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Coach Kyle Smith comes back onto “Marching to Madness” as the new head coach of the Stanford Cardinal. He built Washington State back into an NCAA Tournament contender as the Cougars were a 7-seed last season and defeated Drake to get into the Round of 32. Stanford hasn’t been in the NCAAT since 2014, but the Cardinal had a run of 13 tournaments in 14 seasons under legendary Mike Montgomery. Coach Smith and the Cardinal open their first season in the ACC after the Cardinal was a long-standing Pac-12 member.

Topics of Discussion include:

• The return of Maxim Reynaud and how his many basketball talents will drive Stanford
• Developing his stellar defensive philosophy with use of the game’s metrics
• Eight quality new players who will fit with Reynaud, Ryan Agrawal, and Jaylen Thompson
• Changing from the PAc-12 to ACC play

Coach Pitino is bringing back the tradition of New Mexico in The Pit in Albuquerque as he has a 61-41 record after three seasons. Last year, UNM won 26 games and went to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014. The Lobos won the Mountain West Tournament with four wins and four days as they took a 68-61 decision over San Diego State in the MWC Finals in Las Vegas.

Topics of Discussion include:

• How last season’s championship experience and NCAA Tournament berth can play a key role in this upcoming season
• The abilities of returnees Donovan Dent and Nelly Junior-Joseph
• How Nelly and last season’s co-MWC Freshman of the year Mustapha Amzil can maintain the paint
• The depth and challenge of the Mountain West after six teams were selected to the NCAAT last season
• Much more!

Louisiana head coach Bob Marlin joins us on “Marching to Madness” as he begins his 15th season as the head coach of the Ragin’ Cajuns. He has recorded 260 wins at Louisiana in a 32-year career that has seen him at Pensacola JC and Sam Houston State. Coach Marlin is currently the Sun Belt Conference leader in wins with 150.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• The injury to star Hosana Kitenge
• A backcourt with Kentrell Garnett and Oregon State transfer Michael Wright
• Coach Marlin’s philosophy on time management in practice
• Newcomers in Jeremiah Evans and Koron Davis
• Much more!

Coach Dru Joyce debuted on MTM as he was the associate head coach to Coach Keith Dambrot who retired after the 23-24 campaign and after a 40-year career. Joyce’s ability was a key concept in last season’s 25-12 record, A-10 Tournament championship, and the Dukes’ 71-67 win over BYU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. He is a lifelong friend of NBA superstar Lebron James as LBJ broke the news on social media of Coach Joyce’s move to the head coaching position.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• Transition from associate head coach to becoming Duquesne’s head coach
• David Dixon and Jake DiMichele as key returnees and starters from a year ago
• 5-9 point guard Kareem Rozier with his skills as a playmaker who made 38.1 percent of his triples last season
• Eight transfers who can provide depth which will highlight the Dukes’ successful opportunities
• Much more!

Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl returns to the layup line on “Marching to Madness” as he brings back numerous talent, leadership, and a bevy of players that can make another run towards the top of the SEC. Pearl has led these Tigers to a pair of SEC Tournament titles in 2019 and 2024 while finishing on top of the league in the 2018 and 2022 regular seasons. His 676 lifetime wins give him a 72 percent winning percentage for his career.

Topics Include:

• Auburn Basketball’s accountability with the sustained success over these 10 years
• Johni Broome’s toughness and leadership on the hardwood
• The Tigers’ defensive endeavors
• Players’ abilities and how this team can fit into one of the country’s top programs in 2024-25
• Much more!

Coach Johnson has gotten the Golden Gophers on firmer ground as Minnesota won 19 games a year ago and made it to the second round of the NIT. The Golden Gophers welcome back Big Ten Player of the Year candidate Dawson Garcia, who can match up and be a factor on both end of the floor. Quality transfers entering the program include Mike Mitchell, Jr., (Canisius), Lu’Cyr Patterson (Charlotte), and Tyler Cochran (Toledo).

Discussions Include:

• The impact of Dawson Garcia
• How to prepare posts/bigs to be effective inside the Minnesota program
• Transfers who will help the Gophers move forward
• The growth of the Big Ten

Coach Justin Gray makes the move from Western Carolina to Coastal Carolina after he led the Catamounts to 22 wins last season, their highest win total since 2010. He now takes the position as legendary Hall of Famer Cliff Ellis retired early last season. Justin played for the late, great Skip Prosser in the 2Ks at Wake Forest where he averaged 37.1 percent from the three and was a key component in the Demon Deacons’ playmaking abilities.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• Effects of transfer portal and NIL as Coach Gray moves into Coastal Carolina
• The rebuild of the roster
• Diversification of the three-point game from a year ago
• How the immediacy of accepting the position helped his transition

… And Much More!

