The only rule change for the regular season was allowing coaches to ask for timeouts in situations of inbounds on offense or defense. Coaches are still not permitted to call timeouts in live-ball situations.
The NCAA approved a number of experimental rule changes for use in the 2017 postseason NIT:[2]
Team fouls were reset to zero at the 10:00 mark of each half. This effectively divided the game into quarters for purposes of team fouls.
The "one-and-one" foul shot was not used. Instead, starting with the fifth total foul in each 10-minute period, non-shooting fouls by the defensive team resulted in two free throws, with the only exception being administrative technical fouls. This mirrored foul counting in NCAA women's basketball, which has been played in quarters since the 2015–16 season.
In a feature unique in the college game, but similar to that used by the NBA and WNBA, each overtime was considered a separate period for purposes of accumulating team fouls. The team foul limit was 3 per overtime period, with all non-shooting team fouls thereafter by the defense resulting in two free throws.
The shot clock was reset to 20 seconds whenever the ball was inbounded in the frontcourt.
Season headlines
March 10, 2016 – The Ivy League announced it would add a conference tournament beginning in the 2016–17 season.[3] Previously, the regular season champion earned the automatic berth into the NCAA tournament.[3]
April 20 – The NCAA announces its Academic Progress Rate (APR) sanctions for the 2016–17 school year. A total of 23 programs in 13 sports are declared ineligible for postseason play due to failure to meet the required APR benchmark, including the following two Division I men's basketball teams:[4]
January 2 – Duke announced that head coach Mike Krzyzewski would undergo surgery on January 6 to remove a fragment of a herniated disc in his lower back. He went on a medical leave following the Blue Devils' January 4 game against Georgia Tech and was expected to be out for about four weeks. Associate head coach Jeff Capel took over for Krzyzewski during his recuperation.[9]
January 5 – Before Austin Peay's game against Tennessee Tech, Peay announced that Dave Loos, the Governors' head coach since 1990, would take a medical leave effective immediately. Loos, who had undergone surgery to remove a malignant tumor from his colon in July 2016, has since been undergoing chemotherapy for a cancerous lymph node found during that procedure. Assistant Jay Bowen served as interim head coach[10] until Loos returned to the sidelines on January 19.[11]
January 24 – For only the third time since the AP Poll was first compiled for college basketball in 1948, three of the top four teams lost on the same day. First, #2 Kansas lost 85–69 atWest Virginia. Shortly thereafter, top-ranked Villanova lost 74–72 atMarquette. Finally, #4 Kentucky lost 82–80 atTennessee.[13]
Six teams in the AP Top 10 lose, tying the poll-era record for most losses by top-10 teams in one day. Additionally, it was the first day in poll history in which two of the top three teams (Baylor and Kansas) lost at home to unranked opponents.[15]
Krzyzewski returns from his medical leave to the Duke bench, with the Blue Devils defeating Pittsburgh 72–64.[16]
March 13 – The Republican of Springfield, Massachusetts reported that a federal lawsuit had been filed against several UMass staff members. The suit was filed in December 2016 by a former girlfriend of assistant Lou Roe, and names Roe and three other staff members, including since-fired head coach Derek Kellogg, as defendants. The suit alleges that she was intimidated and falsely imprisoned in an attempt to keep her silent about doping by team members, domestic violence incidents involving staff members, and quashing of criminal complaints against team members.[18]
November 11 – NJIT's Damon Lynn surpasses Chris Flores as the school's all-time leading scorer for their Division I era.[31]
January 3 – Jacksonville's Darius Dawkins made 13-of-17 three-pointers en route to 41 points.[32] He set both school and ASUN Conference single game three-point scoring records in the process, which were previously 10 and 11, respectively.[32]
March 7 – With Gonzaga's 74–56 win over Saint Mary's in the final of the West Coast Conference tournament, the Bulldogs' Przemek Karnowski became the winningest player in NCAA Division I men's history, although the NCAA does not officially recognize this milestone. This was Karnowski's 132nd winning appearance, surpassing the 131 of Duke'sShane Battier.[36] Karnowski would ultimately finish with 137 wins.
