The 2025–2026 college basketball season is once again marked by a wave of coaching changes. For sports bettors and college hoops fans alike, we understand just how pivotal coaching is when it comes to forecasting game outcomes. One of the most influential factors? Pace of play.
Pace directly impacts point differentials and total scoring, making it a key metric in evaluating team performance. To help make sense of it all, I’ve categorized each team’s projected pace into five tiers: Very Fast, Medium Fast, Medium, Medium Slow, and Very Slow. Teams with insufficient data are marked as NA.
These projections are based on coaching affiliations and historical trends—not guarantees, but informed estimates. Below are the coaching changes along with my pace-of-play projections for the upcoming season.
If I put a color on the team name, it means a pretty substantial change. Red means faster and blue means slower. Follow me on twitter for more wagering content @OBKiev.
Pace Rankings:
0 – 40 Very Fast
41 – 130 Medium Fast
131 – 240 Medium
241 to 320 Medium Slow
321 to 365 Very Slow
College Coaches: Out / In
School: 62 new coaching changes
Alabama A&M: Otis Hughley Jr. / Donte Jackson – Very Fast to Medium Slow – from being number 22 in pace, Donte Jackson comes from Grambling State where the pace was extremely slow ranking 339th. I say pace ranking in the low 300s is fair.
Alcorn State: Landon Bussie / Jake Morton – Medium Slow to Medium – Landon Bussie was slow rankings 317th in pace, but Jake Morton comes from a mixed bag of teams, and most lately Florida State. I assume the pace will be medium.
Arkansas State: Bryan Hodgson / Ryan Pannone – Medium Fast to Very Fast – Bryan Hodgson had this team ranking 51 in pace, but Ryan Pannone comes from being an assistant at Alabama, and I expect some super fast Nate Oats style pace ranking in the 10s.
Auburn Tigers: Bruce Pearl / Steven Pearl – Medium Fast to Medium Fast – This coaching change came as a shock to me, but I do think that Bruce was forced out of his position due to his political nature of trying to stand up for what he feels is right. Same Pace over the years IMO around 120th.
Bellarmine: Scott Davenport / Doug Davenport – Medium to Medium – Another father to son arrangement. I expect pace ranking around 230th like it did last season.
Bryant: Phil Martelli Jr. / Jamion Christian – Very Fast to Medium – Phil Martelli is taking his 6th ranking in pace to VCU. Jamion Christain comes back from the dead who was all over the place in pace over his tenure back at George Washington.
Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners: Rod Barnes / Mike Scott – Medium Slow to Medium Slow – Mike Scott took over last year mid-season.
Campbell: Kevin McGeehan / John Andrzejek – Medium Slow to Very Fast – Campbell ranked 267th in pace. John has learned a thing or two from being an assistant with Todd Golden at Florida. I expect very fast play.
Central Michigan: Tony Barbee / Andy Bronkema – Medium to Medium Fast – The Chippewas ranked a mid 188th in pace from the 2024/2025 season. Andy comes from Division II Ferris State who had some higher scores. I expect Pace ranking in the 110s.
Chicago State: Scott Spinelli / Landon Bussie – Medium Fast to Medium Slow – From Pace ranking 119th in the nation, Landon Bussie comes in to slow things down and play some defense. I expect Pace ranking in the 300s.
Cleveland State: Daniyal Robinson / Rob Summers – Medium Slow to Medium – Going from pace ranking 286th, I expect Rob Summers to speed it up a little, but not enough to bat an eye at. I am predicting pace ranking in the 180s. Summers has been all over the place as an assistant.
Colorado State: Niko Medved / Ali Farokhmanesh – Medium Slow to Medium Slow – This is a promotion to head coach after Niko left to Minnesota. I assume pace in the 250s.
Columbia: Jim Engles / Kevin Hovde – Very Fast to Very Fast – Jim Engles was a red hot mess of speed ranking 29th in pace. Kevin Hovde comes in from Florida to keep that same excitement. I expect pace ranking in the 20s.
