Once again, there is a large amount of coaching changes this year for the 2024/2025 college basketball season. As sports bettors, and/or college basketball fans, we all know how important these coaches are to projecting outcomes. Pace is a massive factor when it comes to the point differential as well as the total amount of points that are scored in a game. I categorize each team as Very Fast, Medium Fast, Medium, Medium Slow, Very Slower and NA for not enough information. Keep in mind that these are all projections based on association, and past performance. Here are the coaching changes with my projections for 2024/2025 pace of play. 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 – 120 Medium Fast
121 – 240 Medium
241 to 320 Medium Slow
321 to 364 Very Slow
College Coaches: Out / In
School: 68 new coaching changes
Arkansas Razorbacks: Eric Musselman / John Calipari – John Calipari is one of the most well known in college basketball. Last year, his team played lighting fast at Kentucky, but the few years before, he played much slower. Arkansas’s pace ranked 38th last year. Pace in the 60s is a safe bet. Very fast to Medium Fast
Bryant Bulldogs: Jared Grasso / Phil Martelli Jr. – Phil coached most of last year and was lighting fast ranking 3rd in the nation. Pace is top 10. Very Fast to Very Fast
BYU Cougars: Mark Pope / Kevin Young – Byu played medium fast last season at 84th on Kenpom, but new coach Kevin Young comes from the Suns. I think he stays up there. Projected pace in the 100s. Medium Fast to Medium Fast
Cal Poly Mustangs: John Smith / Mike DeGeorge – Mike comes from division two Colorado Mesa, this team ranked 272nd last year in pace, but not enough info to make a prediction. NA
Canisius Golden Griffins: Reggie Witherspoon / Jim Christian – Last year, this team ranked 224th in pace. Jim spent tome head coaching Boston College a few years back. He played a pretty fast pace, so I project him to continue that with pace ranking in the 60s. Medium to Medium Fast
Central Arkansas Bears: Anthony Boone/John Shulman – The Bears ranked 81st in Tempo last year. John comes from being an assistant coach at Chattanooga, but the pace for this team will remain medium fast. Medium Fast to Medium Fast
Charleston Cougars: Pat Kelsey / Chris Mack – From Tempo at 51 last year, return of the Mack will probably slow it down some. Project in the 150s. Medium Fast to Medium
Charleston Southern Buccaneers: Barclay Radebaugh / Saah Nimley – The pace ranked 221 under Barclay, but Saah was an assistant there, so I expect the same ion the 220s. Medium to Medium
Chicago State Cougars: Gerald Gillion /Scott Spinelli – Chicago State really slowed it down last year to 331. I expect Scott who was an assistant last year to speed it up some. I project 270s. Very Slow to Medium Slow
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers: Cliff Ellis / Justin Gray – This team played pretty fast at 73rd in pace. Justin comes from Western Carolina. I expect a slower pace ranking in the 210s. Good jump down. Medium Fast to Medium Slow
Cornell Big Red: Brian Earl / Jon Jaques – Cornell played very fast ranking 23rd. Jon Jaques was his assistant, so I project close to the same in the 30s. Very Fast to Very Fast
DePaul Blue Demons: Tony Stubblefield / Chris Holtmann – Depaul ranked 167th in pace, but Holtmann will slow them down to the 270s. He doesn’t like getting blown out. Medium to Medium Slow
Detroit Mercy Titans: Mike Davis / Mark Montgomery – With pace at 227, I expect Mark Montgomery from Northern Illinois to slow it down a lot. 330s is my projection. Medium to Very Slow
Drake Bulldogs: Darian DeVries / Ben McCollum – I mean, I hate the Drake. Their pace was 168. Ben comes in from DII, so I assume the same in the 170s. NA