March 18 – Gonzaga head coach Mark Few reached the 500-win mark in the Bulldogs' 79–73 win over Northwestern in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Among Division I men's coaches, only Adolph Rupp and Jerry Tarkanian reached the milestone in fewer games.[38]
Conference membership changes
Only one school joined a new conference for 2016–17:
South Dakota opened the new Sanford Coyote Sports Center. The completion of the 6,000-seat venue saw the South Dakota men's basketball, women's basketball, and women's volleyball teams move out of the considerably larger DakotaDome, which remains home to football, track & field, and swimming & diving. The first men's basketball game in the new arena was an exhibition on November 4 against NCAA Division IIILoras, with the Coyotes winning 106–76;[39] the first official men's game was the second leg of a November 13 doubleheader with the Coyotes women's team, with the men defeating Bowling Green 78–72.[40]
North Dakota State opened the renovated Scheels Center. This completion brought the previously outdated Bison Sports Arena up to full Division 1 standards. The arena resumed competition of their men's basketball, women's basketball, and wrestling teams inside the Scheels Center. The renovated arena seats 5,700 people on the North side of NDSU's campus in Fargo, North Dakota. The first game played in the renovated arena was an exhibition on November 2, 2016, against NCAA Division IIIConcordia College (Moorhead, Minnesota), the Bison winning that game 90–53.[41] The first official men's game was on November 11, 2016; the Bison beat Arkansas State 76–66.[42]
This proved to be the last season for four Division I teams in their then-current venues:
Robert Morris closed the Charles L. Sewall Center, the on-campus home to the Colonials since 1985, in June 2017. At the time, the UPMC Events Center was being built at the Sewall Center site and was originally scheduled to open in the middle of the 2018–19 basketball season.[45] The Colonials played most of their 2017–18 home games at PPG Paints Arena in downtownPittsburgh, with another Pittsburgh venue, Duquesne'sA. J. Palumbo Center, used when PPG Paints Arena was not available.[46] Due to construction delays, the Colonials ultimately played their entire 2018–19 home schedule at the Student Recreation and Fitness Center, a facility that opened in 2017 at the on-campus North Athletic Complex as part of the UPMC Events Center project.[47]
An upset is a victory by an underdog team. In the context of NCAA Division I Men's Basketball, this generally constitutes an unranked team defeating a team currently ranked in the Top 25. This list will highlight those upsets of ranked teams by unranked teams as well as upsets of #1 teams. Rankings are from the AP poll.
For this list, an "upset" is defined as a win by a team seeded 7 or more spots below its defeated opponent.
This definition is based solely on seeding—in the Middle Tennessee–Minnesota game listed below, the #12 seed Middle Tennessee entered the game as a 1.5-point favorite in Las Vegas sports books.[182]
After the NCAA tournament field was announced, the NCAA invited 32 teams to participate in the National Invitation Tournament. The tournament began on March 14, 2017, with all games prior to the semifinals being played at campus sites.
The tenth College Basketball Invitational (CBI) Tournament began on March 14, 2017. This tournament features 16 teams who were left out of the NCAA tournament and NIT.
The seventh CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament began on March 13, 2017, and ended with the championship game on March 31. This tournament places an emphasis on selecting successful teams from "mid-major" conferences who were left out of the NCAA tournament and NIT. 26 teams participate in this tournament.
