It has now been three weeks since the Michigan Wolverines became the 2026 National Champions in college basketball, but you could argue the sport is even more hectic now than it was during the tournament. With the season over, free agency has begun for both players and coaches.
The off-season is always set in motion by the coaching carousel, which starts spinning before the postseason even ends. Whether it’s mid-major coaches earning Power 5 promotions or disappointing hires losing their gigs at the top of the sport, the sidelines need to be sorted out before work in the portal starts.
The most notable hire is almost certainly Michael Malone, the former Denver Nuggets head coach and NBA champion, who went to the University of North Carolina following the end of Hubert Davis’ tenure. Syracuse, meanwhile, turned to legendary alumnus Gerry McNamara while Boston College brought in Luke Murray, son of actor Bill Murray and longtime assistant to Dan Hurley. The most interesting story of the coaching carousel, though, may be the Will Wade situation. After just one season at North Carolina State, Wade returned to his former employer at Louisiana State University, who terminated him in 2022 following a bribery investigation.
And as always, the coaching moves have sent shockwaves through the transfer portal. It seems like nearly every program is working to rebuild its roster from scratch, and with the NIL market continually expanding, it makes sense that players are chasing every opportunity available. Louisville has already made a big splash, as they did last year, adding the No. 1-ranked transfer in Flory Bidunga from Kansas, along with Jackson Shelstad from Oregon.
Indiana and Providence — both currently ranked in the top five of transfer classes — have already secured six and seven commits, respectively, for the 2026–27 season. Providence is far from alone in the Big East, though, which has five other schools in the top-25 of transfer classes, a promising sign for a conference looking to bounce back after a disappointing season.
Then there’s the NBA Draft, now just two months away, where some decisions are seriously reshaping draft boards. AJ Dybantsa has yet to officially declare for the draft, but he appears to be the favorite for the No. 1 pick, given Darryn Peterson’s puzzling first-year season, to say the least.
But what is more surprising — and unprecedented — is that the two first-round locks have decided to return for another season of college basketball: Braylon Mullins announced Saturday that he would be coming back for his sophomore season at University of Connecticut, while Thomas Haugh decided Tuesday to give it another go at University of Florida. NIL money definitely factored into their choices, showing that there are some real positives for the game in this new financial landscape.
The season may be over, but in college basketball, the madness never really stops.