Duquesne Dukes: Keith Dambrot / Dru Joyce III – from pace ranking 264th, I expect Dru to keep it close to the same as he was an assistant last year. I project 230s. Medium Slow to Medium
Eastern Washington Eagles: David Riley / Dan Monson – From pace ranking 45th, I expect a monsoon, of speed for Long Beach state ranking in the 10s. Medium Fast to Very Fast
Fairfield Stags: Jay Young / Chris Casey – The Stag’s pace was at a not so stagnant 121st last year. I expect the same as he was an assistant to full time coach last year. Pace in the 120s. Medium Fast to Medium Fast
Florida A&M Rattlers: Robert McCollum / Patrick Crarey II – From pace at 130th, I can’t project change as Patrick comes from DII. NA
Florida Atlantic Owls: Dusty May / John Jakus – Pace was at 149th. John comes in from being an assistant at Baylor, and I expect this pace to significantly slow down. I project 270s. Medium to Medium Slow
Fresno State Bulldogs: Justin Hutson / Vance Walberg – From pace ranking 290th, Vance comes in from the NBA and High School. He did coach Pepperdine in the 2000s where his pace was super fast. I expect the same in the 20s. Medium Slow to Very Fast
Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs: Tim Craft / Jeremy Luther – This team played fast ranking 74th in Tempo. Jeremy should keep it the same coming in from the assistant role with tempo ranking in the 70s. Medium Fast to Medium Fast
Green Bay Phoenix: Sundance Wicks / Doug Gottlieb – This was definitely the biggest holy smokes of them all. Green Bay ranked in 345th in pace, but their defense was bad. I assume Doug will be in the middle of the pack in pace in the 180s, but low confidence. Very Slow to Medium
Hampton Pirates: Edward “Buck” Joyner / Ivan Thomas – Hampton played fast ranking 69th in pace last year. Ivan comes from an assistant role at Georgetown, but even though the Hoyas slowed it down last year, I think he still plays fast like they used to with pace in the 90s. Medium Fast to Medium Fast
Houston Christian Huskies: Ron Cottrell / Craig Doty – Houston Christian lost at light speed last year ranking 26th in pace. Craig comes from division II, so I do not know. NA
Indiana State Sycamores: Josh Schertz / Matthew Graves – This team was awesome last year and fun to watch with Very fast pace at 35th in the nation. I expect the same pace from Matthew Graves coming in from being an assistant. Very Fast to Very Fast
IUPUI Jaguars: Matt Crenshaw / Paul Corsaro – Pace was dead set in the middle at 183rd last year. I probably expect no changes from Paul Corsaro, but not enough info for me. NA
James Madison Dukes: Mark Byington / Preston Spradlin – JMU was fun last year as they bounced my Badgers in the NCAA tournament. They played up-tempo ranking 70th in pace. Preston Spradlin comes in from super slow Morehead State and will bring this pace to a crawl in the 330s. Medium Fast to Very Slow
Kentucky Wildcats: John Calipari /Mark Pope – Kentucky was 12th in pace last year. When they were on, they blew teams away. Mark Pope comes in from BYU and will slow it down a tad to the 60s. Very Fast to Medium Fast
Long Beach State Beach: Dan Monson / Chris Acker – Long Beach played super fast ranking 24th in pace. Chris Acker comes in from an assistant role at San Diego State and will greatly slow this thing down. I project the 240s for pace ranking. Very Fast to Medium Slow
Louisville Cardinals: Kenny Payne / Pat Kelsey – The Cardinals ranked 60th in pace last year. Pat Kelsey comes in from Charleston with the same speed of play into the 50s. Medium Fast to Medium Fast
Loyola Maryland Greyhounds: Tavaras Hardy / Josh Loeffler – From ranking 280th in pace, Josh Loeffler comes in from being a good assistant at Cincinnati. Pace will speed up some to the 180s. Medium Slow to Medium