Dambrot, the program's all-time winningest head coach with 305 wins, left his alma mater on March 27 after 13 seasons to take the Duquesne head coaching job.[197] The Zips hired former Ohio and Illinois head coach Groce on April 5.[198]
Hayes resigned from his alma mater on March 7 after six seasons, in which the Bulldogs went 54–121 overall and never finished in the top four of the SWAC standings, capped off by a 2–27 record this season.[199] Texas Southern assistant and former Florida International head coach Marsh was tapped to fill the role on April 12.[200]
McCasland left Arkansas State on March 13 after one season for the North Texas job.[201] The Red Wolves hired Louisville assistant Balado on March 19.[202]
Peay announced on March 2 that Loos, 70, would retire after 27 seasons at APSU, which was followed by a press conference on March 6. As noted previously in this page, Loos had been undergoing chemotherapy for colon cancer during the season and took a brief medical leave from the team in January. He retired as the winningest men's head coach in Ohio Valley Conference history with 421 wins in the OVC.[203] The Governors hired South Carolina assistant Figger on April 3, just 2 days after the Gamecocks were eliminated by Gonzaga in the Final Four.[204]
Craig was fired on March 20 after six seasons at Bethune-Cookman, finishing with an overall record of 74–123 and one winning season.[205] On March 31, the Wildcats hired Ridder from Daytona State of the NJCAA.[206]
Holtmann left Butler on June 9 after three seasons for the Ohio State opening.[207] On June 13, the school hired former Bulldog player Jordan, who spent the past season as the head coach of Milwaukee.[208]
Martin left Cal on March 15 after three seasons to take the open head coaching job at Missouri.[209] The Golden Bears promoted assistant Jones on March 24.[210]
McCall left Chattanooga on March 29 after 2 seasons to take the head coaching job at UMass.[211] The Mocs hired Wisconsin assistant Paris on April 2.[212]
The 65-year-old Waters announced his retirement on March 7 after 11 seasons at Cleveland State and 21 overall. He leaves as the winningest coach in program history with 194 wins.[213] On March 24, the Vikings hired Tulsa assistant Felton, who had previously been a Division I head coach at Western Kentucky and Georgia.[214]
Grant was fired from Coppin State on March 20 after three seasons, finishing 25–69.[215] Baltimore native and former Maryland All-American Dixon was hired by the Eagles to replace Grant on April 22.[216]
Miller left Dayton on March 25 after 6 seasons for the Indiana opening.[217] On March 30, Dayton hired Oklahoma City Thunder assistant coach and ex-Flyer player Grant, who previously had head coaching jobs at VCU and Alabama.[218]
Giacoletti resigned midway into his 4th season at Drake on December 6 after a 1–7 start to the season. Top assistant Rutter assumed head coaching duties for the remainder of the 2016–17 season.[219] The Bulldogs hired Medved from Furman on March 26, where he had led the Paladins to the Southern Conference regular-season title and claimed conference Coach of the Year honors in 2016–17.[220]
Ferry was fired from Duquesne on March 13 after five seasons. The Dukes went 60–97 during his tenure, never finishing higher than 10th in the Atlantic 10, and ended this season 10–22 overall and 3–15 in the conference.[221] Duquesne hired Akron head coach Dambrot for the job on March 27.[197]
Hayford left Eastern Washington on March 29 after 6 seasons for the head coaching job at in-state rival Seattle.[222] The Eagles immediately promoted assistant coach Legans to head coach.[223]
Samuels was fired on March 17 after three seasons and a 17–71 overall record at FAMU, including a 7–23 mark this season.[224] The Rattlers hired Oregon assistant and former Western Michigan and South Florida head coach McCullum as the new head coach on May 16.[225]
Medved left Furman on March 26 after 4 seasons for the Drake head coaching job.[220] The Paladins, who had made the CIT Semifinals at the time of Medved's departure, named assistant Richey interim head coach for the remainder of the tournament,[226] and removed the interim tag after the season.[227]
Thompson was fired on March 23 after 13 seasons at Georgetown. JT3 finished with an overall record of 278–151 at the school, but the Hoyas went 14–18 overall and 5–13 in the Big East this season, and failed to make the NCAA tournament for the third time in the last 4 seasons.[228] On April 3, the school turned to Ewing, a Hall of Fame player for his career at Georgetown and the NBA, who had previously been an assistant with the Charlotte Hornets.[229]
Walker's contract was not renewed on March 22, ending his 3-year tenure at Grambling State with a 25–68 record, although the Tigers had their best season this year under Walker by finishing in a 4-way tie for 3rd in SWAC play.[230] The school went to the NAIA for their next hire, tabbing Stillman's Jackson as the next head coach on May 12.[231]
