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Tag: NCAA Basketball

Syracuse basketball closing in on Gerry McNamara as next head coach

3/22/2026

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Syracuse hiring Gerry McNamara to this image under the syracuse logo

The Syracuse Orange men’s basketball is moving toward a major hire with deep ties to the program.

Syracuse is working toward hiring Gerry McNamara as its next head coach, according to a report shared by ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello. (Source)

McNamara, who most recently served as head coach at Siena Saints men’s basketball, is coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance after leading the program to a MAAC Tournament championship.

Momentum from Siena run

Siena made headlines during its tournament appearance by pushing No. 1 overall seed Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball to the brink in the first round.

The Saints became the first No. 16 seed in NCAA Tournament history to lead a No. 1 seed by double digits at halftime before ultimately falling short.

McNamara compiled a 37-30 record across two seasons at Siena, quickly establishing himself as a rising name in the coaching ranks.

Strong ties to Syracuse

Few candidates bring the level of familiarity with Syracuse that McNamara does.

He remains one of the most decorated players in program history, helping lead the Orange to a national championship in 2003. His No. 3 jersey was later retired, and he still holds program records for three-pointers made and minutes played.

McNamara earned All-Big East honors three times and started all 135 games during his collegiate career.

Following a brief professional career, he returned to Syracuse in 2009 as a graduate assistant before becoming an assistant coach under Jim Boeheim in 2011.

He remained on staff through multiple coaching transitions, eventually becoming associate head coach under Adrian Autry.

Syracuse seeking reset

Syracuse’s decision comes after the program parted ways with Autry earlier this month.

Autry finished with a 49-48 record over three seasons and failed to lead the Orange to an NCAA Tournament appearance during his tenure. Syracuse went 15-17 this season, including a 6-12 mark in ACC play, marking consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 1968-69.

Athletic director Bryan Blair reportedly engaged in multiple conversations with McNamara over the past week as the process accelerated.

Sources also indicated Syracuse emphasized a strong commitment to NIL resources, projecting support levels among the top tier of the ACC.

With McNamara now expected to take over, Syracuse appears ready to turn to a program legend in hopes of restoring its national relevance.

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Darius Acuff Jr. erupts for 37 as Arkansas survives Oklahoma to reach SEC semifinals

3/14/2026

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Darius Acuff Jr. erupts for 37 as Arkansas survives Oklahoma to reach SEC semifinals

The Arkansas Razorbacks men’s basketball are headed to the SEC Tournament semifinals thanks to a massive performance from their star guard.

Darius Acuff Jr. poured in 37 points Friday night as No. 17 Arkansas held off the Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball for an 82-79 victory.

The Razorbacks, seeded third in the tournament, improved to 24-8 on the season and advanced to their 17th semifinal appearance in the conference tournament.

Acuff carries Arkansas offense

Acuff, the SEC’s scoring leader and both the conference’s Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, led the way from the opening tip.

He scored 21 points in the first half alone, keeping Arkansas within striking distance as the teams battled to a 39-37 halftime score in favor of Oklahoma.

The back-and-forth contest featured 16 lead changes and 11 ties, highlighting just how evenly matched the teams were throughout the night.

Trevon Brazile added 12 points for Arkansas, while Meleek Thomas struggled offensively, finishing with eight points on 2-of-10 shooting despite entering the game averaging 15.4 points per contest.

Razorbacks take control late

The game remained tight deep into the second half.

Dayton Forsythe’s layup tied the score at 67 with 5:38 remaining before Malique Ewin’s dunk gave Arkansas the lead for good with just over five minutes left.

The Razorbacks then surged with nine of the next 11 points, capped by an Acuff three-pointer with 2:27 remaining that pushed the lead to 76-69 — their largest advantage of the night.

Oklahoma had one final opportunity in the closing seconds after Acuff missed the second of two free throws with 10 seconds remaining.

However, Nijel Pack’s potential game-tying three-point attempt missed, and Arkansas secured possession with just 0.6 seconds left to seal the win.

Sooners fall just short

Pack led Oklahoma with 19 points, while Derrion Reid and Tae Davis each added 17 points. Mohamed Wague contributed 13 points for the Sooners.

The loss snapped Oklahoma’s six-game winning streak and left the Sooners at 19-15 overall. After an early nine-game skid in conference play, Oklahoma had rallied late in the season and hoped a tournament upset could strengthen its NCAA Tournament résumé.

What’s next

Arkansas will now face the Ole Miss Rebels men’s basketball in the SEC Tournament semifinals after the Rebels upset Alabama earlier Friday.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma must now wait to see whether its late-season surge will be enough to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament field.

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Cincinnati basketball will move on from Wes Miller after five seasons without an NCAA Tournament appearance

3/13/2026

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The Cincinnati Bearcats men’s basketball are making a major change within the program.

Cincinnati has fired head coach Wes Miller on Friday after five seasons leading the program, according to reports from On3Sports’ Pete Thamel, with additional credit to Jeff Borzello.

Miller failed to lead the Bearcats to the NCAA Tournament during his tenure despite compiling a respectable overall record during his five years at the helm.

Cincinnati era ends after five seasons

Miller finished his Cincinnati tenure with an overall record of 100–74.

His time with the Bearcats spanned two seasons in the American Athletic Conference before the program transitioned to the Big 12 Conference.

Despite flashes of competitiveness, the program never broke through to reach March Madness under Miller’s leadership.

The inability to secure an NCAA Tournament berth ultimately proved decisive in the university’s decision to move in a new direction.

Bearcats seek new direction

Cincinnati’s expectations remain high as one of the historic programs in college basketball.

The Bearcats now begin the search for a new head coach who can guide the program back into postseason contention and establish stability in the highly competitive Big 12.

With the program entering another offseason at a crossroads, leadership will look for a candidate capable of restoring Cincinnati’s presence on the national stage.

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BIG EAST Fines Dan Hurley After Late-Game Incident vs. Marquette

3/7/2026

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The Big East Conference announced disciplinary action against Dan Hurley following a tense moment during a recent conference game.

Hurley, the head coach of the UConn Huskies men’s basketball, has been fined $25,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct stemming from the closing seconds of the team’s March 7 matchup against Marquette Golden Eagles men’s basketball.

Incident Occurred in Final Seconds

With one second remaining in the game, Hurley received two technical fouls after aggressively confronting a game official.

The sequence led to his immediate ejection from the contest. According to the conference, Hurley also failed to leave the court promptly following the ejection.

Early speculation during the broadcast suggested that Hurley may have made physical contact with the official during the exchange.

However, after reviewing the officials’ game report along with available video footage, the conference office determined it could not confirm that any physical contact occurred.

Conference Response

BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman emphasized the league’s expectations for conduct during competition.

“We hold our coaches to high standards of sportsmanlike conduct during game competition, and inappropriate interactions with our officials will not be tolerated,” Ackerman said in a statement released by the conference. (source)

Discipline Issued

As a result of the incident, the conference issued Hurley a $25,000 fine.

The ruling underscores the BIG EAST’s effort to enforce standards of behavior during games, particularly in interactions between coaches and officials during emotionally charged moments.

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