Coach Hodgson led his red Wolves to an upset of Appalachian State in the Sun Belt semifinals as they won 10 of their last 13 games, placing them in the title game of the CBI. They lost to High Point, 81-80, but the prevalence of the end of last season has built confidence going into the 2024-25 season. Leading scorer Taryn Todd returns as a threat from the three as well as a solid scorer at getting the ball to the basket.

Topics of Discussion include:

• The influence of Alabama head coach Nate Oates on his basketball persona
• Key points of the Red Wolves’ philosophy of building strong character for player
• Ways to use spring and summer practices to upgrade the team to make it stronger
• Getting into the finals of the CBI

… And Much More!

Coach Prosser enters his fourth season at Winthrop where his Eagles are a huge challenger inside the Big South Conference. Coach Prosser talks about returnee Kelton Talford, who could be a front-runner for Big South Player of the Year. Coach Prosser and I discuss some philosophies and his basketball knowledge in a prime conversation.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• Key ways of potentially challenging for a Big South title
• Kelton Talford and his abilities for the Eagles
• Thoughts and ideas on college basketball and where we are at this point
• Mark shares a couple of Skip-isms that were classic comments from his late father, Skip, who coached at both Xavier and Wake Forest

…And Much More!

Coach Spradlin comes over to the Dukes after building Morehead State into a winning program as he finished 94-40 in his last four seasons with the Eagles. As of now, a group of 11 players has planted themselves into the JMU program. Eddie Ricks and Mark Freeman come over to the Dukes with Coach Spradlin while Syracuse transfer Justin Taylor comes back into Virginia after starting 34 of 61 games for the Orange in his two years.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• Biggest keys in transferring from his winning Morehead State program to JMU, who had a 54-15 record the last two seasons
• Developing a quality roster as he came into Harrisonburg
• How Justin Taylor, Mark Freeman, and Eddie Ricks can help to create the JMU program under Spradlin
• How to develop positivity in players about their personal games

…And much more!

Coach Smith took his Utes to the NIT Championship game where they lost to Indiana State, but the plethora of positivity in being one of eight teams still playing in August could have major impact this season. Coach Smith discusses bringing 11 new players into the program and how you start from the beginning in putting together a new team. Coach also discusses the Utes’ move to the Big 12.

Topics of Discussion include:

• Return of Gabe Madsen, who made 105 triples last season
• Philosophies on moving a program forward
• Ezra Ausar from East Carolina and Miro Little as two key incoming transfers
• Situational philosophies inside the game

… And Much More!

Coach Golden checks in after leading the Florida Gators to 24 wins and a berth in the SEC Tournament championship. Florida had one of the most potent offensive systems in the nation as the Gators averaged 85.6 points, 6th in the nation and they found 65.3 field goal attempts per contest. Returning Walton Clayton, Jr. and Will Richard to the backcourt gives the Gators a solid offensive advantage going into the 2024-25 season.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• Florida’s exciting offensive attack through its running game
• Coach Golden’s college career at Saint Mary’s under coach Randy Bennett
• The versatility of returnees Walter Clayton, Jr., and Will Richard
• New transfers in FAU’s Alijah Martin, UT Chattanooga big man Sam Alexis, and Rueben Chinelyu of Washington State
• Much more!

Coach Ryan Odom returns to “Marching to Madness” with his VCU Rams, who won 24 games last season and made it to the NIT’s Elite Eight. Returning three key scorers in Max Shula, Zeb Jackson, and Joe Bamisile return as three prolific shooters and scorers who will help VCU focus on an Atlantic 10 title. Coach Odom also discusses some philosophical and analytical details as well.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• Max Shulga’s return to the program
• Ideas on break players out of slumps
• Putting uncertainty or doubt in an opposing ballhandler’s mind
• The basketball relationship with his father, legendary head coach Dave Odom
• Much more!

