In this different brand of March Madness, keep track of comings and goings on the major college basketball circuit.
NCAA men’s basketball season has its upsets … and its share of those left upset.
(Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images)
As the season winds down, one shining moment could give way to a single dimming instance instead: those forced to watch the Big Dance could be finding a new tune, and even some of those that appear on the bracket could be looking for a change in their own right.
Keep track of the wheeling and dealing on the men’s circuit with this tracker from Ballislife below…
Big 12
Kansas State
OUT: Jerome Tang (4th season, 71-57)
Less than three years removed from an Elite Eight appearance, Kansas State is moving on from Tang. The University announced his departure following a curious incident where Tang publicly declared that the “dudes” on the current club “[did] not deserve to wear this uniform” following a 29-point loss to conference foe Cincinnati.
Asked K-State Interim Matthew Driscoll why he spent two and a half hours on the court pregame?… when most of the time you never see the head coach until tipoff.
“You do it the way that it’s supposed to be done because your last name is on it.”@WIBWsports pic.twitter.com/2iVtDZCn42
— Andrew Lind (@WIBWAndrew) February 18, 2026
Per Jeff Borzello and Pete Thamel of ESPN, that was enough for the administration to call out behavior that brought “public disrepute, embarrassment, ridicule” to the program, triggering a clause that allows the University to fire Tang for cause. That would allow them to keep a buyout of just under $19 million on Tang’s contract, a move that the former coach plans to battle.
“I am deeply disappointed with the university’s decision and strongly disagree with the characterization of my termination,” Tang said in his own statement. “I have always acted with integrity and faithfully fulfilled my responsibilities as head coach.” (2/15/26)
IN: Matthew Driscoll (interim)
Driscoll, the associate head coach, will take over for the remainder of the season. Having previously served as an assistant at Wyoming, Clemson, Valparaiso, and Baylor, Driscoll spent the past 16 seasons at the helm of North Florida, guiding the Ospreys to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2015. (2/15/26)
Mid-Majors
Air Force (Mountain West)
OUT: Joe Scott (6th season, 97-183)
Scott’s second flight with the Academy is officially over, as he and the program mutually agreed to part ways. The former head coach of Princeton and Denver had not been on the sidelines since mid-January after an investigation into his treatment of cadet-athletes. The Falcons did not win more than five MWC games in any of the six seasons of Scott’s second term, which preceded a four-year tenure between 2000 and 2004 (culminating in an NCAA Tournament appearance in the final go-around). (2/20/26)
Air Force’s freshmen are coming along nicely. @AFAMBB HC Jon Jordan joined @cofieldandco to preview the @MountainWest Tourney & talk about guys like Lucas Hobin and Kam Sanders.
Just eight days until the MWCT is here in LV https://t.co/F1Ef0YQI0D pic.twitter.com/QVJBtmQylr
— ESPN 1100/100.9 FM (@ESPNLasVegas) February 27, 2026
IN: Jon Jordan (interim)
Assistant coach Jon Jordan, who previously collaborated with Scott at the Academy and Denver, will continue to take over for the rest of the season. Having served 20 years in the Air Force (retiring with the rank of Major), Jordan was also part of Scott’s original run, sticking around for one extra season under Chris Mooney. (2/20/26)
Kansas City (Summit)
OUT: Marvin Menzies (4th season, 44-79)
Having succeeded Clemson associate boss Billy Donlon (owner of the best win percentage in UMKC history), Menzies has failed to build on a runner-up conference finish in 2024. The Roos program announced he will not return for a fifth tour, though he will be allowed to finish this one out. (1/12/26)
KU Head Coach Bill Self on new @KCRoosMBB Head Coach Mark Turgeon: Self was a GA when Turgeon played at KU and said “I actually hope our people support him at his new place and certainly wish him the very best.” pic.twitter.com/VTllwPIzQo
— Harold R. Kuntz (@HaroldRKuntz3) February 5, 2026
IN: Mark Turgeon
Turgeon returns to the coaching ranks after a five-year absence, having previously served at the helm of Maryland for just over a decade (2011-21). His tenure with the Terps included a share of the 2020 Big Ten regular-season title, and he is perhaps best known for guiding Wichita State into a surprising Sweet 16 appearance in 2006. (2/1/26)
Lamar (Southland)
OUT: Alvin Brooks (5th season, 62-95)
A longtime staple of the Houston program, Brooks returned to his alma mater and helped oversee the move from the WAC to the Southland. While the Cardinals posted a 20-win season last time around (their first double decade since 2018-19), they dropped nine of the final 10 games to miss out on the Southland tournament entirely. (3/3/26)
Oregon State (West Coast/Pac-12)
OUT: Wayne Tinkle (12th season, 175-205)
As they prepare for the Pac-12’s resurrection, the Beavers will enter an old conference with a new boss by bidding farewell to the program’s longest-tenured boss since Ralph Miller (1971-89). Tinkle is just about five years removed from a magic 2021 NCAA Tournament run earned after the Beavers won their first conference tournament before reaching the Elite Eight as a No. 12 seed.
Those victories were OSU’s first in the Big Dance since 1982, and Tinkle earned a four-year contract extension for his efforts. OSU has struggled since then, though it did appear in the inaugural College Basketball Crown with a 20-win tally last spring. Tinkle will finish out the year at the West Coast Conference tournament, where the Beavers are seeded fourth. (2/26/26)
San Diego (West Coast)
OUT: Steve Lavin (4th season, 46-79)
Lavin, who sandwiched stints at CBS, Fox, and Pac-12 Network with time at the respective helms of UCLA (where he won a national title as an assistant coach in 1995) and St. John’s, has been bid farewell after four seasons. His best effort with the Toreros was an 18-15 record during his second campaign in 2023-24.
USD’s current five-win tally in WCC play is an improvement from last year’s 2-16 mark, but it has been a tumultuous few weeks for the program, which lost leading scorer Ty-Laur Johnson less than a week before Lavin’s ousting. Lavin will be allowed to finish out the season. (2/18/26)
Tarleton State (WAC)
OUT: Billy Gillispie (6th season, 92-90)
Per Jeff Borzello and Pete Thamel of ESPN, health issues will force Gillispie out of the position he has held since 2020. Previously the head coach of UTEP, Texas A&M, Kentucky, and Texas Tech, Gillispie oversaw the Texans’ transition to Division I and guided the program to the semifinal round of the 2024 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. Gillispie has been sidelined since mid-January. (2/27/26)
Celebrating all the way back to Stephenville pic.twitter.com/6LXuS1svXB
— Tarleton State Men’s Basketball (@TarletonMBB) February 8, 2026
IN: Glynn Cyprien (interim)
Cyprien, the Texans’ associate head coach, has taken over as the interim boss during his second season as an assistant in Stephenville and will serve in that capacity for the rest of the season. He previously served as the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies’ G League club. (2/27/26)
Tennessee Tech (Ohio Valley)
OUT: John Pelphrey (7th season, 79-138)
Saddled with an NCAA Tournament drought that dates back to 1963, the Golden Eagles parted with Pelphrey after seven seasons. The former South Alabama/Arkansas boss did not muster a winning campaign, and his tour ended with missing out on the conference tournament. This was TTU’s final season in the OVC before making the move to the Southern Conference.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
The post 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Coaching Change Tracker appeared first on Ballislife.com.