Marshall Thundering Herd: Dan D’Antoni / Cornelius Jackson – Marshall played borderline very fast ranking 46th in pace. I expect no changes with the assistant being promoted with pace in the 40s. Medium Fast to Medium Fast
Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks: Jason Crafton / Cleo Hill Jr. – Pace last year ranked 202nd, but not enough info for Cleo Hill that comes from DII. NA
Mercer Bears: Greg Gary / Ryan Ridder – Huge change alert. Mercer was slow at 268th in Pace. The Riddler comes in from Tennessee Martin that will bring pace into the top 10! Medium Slow to Very Fast
Michigan Wolverines: Juwan Howard / Dusty May – Pace ranked 180 which was fast for the Big 10, but Dusty May will speed it up some into the 150s coming from FAU. Great hire! Medium to Medium
Missouri State Bears: Dana Ford / Cuonzo Martin – The Pace ranked 157th last year. Cuonzo Martin was coach at Missouri for a while ranking around 260th. I will slow some to the 260s. Medium to Medium Slow
Morehead State Eagles: Preston Spradlin / Jonathan Mattox – Morehead was very slow at 337th in pace. Jon Mattox was an assistant there before Murray State who played more medium slow. I think he will still go pretty slow in the 290s. Very Slow to Medium Slow
Mount Saint Mary’s Mountaineers: Dan Engelstad / Donny Lind – With the pace at 89th last year, Donny Lind comes in from an assistant role at UNC Greensboro and that team played slow. I project pace ranking in the 300s. Medium Fast to Medium Slow
New Orleans Privateers: Mark Slessinger / Stacy Hollowell
Ohio State Buckeyes: Chris Holtmann / Jake Diebler – Jake took over last year with pace ranking 203. I think it stays close in the 190s. Medium to Medium
Oklahoma State Cowboys: Mike Boynton / Steve Lutz – Mike had this team slower last year at 205th in pace. Steve Lutz plays at a crazy pace and Western Kentucky was 1st last year. I project top 10. Medium to Very Fast
Old Dominion Monarchs: Jeff Jones / Mike Jones – Jeff Jones upped the pace last year to 55th ranked. Mike Jones (not the rapper who says his own name a lot) was an assistant at Maryland. I expect a slow pace ranking in the 300s. Medium Fast to Medium Slow
Pacific Tigers: Leonard Perry /Dave Smart – Pace ranked at 129th last year for the Tigers. Dave Smart coming in from Texas Tech might slow it down some, but not much ranking in the 170s. Medium to Medium
Pepperdine Waves: Lorenzo Romar / Ed Schilling – With pace ranking 189th, Ed Schilling comes in from being an assistant at Grand Canyon. I see about the same pace in the 160s. Medium to Medium
Rice Owls: Scott Pera / Rob Lanier – Rice really slowed down pace to 274th last year. Rob Lanier comes in from SMU and will spice it up a bit to the 150s. Medium Slow to Medium
Sacramento State Hornets: David Patrick / Michael Czepil – This school played slow with tempo ranking 341st. I expect it a little faster with the assistant coming in, but not by much in the 310s. Very Slow to Medium Slow
Saint Louis Billikens: Travis Ford / Josh Schertz – With pace ranking 75th last year, Saint Louis is serious about their basketball. They paid good money for Josh Schertz from Indiana State who will up the pace to the 30s. Medium Fast to Very Fast
Siena Saints: Carmen Maciariello / Gerry McNamara – With pace ranking 270th last season, Gerry’s world comes in to spice it up. He was an assistant at Syracuse and will bring this bunch into the 30s. Medium Slow to Very Fast
SMU Mustangs: Rob Lanier /Andy Enfield – the Mustangs pace ranking 165th last season. Andy Enfield comes in from USC and I expect him tp pace it up some ranking in the 100s. Medium to Medium Fast
South Carolina Upstate Spartans: Dave Dickerson /Marty Richter – Last year pace ranked 203rd. I don’t expect much change as Marty was an assistant at Drake with the same type of pace results. I project 220s. Medium to Medium