Coach Dustin Kerns looks forward to another season of Mountaineers basketball as he led ASU to its most wins in a season at 27 and the 16-2 record to win the Sun Belt regular season was Appalchian’s best league record in school history. Coach Kerns had eight losses in the transfer portal, but he has a recruiting class of strong players who can make the transition into the new season and the upper echelon of Sun Belt Conference play. Coach and I discuss his ideas and philosophies on several college basketball/sports topics.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• The transition involved with losing eight but bringing in six players
• Leadership in the return of CJ Huntley and Miles Tate
• Physical and emotional energy among players
• Allowing players to break slumps and bring positivety back into their games

Coach Justin Gainey checks into “Marching to Madness” as he is in his 19th season in college coaching which has featured a position in each of the Power 6 conferences. Coach Gainey discusses his role as the Volunteers’ defensive coordinator and brings in philosophical ideas and the approach to basketball under Coach Rick Barnes at Tennessee. Coach Gainey played on the point at NC State for Coach Herb Sendek from 1996-2000. He started in the Wolfpacks’ 67 games in his last two seasons where his defense and playmaking were essential means for NC State.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• Coach Gainey’s approach in all phases of the Tennessee program
• How the staff moves from game to game in SEC play
• Point guard Zakai Ziegler’s growth inside of the program
• Scorer Chaz Lanier’s transfer into Vols’ basketball

Coach Chris Mooney, who missed the end of the 2022-23 season with heart surgery, led the Richmond Spiders to a 15-3 record last season in the Atlantic 10 as UR shared the regular season title with Loyola Chicago. Coach Mooney has 366 wins in 20 seasons as he led Richmond to four NCAA Tournaments and had tournament wins in 2010 and 2022. He was the A-10 Coach of the Year this past season.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• The work of tying with Loyola Chicago for the A-10 regular season crown
• How the Spiders’ defense played a major role in last season’s success
• The sustainability of team culture with losing five senior starters
• The basis of his three-point attack from season to season

Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson checks into “Marching to Madness” as his Cougars won the Big 12 regular season title in their first season in the conference. His roster and rotation generally remain intact as Jamal Shead moved onto the Toronto Raptors, but he returns a quality backcourt with Lj Cryer and Emmanuel Sharp on the perimeter and J’Wan Roberts and Ja’Vier Francis inside. Watch role players in Terrence Arceneaux, Mylik Wilson, and JoJo Tugler, who were injured throughout last season. The Cougs returned with a 125-19 record over the last four seasons, including two Sweet 16s, an Elite Eight, and a Final Four.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• The mentality that allows Houston to be able to keep players in his program in the era of the transfer portal
• The dynamics of guards LJ Cryer and Emmanuel Sharp on both ends of the floor
• The length of learning the Cougars’ culture
• Building consisttency on the defensiv end of the floor as they led the nation in allowing only 57.6 ppg last season and opponents only shot 37.9 percent from the floor. Both of those stats placed Houston as the nation’s leader in both categories

Coach Dan Monson moves to Eastern Washington as the Eagles head coach after he took Long Beach State to a Big West Tournament title and an NCAA berth last season. The Eagles have a staunch program in Cheney, Washington as they are a tough Big Sky Conference basketball challenger.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• Team building with the Eagles
• Bringing Maddox Monson and Shaumba Ngoyi
• Breaking down a practice that just ended and evaluating how you use that information
• Bringing over Elijah Thomas from Des Moines Area Community College
• Much more!

Coach Ed Schilling begins his first season at Pepperdine as he will work to piece together the program and make it competitive in the tough WCC. Coach Schilling has assisted Coach John Calipari at UMass, Memphis, and with the New Jersey Nets. He was an assistant at Indiana and UCLA before checking in with Bryce Drew at Grand Canyon where they led the Antelopes to their first NCAA Tournament win in March. Coach Schilling was the head coach at Wright State from 1998-2003. Ed will look to build the Waves from the ground up as he brings point guard Moe Odum over from Pacific.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• Ways to build the Waves into a WCC challenger
• Instilling needs from Day 1 of his tenure
• Philosophy on practice evaluations
• Bringing versatility into the program at Pepperdine
• Much more!

Coach Schwartz expresses his philosophies on many different ideas inside the game from things off the floor to offensive and defensive modes of attack. He was Coach Rick Barnes’s assistant at Tennessee for six seasons where the Volunteers made four NCAA appearances and won the SEC Tournament in 2022. We talk about RJ Felton, who will be a versatile player for East Carolina as the team’s returning leading scorer.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• His reference as a defensive coordinator
• RJ Felton and his versatility with the basketball
• CJ Walker and Jordan Riley as key transfers into the program
• How to build a team with so much movement in the transfer portal

