55, posted a 79-138 record that included a 13-18 mark this season.
Tennessee Tech was the third head coaching stop for Pelphrey, who owns an overall record of 228-264 in 16 seasons. He posted an 80-67 record at South Alabama (2002-07) and went 69-59 at Arkansas (2007-11) before his seven-year run at Tennessee Tech. Pelphrey reached the NCAA Tournament with South Alabama in ’06 and with Arkansas in ’08.
Michigan considers options at point guard
Michigan lost the best backup point guard in college basketball, according to coach Dusty May, when L.J. Cason tore a knee ligament as the team clinched an outright Big Ten title with a win at then-No. 10 Illinois.
The Wolverines will certainly miss the smooth-shooting sophomore, who averaged 8.4 points and more than one 3-pointer per game, but May said the injury will give guards an opportunity to play larger roles. Starting point guard Elliot Cadeau plays about 25 minutes a game, a number that may increase if he can avoid foul trouble. Freshman Trey McKenney, sixth-year player Nimari Burnett and senior Roddy Gayle each average about 20 minutes a game — and all of them will have a chance to be on the court more without Cason.
Rutgers fires women’s basketball coach
Coquese Washington is out after Rutgers ended the season with 11 consecutive losses and failed to win 10 games for the second time in three years. Rutgers was 9-20 this season; its 1-17 Big Ten record was the worst in program history in conference play. Washington succeeded Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer, who retired in 2022. A national search for a new head coach will begin immediately, Keli Zinn, Rutgers’ athletic director, said.
Mar. 1
The USC men’s basketball team announced that guard Baker-Mazara is no longer a member of the program on Sunday. He sustained an injury during the Trojans’ loss to Nebraska. It was USC’s fifth consecutive loss as it continues to fall off the NCAA Tournament bubble.
Baker-Mazara dealt with multiple injuries this season. He sustained a knee injury in a Feb. 3 game against Indiana, which kept him out three games. He returned for USC’s games against Oregon and UCLA before getting re-injured against Nebraska and parting ways with the team. That said, there’s no specific reason — injury or otherwise — that’s been released as the cause of his departure.
Baker-Mazara was a fifth-year senior, so this could mean the end of his college basketball career. His journey included multiple different spots — Duquense, San Diego State, Auburn and one season at the junior college level.
Feb. 27
Tarleton State coach Billy Gillispie won’t return
Gillispie, who has been away from the bench for more than a month because of medical issues, won’t return next season, the school announced Friday. Glenn Cyprien was named acting head coach on Jan. 30, about two weeks after Gillispie stepped away. The 66-year-old Gillispie said earlier this month that he was dealing with heart and blood-pressure issues that have plagued him for years. The former Kentucky coach had a kidney transplant in 2018.
Feb. 18
Toppin was doing his usual work in the paint Tuesday night, pouring in buckets and grabbing rebounds against Arizona State in a tough road environment. Then, late in the second half, the junior forward drove to the basket before going down in a heap, holding his right leg. Toppin stayed down for a few minutes before needing assistance to gingerly limp off the court. The school announced on Feb. 18 that Toppin suffered a torn ACL, ending his season.
Toppin finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four blocks, and the Red Raiders were obviously shaken when he left the floor. He sat on the bench for a brief period before going back to the locker room.
Texas Tech was trailing 61-56 at the time of the injury and fell behind 67-56 over the next few minutes. The Red Raiders regrouped and pulled to 70-67 in the final seconds, but Christian Anderson turned the ball over, costing them a chance to tie the game with a 3-pointer.
Lavin is out as the Toreros’ head coach after three-plus seasons. In four combined seasons, San Diego went 46-79 under Lavin, including 11-17 this season. He had previous head-coaching stints at UCLA and St. John’s.
Feb. 16
Huff will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 regular-season because of a left knee injury sustained in practice on Jan. 14. He was given an original timeline of 4-to-8 weeks, which meant there was a chance he’d return before the end of the regular season. However, on Feb. 16, Bulldogs coach Mark Few said that his return will likely be at least eight weeks, meaning he won’t return until after the West Coast Conference Tournament concludes.
Feb. 15
K-State fired Tang on Sunday “for cause,” per the athletic department, citing Tang’s “public comments and conduct, in addition to the program’s overall direction.”
Moreso, athletic director Gene Taylor filed this statement as a reason to fire Tang for cause:
“There’s language in his contract that addresses certain things that can potentially bring embarrassment,” Taylor said. “Basically, his comments about the student-athletes and the negative reaction to those comments from a lot of sources, both nationally and locally, is where I thought we needed to make the decision.”
After K-State’s 91-62 loss to Cincinnati on Feb. 11, Tang said his players “do not deserve to wear this uniform.”
“There will be very few of them in it next year,” Tang added. “I’m embarrassed for the university, and I’m embarrassed for our fans, our student section. It is just ridiculous. We’ve got practice at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning, and we will get this thing right. I have no answer and no words. … Right now, I’m like pissed.”
Tang defended those comments in a statement. “I am deeply disappointed with the university’s decision and strongly disagree with the characterization of my termination,” he wrote. “I have always acted with integrity and faithfully fulfilled my responsibilities as head coach.”
Tang coached at K-State for the better part of four seasons. He led the Wildcats to the Elite Eight in 2023, his first season. Following that year, Kansas State rewarded him with a seven-year contract extension, starting with a $3.6 million base salary, including a $100,000 increase each year, and an $18.7 million buyout. The Wildcats were 10-15 overall at the time of Tang’s for-cause firing.
Feb. 14
BYU forward Richie Saunders sustains season-ending injury
Saunders sustained a torn ACL during the Cougars’ win against Colorado on Valentine’s Day. The injury effectively ends the senior’s college basketball career. He has played all four seasons at BYU and leads the team with 64 made 3-point shots this season. The Cougars had dropped four of their past five games previous to a 90-86 overtime victory against Colorado. They had also lost senior guard Dawson Baker to a season-ending ACL injury earlier this season. Saunders’ injury is another obstacle contributing to BYU’s dwindling national championship chances.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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