Marching To Madness

Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans once again joins “Marching to Madness” from Starkville, Miss., where he has compiled a 63-40 record and has led the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in each of those seasons. It’s the first time these Dawgs have been to March Madness for three or more consecutive seasons since 2002-2005. Jans changed his offensive approach last season as MSU averaged 79 points per game and 63.1 field goal attempts. Topics of Discussion Include: Reinventing Mississippi State’s offensive style Point guard Josh Hubbard’s “Wow” factor Wichita State forward Quincy Ballard and former Georgetown guard Jayden Epps enter the program Changing strategic approaches from season to season … and much more!

Coach Skerry is one of our favorite return guests on MTM as he has 34 years of experience and has built Towson into a perennial challenger in the Coastal Athletic Association. In 2024-25, the Tigers procured the CAA regular season championship, producing a 17-2 record over their last 19 games, which magnified the best start in conference program history. Coach Skerry details how he comes up with the contents of summer practices and workouts, and the ability to maximize possession length. Topics of Discussion Include: Philosophically managing the transfer portal The sights and sounds of Abdou Samb on Twitter Using the half-court sets in his offensive rotation Tyler Tejada and Dylan Williamson as a prototypical scoring duo … and much more!

Saint Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett joins “Marching to Madness.” Coach Bennett won his 7th WCC Coach of the Year honor as the Gaels enjoyed their third consecutive regular season WCC title, and they cut the nets in Las Vegas in 2024 with the tournament crown. He has built SMC into a featured program in the west after the Gaels finished at 1-27 in 2001, the year before Bennett touched down in Moraga, Ca. Topics of Discussion Include: Improving Augustus Marcilonis in four seasons Adding Pacific center Jazz Gardner as the first signee from the transfer portal Mental Preparation and defensively philosophy Florida head coach Todd Golden as a player and now a national championship coach … and much more!

Coach May is once again discussing his Michigan Wolverines here on MTM. In his first season in Ann Arbor, he led the Wolverines to 27 wins, the Big Ten Tournament title, and a date in the Sweet 16. Coach May holds a 153-79 record in seven seasons as head coach at Florida Atlantic and Michigan. Of course, he led the Owls to the Final Four in 2023. Topics of Discussion Include: Guard Yaxel Lindeborg’s positive approach to playing basketball North Carolina transfer Elliott Cadeau’s approach to the game How key game elements are a factor in summer practices Opponents only shot 40.1 percent from the floor, but allowed 63 shots per game

Coach Gus Argenal joins “Marching to Madness” as he undertakes the UC Riverside Highlanders, who have become a tough out in the Big West Conference. Coach Argenal assisted Eric Musselman at Nevada and Arkansas and has 19 years of collegiate coaching experience. He coached at Cal State San Bernardino the last two seasons and recorded 50 wins. During his initial season in 2023-24, Coach Argenal led the Coyotes to the D-II Final Four and a California Collegiate Athletic Association championship this past season as Cal State San Bernardino won the CCAA regular season in what is potentially the toughest D-II Conference in the game. Topics of Discussion Include: Coming aboard a successful UC Riverside program in the tough Big West Coach Arngenal’s two years of posting ‘W’s at Cal State San Bernardino Working with USC head coach Eric Musselman at Nevada and Arkansas Strategic and philosophical ideas that he has developed in 19 years of coaching experience

Coach Musselman continually brings the Muss Bus through the “Marching to Madness” neighborhood. He is currently 238-111 in ten years in college basketball as he started at Nevada, where he took the Wolf Pack to the NCAA Tournament for three of four seasons, as he brought them to the Sweet 16, where they suffered a tough 69-68 loss to Loyola Chicago in 2018. Arkansas had not been to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since coach Nolan Richardson retired, and Muss brought the Hogs to the Elite Eight in 2018. USC won 17 games last season as the Trojans fought the rigors of playing basketball in the Midwest and East in the Big Ten. USC made it into the Round of Eight in the inaugural College Basketball Classic in March. Topics of Discussion Include: Reconfiguring the roster inside the Transfer Portal Era Tough Big Ten travels for the four West Coast basketball teams Adding Chad Baker-Mazara and Rodney Rice from the transfer portal A social media presence that helps to raise USC basketball