Coach Mark Byington comes into Nashville to take over the Commodores since turning James Madison into a potent winner after his Georgia Southern Eagles netted 20-plus wins in four of his last five seasons. The Dukes finished with a 32-4 record last season with a Sun Belt Tournament Championship and a 72-61 decision over Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament’s Field of 64. Vanderbilt will look for a more potent offense this season as the Commodores shot only 39.9 percent from the floor a year ago which included 28.3 percent from three. Coach Byington has turned the roster over as Vandy will possess a virtually new roster and an exciting new look for the 2024-25 season.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• An incredible year at JMU followed by a trip into Nashville where Vandy looks to improve in the SEC
• Helping the Commodores regain their shooting prowess
• A.J. Hoggard’s move from point guard at Michigan State and into the Vanderbilt program
• Positively enabling players on and off the floor

Coach Sendek begins his 31st season as a head coach after his job as an assistant to Coach Rick Pitino at Providence where he helped take the Friars to the Final Four in 1987. Sendek begins the 2024-24 season with 553 wins as he has overseen the rebuilds at Santa Clara, Arizona State, NC State, and Miami-Ohio. He welcomes back Carlos Stewart, who was injured two seasons ago and returned near his hometown close to LSU for 2023-24 season.

Discussion Topics include:

• Sustainability needed to have six consecutive winning seasons with the Broncos
• The return of multi-talented athlete Adama Bal
• Converting his three-point attack with Carlos Marshall and Johnny O’Neil joining Bal on the perimeter
• How he and his assistant coaches are able to mold a positive mindset within their players

Coach Musselman moves back to the West Coast as he takes over at USC where the Trojans will now join the Big Ten with UCLA, Washington, and Oregon. Coach Muss moved back into college basketball as the head coach at Nevada in 2015 and Arkansas in 2019 where he turned both programs back into solid winners in the Mountain West and the SEC. After turning the roster over in LA, the Trojans will feature several key players, who joined him including two excellent freshmen in Isaiah Elohim and Jalen Shelley who both have been listed No. 40 nationally and were headed to Arkansas before Musselman moved on to Southern Cal.

Topics of Discussion include:

• Winning consistently at many stops, including both Nevada and Arkansas
• The development of resiliency in Coach Musselman’s career
• The influence of his father, Bill Musselman, who coached the Cleveland Cavaliers and was the first coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves
• A quick analysis of the players who join his program

Coach Forbes has had the Demon Deacons on the cusp on the NCAA Tournament in the last three seasons, but Wake Forest has been unnecessarily left on the outside in all three of those tourneys. Forbes returns a potential ACC Player of the Year in Hunter Sallis, who was the fifth leading scorer in the league at 18 ppg. Coach Forbes also talks about his philosophies and ideas based on the game as it stands right now.

Today’s Discussion Includes;

• How the team’s decorum fits the school as well as the team
• The solid play and efforts of Hunter Salis, Cam Hildreth, and Efton Reid
• How the spring and summer months may have changed with the transfer portal
• Enabling players to create a positive mindset

Coach Lutz comes over to Oklahoma State from Western Kentucky where the Hilltoppers won the Conference USA Tournament which placed them into their first NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013. He also had taken Texas A&M – Corpus Christi to two Southland Tournament titles, leading to NCAA Tournament berths in 2022 and 2023. The Cowboys return Bryce Johnson and Jamyron Keller as the only returnees among last season’s top nine scoring leaders.

Today’s Discussions Include:

• How Thompson and Keller can fit into the Cowboys rotation
• Arkansas transfer Devo Davis, former WKU Hilltopper Brandon Newman, and LaSalle’s Khalil Bradley
• Coach Lutz’s offensive approach which averaged 14.6 seconds last season, fourth in CBB
• Philosophies on the functions of the transfer portal

Coach Mills brought an impressive coaching career into Wichita as he coached as an assistant to Scott Drew at Baylor for 14 years and he took over the ORU Titans and turned them into a power where they won the Summit League championship and finished 18-0 in his last season there in Tulsa. In rebuilding the Shockers, he played a major non-conference slate which saw his team grow into a much tougher team in the second half of the season. His returnees and transfer portal recruits will have the experience to allow Wichita State to grow into a challenging team in the AAC this season.

Topics include:

• Work with Coach Drew and team-building at ORU
• Return of starters Xavier Bell, Harlond Beverly, and Quincy Ballard
• Georgia transfer Justin Hill
• How the history of the legendary Wichita State program is a key in the rebuild
• Much more!

Coach Dawkins comes back onto the “Marching to Madness” hardwood after his UCF Knights were a tough out immediately in the Big 12 after winning seven games and then they lost five of those 11 by 8 points or under. UCF’s adjusted defensive efficiency was 21st in college basketball while their opponents shot only 41.2 percent from the field, 36th out of the 352 D-1 teams. The key will be on offense with the two returning scorers in Jaylin Sellers and Darius Allen. Coach Dawkins also added a pair of excellent scorers in UTSA transfer Jordan Ivy-Curry and former George Mason Patriot Keyshawn Hall.