Groce was fired on March 11 after five seasons at Illinois, finishing 95–75 overall with one appearance in the NCAA tournament and no Big Ten regular-season finishes higher than seventh place. Assistant Walker took over on an interim basis for the team during the NIT, making this their 3rd appearance in the NIT in 4 years.[232] The Illini hired Underwood away from Oklahoma State as the permanent replacement on March 18.[233]
Indiana fired Crean on March 16 after 9 seasons, following the team's first round loss to Georgia Tech in the NIT. Although Crean made the NCAA Sweet Sixteen three times at IU, his record of 166–135 was the second-worst among Hoosiers coaches with at least 100 games, and the team went 18–16 and failed to make the NCAA tournament this season despite defeating two eventual #1 seeds (Kansas and North Carolina).[234] IU hired Miller from Dayton on March 25.[217]
Perri was fired on March 20 after a 77–79 record in five seasons at LIU Brooklyn, although the team won 20 games and finished 2nd in the NEC this year.[235] On April 17, the Blackbirds hired former UMass head coach Kellogg for the job.[236]
Jones was fired from his alma mater on March 10 after five seasons and an overall record of 90–72. The Tigers failed to make the NCAA tournament in 2015–16 despite having #1NBA draft pick Ben Simmons, and after starting this season 8–2 ended at 10–21, including a 1–17 stretch to finish the season.[237] LSU hired Wade from VCU on March 20, making this Wade's 3rd different head coaching job in 5 years.[238]
Kellogg was fired on March 9 after nine seasons and a 155–139 overall record at his alma mater. The Minutemen made the NCAA tournament only once in Kellogg's tenure (in 2014) and finished 15–18 overall and 4–14 in Atlantic 10 play this season.[239] UMass initially hired Winthrop head coach Pat Kelsey on March 21, but he backed out two days later, citing personal reasons.[240] UMass then hired McCall from Chattanooga on March 29.[241]
Cooper was fired on March 10 after five seasons and a 59–100 overall record at Miami, including an 11–21 mark this season.[242] On March 29, the RedHawks hired Owens, who spent the last 6 years as associate head coach at Purdue.[243]
Jordan left Milwaukee on June 13 after one season to take the head coaching job at his alma mater, Butler.[208] The Panthers tabbed Northwestern assistant Baldwin to fill the vacancy on June 20.[244]
Anderson was fired on March 5 effectively after the season, finishing 27–68 overall in his three seasons at his alma mater without an NCAA tournament appearance, capped off with a 7–23 mark and last-place SEC finish this season.[245] The Tigers hired Martin from Cal on March 15, making this Martin's 4th different head coaching job in 10 years.[209]
Woods resigned midway into his 5th season at Morehead State on December 15 amid an investigation into alleged physical abuse of players. He had been suspended by the school since November 22, and at the time of his resignation was facing charges of misdemeanor battery following incidents during and after the Eagles' November 19 game at Evansville. Assistant coach Spradlin was named interim coach during Woods' suspension, and continued in that role for the remainder of the season following the former's resignation,[246] after which Morehead State removed the interim tag.[247]
Gottfried was fired on February 16, effective at the end of NC State's season. At the time, he was in his fifth season at NC State and 122–82 overall at the school, but was 14–13 overall and 3–11 in ACC play this season, with the Wolfpack losing each of their last three games by more than 20 points.[248] NC State stayed within its university system for its new hire, luring Keatts from UNC Wilmington on March 17.[249]
Neal was fired on March 31, 3 weeks after New Mexico athletic director Paul Krebs had announced that Neal would return next season. In his first season as head coach, Neal led the Lobos to a 27–7 record and an appearance in the NCAA tournament by virtue of winning the Mountain West tournament, but went 49–45 during the next 3 seasons with no postseason appearances.[250] The school hired Weir from in-state rival New Mexico State on April 11.[251]
Weir left NMSU on April 11 after one season for the head coaching job at in-state rival New Mexico.[251] On April 17, the Aggies hired ex-Bowling Green head coach Jans, who spent the last 2 seasons at Wichita State in an administrative role and was promoted to associate head coach of the Shockers 4 days before being hired at NMSU.[252]
Benford was fired on March 5 after five seasons and a 62–95 overall record at UNT, capped off by an 8–22 overall record and 2–16 record in C-USA play this season.[253] The Mean Green filled the vacancy with Arkansas State head coach McCasland on March 13.[201]
Matta was fired on June 5 after 13 seasons at OSU. He left as the program's winningest coach with 337 wins, but this season, in which the Buckeyes finished 17–15 overall, was the first time during Matta's tenure that the team did not win at least 20 games, and the first time since Matta's first season at Ohio State in 2005 to miss the postseason altogether.[254] The school hired Butler's Holtmann as their new head coach on June 9.[207]