Coach Andrzejek came aboard the Buies Creek, NC, campus after working as the defensive coordinator for the Florida Gators for Coach Todd Golden in these last two seasons. Coach Andrzejek was the team’s defensive coordinator as Florida finished sixth in the nation in defensive efficiency, according to kenpom.com. His defense was clutch as it played a key part in allowing the Gators to come from behind and win four of their six NCAA Tournament games. Campbell looks to be able to challenge in the Coastal Athletic Association with an improved defense in the paint which will coincide with the ability to outrebound opponents. Topics of Discussion Include: Important dynamics of Campbell University that bring Coach Andrzejek to Buies Creek HIs last two seasons at Florida where the Gators finished 54-16 with the 2025-26 national championship Basketball philosophies that became part of Andrzejek’s basketball acumen How Stanford head coach Kyle Smith made an impact on Andrzejek’s career

Coach Jones comes aboard again on MTM after his Spartans finished second in the Southern Conference this past season and won 20 or more games for the third consecutive season. Coach Jones is well known as a defensive strategist, and we discuss that as well as working through roster changes to develop a quality team. Topics of discussion include: Developing team identity upon many roster creations Demetrius Davis as a factor in the 2025-26 season How he developed his defensive mindset The presence of creating competition on both ends of the floor

Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl returns to “Marching to Madness” once again as we chat about the Tigers and various topics outside of college basketball. We discuss assistant coach Chad Prewitt leaving the Tigers to join the ministry, the faith-based basketball program that Coach Pearl has solidified at Auburn, and Israeli hostage situations in the Middle East. He also brings in new members of his roster and Auburn’s berth in the Final Four in 2025. Topics of conversation include: 32 wins, a regular season SEC Championship, and a berth in the Final Four Assistant coach Chad Prewitt leaves basketball after three decades to embark on a position in the ministry “Calling God” in the Auburn culture Tahaad Pettiford’s return into the program

Coach Martelli joins MTM to discuss his move from Bryant University to VCU. He led the Bulldogs to the NEC championship and their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. After five seasons on the coaching staff, he took over the program in 2023. We spotlight the move to VCU, a program that went to the Final Four in 2011. Topics of Discussion Include: Competition in the Atlantic 10 Sustainability from his father, legendary Phil Martelli, Sr. Philosophies Inside the game Working inside the transfer portal where entire teams now leave programs inside of a coaching change

Appalachian State lost five of its last six games to end the season, so Coach Kerns will want to see ASU start at a high level when November rolls around. Kerns enters his seventh season in Boone, NC, where he has built the Apps into a contender. Just a year ago, App State won the Sun Belt regular season with 27 wins and won the league tournament in 2021. The Mountaineers’ opponents shot only 39.1 percent from the floor during the ’24-25 season, ninth in college basketball. Topic of Discussion: The challenge of the transfer portal in the Sun Belt Conference Developing the backcourt as Alonzo Dodd returns as a shooting guard How the Mountaineers’ defensive approach might change from season to season Transfers who will appear on the new App State roster

Coach Martin is a proven winner who analyzes the depths of college basketball when we discuss the Minutemen’s move into the MAC. He has turned his roster over with 10 new players for the 2025-26 season, which allows the program to look for only its second NCAA Tournament appearance since 1998. Martin has 335 career wins. He took Kansas State to the Elite Eight in 2010, and the Wildcats appeared in four NCAA Tournaments in his five years at KSU. He led South Carolina to the Final Four in school history in 2017. Topics of Discussion Include: Psychological analysis of situations that can permeate across college basketball Philosophies of how he approaches many different game circumstances Transitioning the program into the MAC as it has spent the past 49 seasons in the Atlantic 10 Developing a team identity with 10 incoming players

Coach Phil Cunningham assumes the head coaching position at UL Monroe as the Warhawks come off a 7-25 campaign. They finished the season with only eight scholarship players while trying to navigate the difficult waters of the Sun Belt Conference. Phil discusses the transition into the head coaching chair as he was the associate head coach in ’24-25.  Let’s not forget, he won the Sun Belt Tournament in 2017 at Troy, where he led the Trojans into only their second NCAA Tournament appearance in team history. Topics of Discussion Include: Opportunities, as most of the roster is intact Building players’ skills Presiding over an offense that will attack in transition off of a miss How to build the Warhawks to compete and rise in the Sun Belt

Coach Martin Ingelsby has built Delaware into a solid program; after a tough regular season, the Blue Hens moved into the Coastal Athletic Association Tournament and won four games in a row before losing a tough 76-72 decision to UNC Wilmington in the championship. Delaware moves into Conference USA on July 1. Coach Ingelsby discusses his ideas on how to rebuild as the Blue Hens are a program that builds quality players. Topics of Conversation Include: Winning the 4 games to get into the CAA Championship Final The impacts of the move to Conference USA Bringing over Providence transfer Justyn Fernandez and former Temple Owl Jameel Brown The return of Cavan Reilly for a fourth season