The show’s topics include:

• Sellers and Allen returning as talented shooters
• How Ivy-Curry and Hall possess dynamics in addition to scoring ability
• Philosophy of how to recruit the transfer portal
• Coach Dawkins’ years with Coach K at Duke and in his nine seasons in the NBA

Coach Wayne Tinkle looks forward to the Beavers’ being able to play in the WCC with Washington State after the Pac-12 was disbanded after 109 years. The Beavers will have a tough schedule as Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga are generally the top two teams in the league. Still, the middle of the conference — San Francisco and Santa Clara are generally in the mix while San Diego — moved forward last season to create a new group of challengers. Michael Rataj is the lone returning starter for the Beavers as his leadership will be a huge key this upcoming 2024-25 season.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• The Beavers and the new home in the WCC
• Return of Michael Rataj and Josiah Lake
• International teammates for the Beavers
• The Oregon State-Oregon basketball rivalry
• Much more!

Coach Tony Skinn played at George Mason and was a starter on the Patriots’ 2006 Final Four team, averaging 11.3 points in GMU’s five games in that tournament. He scored 1,079 points in 68 games and was a two-time All-CAA selection. Coach Skinn was most recently with Kevin Willard at Maryland in 2022-23 when he worked to lead the Terps to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He spent three seasons with Willard at Seton Hall and left the Pirates to join Chris Holtmann at Ohio State in 2021-22. He led the Patriots to 20 wins last season as he and Coch Kim English put those back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since Paul Hewitt accomplished those 20 W’s in 2011-12 and 2012-13.

Topics of Discussion include:

• Coach Skinn’s philosophy and style of basketball
• Guard Darius Maddox coming back to Fairfax as the leading returning scorer
• Jared Billups, Woody Newton, and their ability to take their games to a higher level in 2024-25
• KD Johnson transferring from Auburn to George Mason
• Much more!

Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard is back on MTM, discussing plenty of analytics and ideas from his philosophies as well as his strategies and ideas. He discusses similarities and differences between the SEC and Big 12 with his approach through the SEC basketball courts in his first season. He notes offense and defense from his points of view which makes for an excellent knowledge base of basketball.

Discussions Include:

• Shooting and playmaking ability for Ole Miss, as of now
• Offensive rebounding ideas and philosophies
• Moving the program forward with more depth
• Ideas on eliminating your opponents’ field goal attempts and trying to force opposing offenses deeper into the shot clock

Coach Dwight Perry checks in for his initial appearance on “Marching to Madness.” He played for three seasons at Kentucky while also working as an assistant to Shaka Smart at VCU, Johnny Dawkins at Stanford, and Niko Medved and Bob Richey at Furman. He has helped to orchestrate five winning seasons at Wofford as he was Mike Young’s assistant for two years and then became the associate head coach while finishing 17-15 in 2023-24 as the head coach of the Terriers. Wofford should be a challenger this upcoming season in a tough and deep Southern Conference.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• The Terriers’ efficiency on both ends of the floor
• Coach Perry’s background which led him to Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium as the Terriers’ head coach
• Getting the best version of the team as a whole
• The three-ball which leads to other offensive facets at Wofford

Chipola Head Coach Donnie Tyndall has one of the best junior college teams and groups of players every season inside the game. He has placed 28 of his players at the D-1 level in four years. Homes for these kids have included Kansas State, Syracuse, and Florida State, among others. He has led the Indians to the Final Four twice in his four seasons and has won the tough Panhandle Conference in all four years he has been at Chipola.

Discussions of this episode of “Marching to Madness” include:

• Winning at a monumental level at Chipola
• Winning the Panhandle Conference, one of the nation’s toughest JC conferences, in all four of his seasons with the Indians
• Players such as Greedy Williams, Dontae Walker, and JJ Walton
• The up-tempo reputation of junior college basketball

Coach David Riley comes into the Palouse after leading Eastern Washington to a 62-38 record in his three seasons as the head coach. The Eagles also won the Big Sky regular season title in the last two seasons. Coach Riley’s brother, David is a defensive assistant with the Baltimore Ravens, and his uncle is Mike Riley the former head football coach at Nebraska, Oregon State, and the San Diego Chargers.