Underwood left Oklahoma State on March 18 after one season for the Illinois opening.[233] The Cowboys stayed in-house to fill the vacancy, promoting assistant Boynton on March 24.[255]
Oral Roberts parted ways with Sutton on April 10 after 18 seasons. Sutton finishes as the school's all-time winningest head coach with 328 wins, but the Golden Eagles finished 8–22 overall and last in The Summit League this season.[256] ORU hired Baylor assistant Mills as their new head coach on April 28.[257]
Portland State parted ways with Geving on March 15 after 8 seasons, finishing with a 112–133 record.[258] The Vikings hired Santa Clara associate head coach and former Portland State assistant Peery on April 10.[259]
Nibert resigned from Presbyterian on April 12 after 28 seasons. Nibert left as the school's winningest head coach with 419 wins, but the Blue Hose had gone 86–218 since making the transition to Division I in 2007.[260] The school hired Wofford associate head coach Kerns as the next head coach on May 23.[261]
Moore was fired on March 7 after 10 seasons and an overall record of 162–150 at Quinnipiac. In his final two seasons, the Bobcats went 9–21 and 10–21.[262] Quinnipiac hired top Villanova assistant Baker Dunleavy, son of former Tulane head coach Mike Dunleavy Sr. and brother of NBA veteran Mike Dunleavy Jr. on March 27.[263]
Rhoades left Rice on March 21 after three seasons for the head coaching job at VCU, where he served as associate head coach under Shaka Smart from 2009 to 2014 before taking the Rice job.[264] 2 days later, the Owls named top assistant Pera as Rhoades' replacement.[265]
According to multiple sources, the 72-year-old Fisher made the decision to retire on April 10 after 18 seasons at San Diego State, which he confirmed the following day. He leaves the Aztecs as the program's winningest head coach with 386 wins. Dutcher, who had been an assistant under Fisher throughout his tenure at SDSU and also at Fisher's previous coaching stop at Michigan, took over as Fisher's designated successor.[266]
Wojcik resigned from San Jose State on July 10 citing personal reasons, finishing 32–90 overall in 4 seasons with the Spartans.[267] Colorado assistant Prioleau was named head coach on August 4.[268]
Dollar was fired on March 13 after 8 seasons at Seattle with a record of 107–138.[269] The Redhawks hired Heyford from in-state rival Eastern Washington on March 29.[222]
Banks, who had just completed his 6th season as Southern's head coach, was named the new long-term Athletic Director of the school on March 31. He had been serving as the interim AD of Southern for the past two years. Associate HC Scott was promoted to interim head coach for the 2017-18 season.[270] On April 12, 2018, Stetson assistant coach Woods was named full-time head coach of the Jaguars.[271]
Antigua struggled during his 2 ½ seasons at USF, and after a 6–7 start to the season against the backdrop of an academic fraud investigation, he was fired on January 3. Assistant Bartow was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season.[272][273] After the season, the Bulls hired Gregory on March 14, one year following his departure from Georgia Tech.[274]
Williams, the program's all-time winningest coach with 313 wins, was fired on March 9 after a 6–22 season, his worst season in his 19-year tenure at UCSB.[275] The Gauchos hired Arizona associate head coach and former New Orleans head coach Pasternack on March 30.[276]
Keatts left Wilmington on March 17 after 3 seasons for the NC State opening.[249] The Seahawks hired ex-Kansas player and North Carolina assistant McGrath on April 4.[277]
Citing complications from surgeries on both of his ankles during the off-season, the 66-year-old Payne announced his retirement on October 3, 2017, after 15 seasons at USC Upstate and 32 overall as head coach. Associate head coach Perry was initially named interim head coach of the Spartans, but had the interim tag removed on October 20 and was named full-time head coach.[278][279]
Wade left VCU on March 20 after two seasons to take the LSU head coaching job.[238] The Rams brought back former assistant Rhoades the next day, this time as head coach.[264]
Romar was fired on March 15 after 15 seasons at Washington. Romar finished with an overall record of 298–195 at his alma mater, but this season, in which the Huskies finished 9–22 overall and 2–16 in Pac-12 play, was the sixth straight year in which the team failed to make the NCAA tournament, despite featuring two first-round NBA draft picks in 2015–16 (Marquese Chriss and Dejounte Murray) and the eventual #1 overall draft pick this season in Markelle Fultz.[280] Washington hired Syracuse assistant Mike Hopkins on March 19, who had been designated as Syracuse's head coach-in-waiting when Boeheim retires.[281]
The 65-year-old Slocum announced his retirement on March 7 after 12 seasons at Youngstown State and 42 as an NCAA head coach. He left with 142 wins with the Penguins, the most in the program's Division I history, and 723 overall.[282] Calhoun was hired from Division IIFairmont State on March 25, fresh off the Falcons' loss in the D-II championship game.[283]