Coach Senderoff returns to Marching to Madness after the Golden Flashes finished third in the MAC and took two wins over St. Bonaventure and Stanford in the NIT. Kent has won over 20 games in nine of Coach Senderoff’s 14 seasons, and the program continues to have a tough defensive mindset. Kent State and Akron have become a major basketball rivalry in northeast Ohio as the Zips won the MAC this season while Kent finished third in the league. Topics of Discussion include: A deep upcoming roster, although the Golden Flashes lose leading scorers Jalen Sullinger and VonCameron Davis Building a ball screen offense Two quality incoming transfers in Robert Whaley, Jr., from UNLV and former Cincinnati Bearcat Rayvon Griffith How the MAC has changed in Coach Senderoff’s 14 seasons

Coach Chris Beard is back on MTM as the Rebels picked off 24 wins and made it to the Sweet 16 and they were a key competitor in the SEC. Coach Beard was named the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year and led four teams into the NCAA Tournament in his nine seasons as a head coach. This was the Rebels second appearance in the Sweet 16 and the first time since 2001. Topics of Discussion Include: Challenges in the SEC, which had 14 NCAA Tournament entrants after a record-setting regular season How players’ individual improvement works positively in the recruiting cycle The expansion of Sean Pedulla’s game as he was an excellent scorer and leader last season Raising the perception of the program inside the game, on campus, and in the Oxford community

Coach Josh Pastner visits “Marching to Madness” once again as he is the first-year head coach at UNLV after two years at ESPN, where he was a solid color analyst in the studio and on the sidelines. Coach Pastner brings 276 career victories to the Thomas & Mack Center as he rebuilds the roster, where he added 13 new players to his first squad. He brought three CUSA Tournament championships and two regular season conference championships to Memphis when he placed the Tigers in four NCAA Tournaments. He moved to Georgia Tech and worked on a monumental rebuild of the Yellow Jackets, and led GT to the 2021 ACC Tournament championship. Topics of Discussion Include: * Leading UNLV Basketball forward * Bringing Top-150 prospect Tyrin Jones to Vegas * Developing philosophy and a basketball culture * The sustainability of playing in the tough Mountain West Conference

Coach Bryan Hodgson comes to Tampa to lead the USF Bulls after spending two years as the head coach at Arkansas State, where the Red Wolves obviously played his up-tempo style and averaged about 63 field goal attempts per game in those two seasons. Coach Hodgson worked with one of the best offensive coaches in the game as he was Nate Oats’ assistant at Alabama and Buffalo for four years each. Topics of Discussion Include: Building the transition game into a lethal offensive attack Adding post Izaiyah Nelson and guard Joseph Pinion who were key leaders at Arkansas State Returning CJ Brown, who was a key contributor in averaging 22.5 minutes per game Idenitfying the three-point attempt in transition

Coach Ali Farokhmanesh will begin his first season at Colorado State after he worked as Coach Niko Medved’s assistant for the past seven seasons. We get into lots of excellent analytical and philosophical discussions and chat about players we will see with the Rams. Coach has been key in his development of players and orchestrating in-game situations, which helped post Colorado State win the Mountain West Tournament as well as post CSU in three of the last four NCAA Tournaments. Topics of Discussion Include: Winning 11 in a row and 19 of 22, going into the Round of 32 matchup with Maryland The returns of Rashaan Mamba and Kyle Jorgensen Upgrading players’ confidence and positivity in transferring to Colorado State How the defensive approach has been an important part in the rise of the program

Coach Chris Mooney joins us once again on “Marching to Madness,” where we discuss his general ideology of the Spiders and the college game. Coach Mooney started 107 games in four years as a guard at Princeton for Coach Pete Carril. He still ranks 20th in points scored with 1,071 while he was a captain of the Tigers for two seasons. Richmond will work its way back into the Atlantic 10 mix as its offense will improve, and the return of guard Mikkel Tyne offers experience and efficiency as he averaged 31.5 minutes in 2024-25. Topics of Discussion Include: Different coaching strategies and philosophies in his 20 seasons in the A-10 Strategies and fundamentals to improve the team offensively Players’ development in summer practices Maintaining sustainability in the program as the transfer portal and NIL are now key recruiting mechanisms