Topics of Conversation include:

• Being in the Eastern Washington program for 13 seasons
• The idea of the three-point field goal as his  EWU teams shot 36 percent combined in all three of his seasons.
• Coaching philosophies and how they translate into a program
• Bringing Cedric Coward from Eastern Washington and adding a pair of former Pac-12 transfers in Washington’s Nate Calmese and former Cal Bear ND Okafor.

Coach Randy Bennett checks in on “Marching to Madness” as his Gaels took both the WCC regular season championship and the tournament title this past season. Bennett has been at Saint Mary’s for 23 seasons where he currently has posted a 533-216 ledger as he has won 71.2 percent of his games. SMC has enjoyed the success of Gaels basketball as Coach Bennett has presided over three WCC regular season championships and two Conference tournament titles since 2015.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• The longevity of the Gaels in Moraga, California
• The defensive reputation of Saint Mary’s
• Transfers in Memphis guard Ashton Hardaway and former Arizona Wildcat Paulius Mursuskas
• The entrance of Oregon State and Washington State in to the WCC
• Much more!

Coach Will Wade led his McNeese Cowboys to a 30-4 record in his first season in Lake Charles, La. His Cowboys won the Southland Conference post-season tournament and the regular season. Coach Wade and his staff improved the program by 19 games last season as this was the best improvement by any team in the nation. McNeese had a superstar in Shahada Wells, who was the player of the year in the Southland Conference. He brings back two talented guards in DJ Richards and Jahvon Garcia and point guard Omar Cooper. Christian Shumate will be a key in the post where he averaged 12.1 points and 9.5 boards per game while shooting 56.1 percent from the floor.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• Intangibles to improve the record by 19 games
• Developing Shahada Wells into a key player in college basketball
• Ideas on developing Christian Shumate into taking the next step
• Creation of depth based on the transfer portal in addition to returnees

Coach Cuonzo Martin returns to Springfield, Missouri, for the second time as he is again the head coach of the Missouri State Bears, a position he held from 2008-2011. Coach Martin is a successful coach in a myriad of ways as he took Tennessee, Cal, and Missouri into the NCAA Tournament while winning 57.1 percent of his contests so far in his career. He also took Missouri State to the MVC regular season championship in 2011, but lost the MVC title game to Indiana State. He has always had quality teams on the defensive end of the floor and they are generally tough in allowing the three while providing tough matchups inside the arc.

Topics include:

• Returning to the Bears for a second run after a 61-41 record from 2008-2011
• Watching games the last two seasons when he wasn’t coaching
• Adding Bears to the roster as Mozae Downing-Rivers and Wesley Oba check in as key players in the system
• Defensive philosophy and concepts

Michigan Wolverines head basketball coach Dusty May led Florida Atlantic to the NCAA Final Four in 2023 and now, Coach May is back in the Big Ten as he was an Indiana graduate and on the staff of the Hoosiers. Coach May discusses his time at Indiana and making Eastern Michigan a springboard for his coaching career. After a 60-13 record in his last two seasons, May moves to Michigan where the Wolverines look to return as a challenger in the Big Ten.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• The move to Ann Arbor
• Remaking the Wolverines’ roster
• Former Auburn guard Tre Donaldson and North Texas transfer Rubin Jones as a pair of dynamic guards in the backcourt
• Working to reboot the Wolverines’ defense which struggled last season

Coach Chris Jans returns to “Marching to Madness” after taking Mississippi State to its first appearance in back-to-back NCAA Tournaments since 2008-09. Jans loses big man Tolu Smith in the middle, but a major key will be the return of dynamic Josh Hubbard to the point guard position. Mississippi State has also had success with incoming transfers as the Bulldogs currently have six incoming transfers, one freshman, then they had five players leave MSU via the portal.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• Success in the SEC Tournament was key for the Bulldogs to travel to “March Madness”
• Coach Jans’ development of defensive philosophy and implementation of new defensive ideas through the years
• Former SEC ballers Riley Kugel and RJ Melendez move into Starkville
• The entrance of freshman Dellquan Warren

Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim checks in as he led the Bulls to a record-setting season at an unbelievably high level in year one at USF. He led the Bulls to their first regular season title in school history and a 25-8 record where the 25 wins were the most in the biography of South Florida basketball. In addition, the Bulls went 16-2 and finished two games ahead of second-place Florida Atlantic. Those 16 conference wins were the most league ‘W’s” in USF history while the 15 consecutive wins in AAC play were also a school record. This happened after Amir’s four-year run at Kennesaw State, where he built the Owls from a one-win team in his first season to a 26-9 campaign and an A-Sun tournament championship in year four, which resulted in an NCAA Tournament bid.