Denver: Jeff Wulbrun / Tim Bergstraser – Medium to Medium – Going from a Medium pace ranking 225th. I expect Tim to speed it up slightly ranking in the 160s when looking at his time at the MSU Moorehead Dragons.
Drake: Ben McCollum / Eric Henderson – Very Slow to Medium – From a SUPER slow pace of 364th, I expect former South Dakota State coach Eric Henderson to speed it up some ranking in the 200s.
Florida A&M: Patrick Crarey II / Charlie Ward – Medium to NA – This team played at a medium pace ranking 190th. Charlie Ward who has a bunch of NBA clout comes out of high school telling me that I don’t have any idea.
Florida State: Leonard Hamilton / Luke Loucks – Medium Fast to Medium – From pace ranking 62nd, Leonard Hamilton is out, and Luke comes in from the NBA having no clue what to do at the college level. As an assistant, Luke’s teams played at a medium pace in the NBA, so I will assume that medium place continues in the 190s with low confidence for the 2025/2026 season.
Fordham: Keith Urgo / Mike Magpayo – Medium Fast to Medium – From pace ranking at 63rd, Mike Magpayo comes from UC Riverside and a very medium type pace. I will go with pace ranking in the 220s to more match the A10 conference.
Grambling: Donte Jackson / Patrick Crarey II –Very Slow to Medium – Grambling really slowed things down ranking 339th in pace. Crarey comes in from Florida A&M and a pace in the 190s which feels about right for this season.
High Point: Alan Huss / Flynn Clayman – Medium to Medium – From pace ranking 230th on Kenpom, I expect Clayman to keep it the same as he was promoted to head coach. Thinking the pace slightly goes up to the 170s.
Indiana: Mike Woodson / Darian DeVries – Medium to Very Slow – Indiana played at a medium pace ranking 137th. Home run hire Darien Devries will slow this thing to a crawl ranking in the 330s like he did last year at West Virginia and before at Drake.
IU Indianapolis: Paul Corsaro / Ben Howlett – Medium Slow to Very Fast – From pace ranking 307th, Benn comes in from Division II West Liberty. Fast pace and big scores is what to expect here ranking in the 20s!
Iona: Tobin Anderson / Dan Geriot – Medium to Medium – The Gael’s pace ranked 130th last season with Tobin. Dan Geriot comes in from the Cavs and the Pistons and I expect something very close to the same with pace ranking in the 150s.
Iowa: Fran McCaffery / Ben McCollum – Medium Fast to Very Slow – Maybe the biggest change of pace for the 2025/2026 season. Fran always had Iowa flying ranking 61st in pace from last season. Ben comes from Drake and will slow this thing to a crawl ranking in the 360s.
La Salle: Fran Dunphy / Darris Nichols – Medium Fast to Very Slow – The Explorers played pretty fast ranking 106th in pace under Fan Dunphy. Darris Nicholes comes in from Radford and will slow this to a snail’s pace ranking somewhere in the 350s in Tempo.
Lipscomb: Lennie Acuff / Kevin Carroll – Medium Slow to Medium Fast – The Bisons slowed it down over the years ranking 253rd in pace. Kevin Carroll comes in who was an assistant back in their fast years. I expect pace back to the 70s.
Longwood: Griff Aldrich / Ronnie Thomas – Medium Fast to Medium Fast – The Lancers pace ranked 81st in 2025/2026. Ronnie Wood comes in from the assistant role and should have this team ranking close to that in the 100s.
Louisiana: Bob Marlin / Quannas White – Medium to Very Slow – From pace ranking 236th, I expect Quannas White coming from Houston to slow it down even more to a crawl. Pace should be in the 340s.
Maryland: Kevin Willard / Buzz Williams – Medium to Medium – Kevin Willard had this team playing fast ranking 66th in Tempo, but the big issue for the Terps was that their defense was so good that some unders would hit regardless. Buzz Williams comes in from Texas A&M with a pretty steady medium type pace. I predict pace in the 230s.
McNeese: Will Wade / Bill Armstrong – Medium Slow to Medium Slow– Bill Armstrong was with Will Wade as an assistant back in the LSU days. They played faster then, but his most recent stint at Baylor may slow it down some. He should keep roughly the same pace ranking in the 240s.