Southern Illinois Salukis: Bryan Mullins / Scott Nagy – The Salukis played super slow at 333rd in pace. Scott Nagy comes in and will light this team up like a firecracker ranking in the 20s. Very Slow to Very Fast
Stanford Cardinal: Jerod Haase / Kyle Smith – Stanford was pretty fast at 71st in pace last season. Kyle Smith comes in from Washington state and will greatly slow this thing down to the 320s. Medium Fast to Medium Slow
UIC Flames: Luke Yaklich / Rob Ehsan – The Flames pace ranked 135th last year. I expect this to slow down with Rob Ehsan to the 280s as he coached UAB a few years back. Medium to Medium Slow
USC Trojans: Andy Enfield / Eric Musselman – The Trojan’s pace ranked 138th last year. Musselman will speed this up for sure with pace ranking in the 40s. Medium to Medium Fast
UT Martin Skyhawks: Ryan Ridder / Jeremy Shulman – This team was lighting fast ranking 7th in pace last year. Jeremy Shulman comes from division II so not completely sure how to rank it. NA
UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros: Matt Figger / Kahil Fennell – A hot pace ranking 28th last year, I think that Kahil Fennell keeps it fast coming from BYU. I think pace will rank in the 30s. Very Fast to Very Fast
UTSA Roadrunners: Steve Henson / Austin Claunch – A roadrunner tyope race ranking 44th last year stays the same with Austin Claunch coming from Nichols State. I project once again the 30s. Very Fast to Very Fast
Utah State Aggies: Danny Sprinkle /Jerrod Calhoun – With Danny Sprinkle gone, Jarrod comes in to slow down the pace from 99th to the 140s. Medium Fast to Medium
Vanderbilt Commodores: Jerry Stackhouse /Mark Byington – Jerry ran this team slow last year ranking 285th in pace. Mark Byington comes in from James Madison to speed this thing up into the 60s. Medium Slow to Medium Fast
Virginia Cavaliers: Tony Bennett / Ron Sanchez – Virginia loves their slow snail like game who ranked 362nd in tempo. Assistant Ron Sanchez will continue that trend with pace in the 350s. Very Slow to Very Slow
Washington Huskies: Mike Hopkins / Danny Sprinkle – With pace ranked 30th, Danny Sprinkle the money line will not be much slower. I project tempo ranking in the 70s. Very Fast to Medium Fast
Washington State Cougars: Kyle Smith / David Riley – From pace ranking at 322nd, David Riley will greatly speed this up like he did at Eastern Washington. I project pace in the 70s. Medium Slow to Medium Fast
West Virginia Mountaineers: Josh Eilert / Darian DeVries – The Mountaineers ranked 123rd in pace. Darian Devries from Drake will keep it the same in the 130s. Medium to Medium
Western Carolina Catamounts: Justin Gray / Tim Craft – The Catamounts ranked 225th in tempo last year. Tim Craft from Gardner Webb as been inconsistent. I still see pace around the 150s. Medium to Medium
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: Steve Lutz / Hank Plona – From a lighting fast 1st in pace last year, hank will step right in with the same offense. I see top 10 in pace. Very Fast to Very Fast
William & Mary Tribe: Dane Fischer / Brian Earl – From 273rd in tempo last year, Brian Earl comes from Cornell and will heat things up in the 20s! Medium Slow to Very Fast
Wright State Raiders: Scott Nagy /Clint Sargent – This team was a burner ranking 22nd in pace. Clint comes in from the assistant role and won’t miss a beat continuing pace ranking in the 20s. Very Fast to Very Fast
Wyoming Cowboys: Jeff Linder / Sundance Wicks – The Cowboys ranked 197th in pace from 2023/2024. Sundance comes in (perfect name for this team by the way), and he will slow this thing down to a crawl like he did in Green Bay. I project pace in the 340s. Medium to Very Slow
Youngstown State Penguins: Jerrod Calhoun /Ethan Faulkner – this team ranked 94th in pace last year. Ethan was an assistant here last year so I project pace in the 90s. Medium Fast to Medium Fast