Discussions Include:

• How the Bulls players were responsible for setting all the records
• Four Bulls that hit the transfer portal
• Florida State transfer De’Ante Green and Jamille Reynolds, formerly of Cincinnati, coming aboard as two key transfers
• The “build it and they will come” addage and how it is synonymous with USF Bulls basketball

… And Much More!

Coach Lanier takes over the basketball program at Rice after the Owls slipped to 11-21, but won four of five games on the road. Lanier transitions from SMU where he took the Mustangs to 20 wins only one year after SMU only won 10 in the 2022-23 season. Before then, he took the Georgia State Panthers to the NCAA Tournament in 2021 when they won the Sun Belt Conference Tournament as he compiled a 53-30 record in his three seasons in Atlanta. Lanier has brought in some new players in the transfer portal who should help him work incessantly on the rebuild. Rice struggled defensively last season and Coach discusses defensive ideas and philosophies.

Topics of Discussion include:

• Coach Lanier implements his defensive philosophy with the Owls
• Approach to rebuilding a program
• Transitioning from SMU to Rice
• Villanova guard Trey Patterson as a tansfer

… And much more!

Portland head coach Shantay Legans and his Pilots had a tough 23-24 season with some injuries and academic casualties. The fourth-year Pilots coach will look to build his team to improve from a season where they finished tied for sixth in the WCC. Legans talks about how he feels he should have handled and maneuvered the transfer portal better. He welcomes back Vukasin Masic while adding a pair of new transfers in the former American University center Jermaine Webb and Max Mackinnon, who comes over from Elon.

Topics of Conversation Include:

• Recruiting in Australia and globally
• Changing the Pilots’ offensive output and defensive identity of the team
• Challenges and ideas in using the transfer portal
• Thoughts on the NBA Championship series between the Celtics and Mavericks

Coach Nick McDevitt is back on “Marching to Madness” as he discusses the Blue Raiders, who finished in a four-way tie for fourth in Conference USA this past season. He talks about the changes in CUSA since he came to Murfreesboro and a peak at resetting the roster for the ’24-25 season.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• Upsetting La. Tech in the CUSA Tournament as three teams tied for fourth
• Building Elias King as a key player during his four-year career
• Arizona State transfer Kamari Lands and former TCU Horned Frog Eassam Moustafa coming aboard
• Changes in CUSA since he started at MT, seven years ago.

… And much more!!

Coach Ingelsby has built a solid foundation for the Delaware Blue Hens. in the challenging CAA. Delaware has posted five winning seasons and a CAA Tournament title in his eight seasons with the Blue Hens. He posted another solid recruiting season with Jyare Davis heading to Syracuse and Gerald Drumgoole bound for Pitt.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• How additions and subtractions of players via the transfer portal can be complementary to the program
• How players embrace Delaware and use their opportunities better in respective games
• The returning leading scorers in post Niels Lane and guard Cavan Reilly
• The challenge of the depth in the CAA

Coach Golding initially appears on the “Marching to Madness” CBB podcast, discussing his UTEP Miners who tied for fourth in the Conference USA basketball regular season. Then, the Miners made it to the conference tournament championship game for the first time since 2011, but they lost a 78-71 decision to Western Kentucky. Coach Golding discusses raising Abilene Christian, his alma mater, from D-2 to D-1 and then the Wildcats winning two of their last three Southland titles which saw them with a pair of NCAA bids, where the previous embodied a victory over Texas in Round 1.

Topics of Discussion include:

• The culture that is developed for players to participate and win in league tournaments
• Losing the top two leading scorers in Sid Powell and Tae Hardy
• The return of Otis Frazier and Corey Camper as Frazier works at power forward while Camper made the second most three-point field goals for the MIners
• The defensive philosophy that allowed the Miners to lead CUSA in allowing only 5.8 made threes as well as a 32.2 percent three point percentage for opponents

The Bruins tied for fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference and finished with the 5-seed in the tournament. Belmont lost five starters as the roster had two seniors but Ja’kobi Gillespie (Maryland), Cade Tyson (North Carolina), and Malik Dia (Ole Miss) all hit the transfer portal. The Bruins finished 8-3 in their last 11 games as Gillespie returned from injury and was a key in pushing the strong finish for the Bruins. Coach Alexander and I discuss the presence of the transfer portal and the passing of the great Bill Walton.