Miami: Jim Larrañaga / Jai Lucas – Medium to Medium – From ranking 163rd in pace, I could see Jay coming from Duke slowing this thing down some with pace ranking in the 200s.
Minnesota: Ben Johnson / Niko Medved – Very Slow to Medium Slow – The Gophers ranked 357 in pace. New coach Niko Medved comes from Colorado State and literally averaged the same pace over the last two years at 270th. I expect pace in the 270s.
Murray State: Steve Prohm / Ryan Miller – Medium Slow to Medium – Steve Prohm wasn’t exactly a racer last season ranking 309th in pace of play. Ryan Miller comes in from an assistant at TCU who was all over in pace over the last five years. I think pace ranking around the 170s makes sense.
Navy: Ed DeChellis / Jon Perry – Medium to Medium – From Pace ranking at 199th, Jon Perry gets promoted to coach the Midshipmen. I expect the same pace in the 190s.
NC State: Kevin Keatts / Will Wade – Medium Slow to Medium Slow – From Final four to fired, Will Wade replaces Kevin Keats. Will have been all over the board, but his latest stint at McNeese had him at a pretty slow pace at 275th in the nation. I think tempo in the 260s.
New Mexico: Richard Pitino / Eric Olen – Very Fast to Medium Slow – Richard Pitino had the Lobos flying ranking 7th in tempo, while new hire Clint Allard was quite slow ranking 278th in pace at UC San Diego. Huge change. I expect pace ranking pretty slow in the 260s.
North Florida: Matthew Driscoll / Bobby Kennen – Very Fast to Very Fast – The Ospreys ranked 10th in pace and I expect the same with Bobby Kenan who took over mid-season in 2025. Pace should be in the 10s.
North Texas: N Ross Hodge / Daniyal Robinson – Very Slow to Medium Slow – North Texas played at a crawl ranking 362nd in tempo. Daniyal Robinson comes in from Cleveland state and he has his team playing pretty slow, but not that extreme. I expect pace ranking in the 280s.
Oral Roberts: Russell Springmann / Kory Barnett – Medium to Medium – From pace ranking 182nd, I expect Kory Barnett to speed it up some as most of his assistant years was spent under Steve Alford in Nevada. I think Pace ranking in the 140s.
Penn: Steve Donahue / Fran McCaffery – Medium to Very Fast – This will be a big uptick in speed as the Quakers averaged 209th in pace. Fran comes in from Iowa and will push this thing up to the 10s.
Radford: Darris Nichols / Zach Chu – Very Slow to Medium – Radford ranked a turtle’s pace of 356th in the nation for 2024/2025. Zach Chu bounced around the NBA and a little bit and at SMU last season. I expect a medium pace ranking around the 150s.
Sacramento State: Michael Czepil* / Mike Bibby – Medium Slow to Medium Fast – From tempo ranking 281st, former Arizona champion Mike Bibby comes in to reshape this program. His old teams played a little fast, so I will assume a medium fast pace in the 120s for now.
Saint Joseph’s Hawks: Billy Lange / Steve Donahue – Medium Fast to Medium – From pace ranking 132nd, Steve Donahue comes in from Penn who, as discussed earlier, ranked 209th in pace. I expect a medium type pace ranking in the 200s.
Samford: Bucky McMillan / Lennie Acuff – Very Fast to Medium Slow – This Samford team was like a rocket ranking 24th in pace at 71.1 adjusted possessions per game. Lennie comes in from Lipscomb who will slow this thing down a lot to ranking around the 230s in Tempo.
South Dakota State: Eric Henderson / Bryan Petersen – Medium Fast to Medium Fast – From tempo ranking at 82nd in the league, Brian Peterson gets promoted and should keep up that medium fast pace ranking in the 80s.
South Florida: Ben Fletcher / Bryan Hodgson – Medium Fast to Medium Fast – From Tempo ranking 122nd, Bryan Hodgson comes in from Arkansas State. He will slightly up this tempo to ranking in the 80s.