Topics of discussion include …

• Former Bruins guard Ben Sheppard’s NBA playoffs appearance as an Indiana Pacer
• Losing Gillespie, Tyson, and Dia in the portal
• Win Miller, Isaiah Walker and Kyle Vanderjagt return and will be key players going forward into the 2024-25 season
• Maintaining the 20-win mantra in Belmont’s program

Coach Bruce Pearl returns to the “Marching to Madness” college basketball podcast as you see him live on the left screen and my background on the right is coach Pearl working a game on the sidelines. Auburn won its second SEC Tournament in the last five seasons with wins over NCAAT participants South Carolina, Mississippi State, and Florida. Auburn has seen five 20-win seasons in Pearl’s tenure while going 25-6 in the 2020 season that saw the tournaments interrupted by COVID. In addition, he took Tennessee to the NCAA Tournament in all six seasons he was there and had the Milwaukee Panthers on the NCAA brackets in two of his four years and he took them to the Sweet 16 in his fourth and final season before he came to Knoxville.

Topics include:

• The Tigers cutting the nets in Nashville with that second NCAA Tournament title in five years
• Return of Johni Broome, Chad Baker-Mazara, Denver Jones, Dylan Cardwell
• Tigers in the transfer portal with 5-star Tahaad Pettiford as a key point guard
• The continual depth in SEC Basketball

Fresno State head coach Vance Walberg made his first trip into the “Marching to Madness” CBB podcast as he looks to push the Bulldogs back into a position where they are a solid challenger in the tough Mountain West Conference. Coach Walberg has coached the game for 40 years at all levels, including 697 wins and 16 league titles as a prep coach.

He has worked in the NBA for the Sacramento Kings, Philadelphia 76ers, and Denver Nuggets as well as two seasons as the head coach at Pepperdine and three as an assistant at UMass. He is a basketball scientist with his development of the dribble drive motion offense which is part of his own basketball culture. Arkansas head coach John Calipari is on board with Coach Walberg’s acumen as the two met for the first time when Coach Cal was at Memphis.

The discussion includes:

• Coach Walberg’s development of the dribble drive offense
• Qualities to move the Bulldogs forward
• New signings for the Red Wave
• Growing the program inside of the tough Mountain West Conference

… And much more!

Coach Jim Les just finished his 11th season at UC Davis where he led the Aggies to within one game of the NCAA Tournament while they finished the season second in the Big West basketball regular season. Coach Les discusses the campus as well as giving plenty of ideas in coaching and his thoughts and ideas inside the game. We discuss Big West Player of the Year Elijah Pepper who has moved on to the Australian Professional Basketball League as a member of the Perth Wildcats. Coach Les also talks about the ascension of the league and how it has become a solid stop along the course of the 32 NCAA basketball conferences.

Coach Les played seven seasons in the NBA for the Kings, Clippers, Jazz, and Hawks. He shot 39.6 percent from three-point range throughout his career.

Topics include:

• According to kenpom.com, UC Davis posted a 20.9 percent forced turnover average per game
• The quality of Big West Player of the Year, Eli Pepper
• The return of Ty Johnson and his 17.8 points per game
• Coach Les’s defensive and three-point shooting philosophies

Coach Taylor just finished his 11th season at CSF as he worked on a rebuild in ’23-24. He posted back-to-back 20-win seasons in ’21-22 and ’22-23 and placed the Titans in two of their four NCAA appearances dating back to when the program was born in NCAA Division-1 hoops in 1975. He loses his top three scorers in DJ Brewton, Tory San Antonio, and Max Jones, but has five new players that will be able to figure in the rotation next season.

Topics of Discussion include:

• How the Titans present their summer workouts and the subsequent drills
• Losing the those top three scorers
• Five new Titans as three came in the transfer portal and two committed to CSF out of high school
• Maintaining sustainability in a one-bid league

Coach Mike Jones drops by “Marching to Madness” once again as his talented Spartans finished tied for second with Chattanooga in the Southern Conference in 2023-24. Jones loses three of his top players as Mikeal Brown-Jones was the SoCon’s second-leading scorer with 18.9 ppg. Twins Keyshaun and Kobe Langley finished their fifth years at UNCG as they were two of the top defensive players in the league. Coach Jones also gives us a coaches clinic on his defensive philosophy as his teams are always atop their leagues on the defensive end of the floor.

Topics include:

• Concepts and drills in coaching defense
• Mikeal Brown-Jones’ transfer to Ole Miss and Keyshaun and Kobe Brown finishing their fifth seasons in the program
• Donovan Atwell as the Spartans’ leading returning scorer
• Kenyon Giles and Michael Polite, III, coming to UNCG as transfers from Radford and George Mason, respectively