St. Francis (PA): Rob Krimmel / Luke McConnell – Medium to Medium – The Red Flash ranked 203rd in pace from last season, Luke McConnell is promoted from assistant which means the same pace to me in the 200s.
Stephen F. Austin: Kyle Keller / Matt Braeuer – Medium to Medium Slow – This Lumberjack’s team had a medium pace of 174th, but a terrible offense to boot. Matt Braeuer spells his last name with four vowels in a row. This and the fact that he was under Grant McCasland at Texas Tech tells me that they will slow it down to the 300s.
Tennessee State: Penny Collins / Nolan Smith – Very Fast to Very Fast – From pace ranking fast at 39th in the nation, Nolan smith comes in from his assistant Memphis who likes to run the ball. Same fast pace is my prediction in the 20s.
Texas A&M: Buzz Williams / Bucky McMillan – Medium to Very Fast – Who doesn’t love Bucky Ball? From pace ranking 206th, this A&M team is going to shoot threes and fly under Samford’s former coach Bucky McMillan. I see pace ranking in the 20s.
Texas: Rodney Terry / Sean Miller – Medium to Very Fast – The Longhorns had a medium pace ranking 176th in the nation. Sean Miller come in and will get back to his race to 100 type ways. I predict pace into the 40s.
UC Riverside: Mike Magpayo / Gus Argenal – Medium to Medium – From pace ranking 194th, I expect the Gus bus to speed it up some due to his time under Eric Musselman at Arkansas. Pace should be in the 150s.*
UC San Diego: Eric Olen / Clint Allard – Medium Slow to Medium Slow – Eric Olen had this team at a slow but efficient pace ranking 278th. Clint Allard gets a shot from being an assistant here over the last 10 years, and I expect pace in the 250s.
UL Monroe: Keith Richard / Phil Cunningham – Medium to Medium – Keith Richard had this team like a rolling stone ranking 150th in Tempo. Phil Cunningham coached at Troy for about six years and his tempo was also medium. I expect pace in the 200s.
UNLV: Kevin Kruger / Josh Pastner – Medium Slow to Medium – From pace ranking 271st in the 2024/2025 season, Josh Pastner comes in after a two year coaching break. He had some success before his last few seasons at Georgia tech with pace in the 210s. That is where I like it here.
Utah: Craig Smith / Alex Jensen – Medium Fast to Medium Fast – From pace ranking 89th in division 1, Alex Jenson comes in from the NBA which muddies up some things. I think a medium fast pace is continues in the 120s.
VCU: Ryan Odom / Phil Martelli Jr. – Medium Slow to Very Fast – From pace ranking 246th in the nation, Phil Martini comes in from lighting fast Bryant who had a pace ranking 6th in the nation. I expect the same speed ranking in the 0-10 range.
Villanova: Kyle Neptune / Kevin Willard – Very Slow to Medium – The terrible coaching of Kyle Neptune is gone. RIP fade train. From 351st in pace, I expect Kevin Willard who was all over in pace the last few years to speed this up to Medium in the 200s.
Virginia: Ron Sanchez / Ryan Odom – Very Slow to Medium Slow – The Cavs have been a huge unders team with Tony Bennett and Ron Sanchez with pace at 361st last season. Ryan Odem comes in from VCU with the same defensive mindset, but still a slow pace ranking in the 290s.
West Virginia: Darian DeVries / Ross Hodge – Very Slow to Very Slow – From past ranking 331st in the league, Ross Hodge comes in from North Texas who will keep this very very slow ranking in the 350s.
Wofford Terriers: Dwight Perry / Kevin Giltner – Very Slow to Medium Slow – The Terriers ranked a very slow pace at 333rd in the nation from 2024/2025. I expect Kevin Giltner coming from an assistant role at Virginia Tech to speed it up a little ranking in the 290s.
Xavier: Sean Miller / Richard Pitino – Medium Fast to Very Fast – Sean Miller had a pretty fast pace for the Big East back at Xavier ranking 84th in the nation. Richard Pitino comes in from New Mexico to speed it up even more. I expect pace in ranking the 10s.
