2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season explained
Year: | 2024 |
Preseason Ap: | Kansas |
Regular Season: | November 4, 2024−March 16, 2025 |
Tourney Start: | March 18 |
Nc Date: | April 7, 2025 |
Champ Stad: | Alamodome |
Champ City: | San Antonio, Texas |
The 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 4, 2024. The regular season will end on March 16, 2025, with the 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament beginning with the First Four on March 18 and ending with the championship game at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on April 7.
Rule changes
On May 2, 2024, the NCAA Basketball Rules Committee proposed a few rule changes for the 2024–25 season. These changes were approved on June 6 by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel.[1] [2]
- Officials will be able to review whether a player's foot last touching the court was inbounds on a made shot before time expired. If a player's foot is determined to be out of bounds, officials would put the exact time of the violation on the game clock. However, if the shot is made and time remains on the game clock, a video review would not occur.
- A one-game suspension has been added to the ejection of any player, coach, or bench personnel who "disrespectfully contacts an official or makes a threat of physical intimidation or harm, to include pushing, shoving, spitting or attempting to make physical contact with an official".
- An experimental rule for the 2025 NIT will allow a coach to appeal out-of-bounds calls for video replay review in the last two minutes of games, pending NIT board approval.
Season headlines
- April 10, 2024 – Longtime head coach John Calipari left Kentucky after 15 years and was named the head coach at Arkansas.[3]
- May 29 – Stephen F. Austin announced it would leave the Western Athletic Conference on July 1 to rejoin the Southland Conference after a three-year absence.[4]
- July 1 – IUPUI's athletic teams renamed to Indiana University Indianapolis (IU Indy) after the Indiana and Purdue university systems split the university into IU Indianapolis and Purdue University in Indianapolis.[5]
- September 12 – The Pac-12 Conference, which had been reduced to two members after its remaining ten schools left for other power conferences, began a rebuilding process by announcing that Mountain West Conference members Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State would join the Pac-12 in 2026–27.[6]
- September 24 – The Pac-12 Conference's rebuilding continued as Utah State would join the other Mountain West defectors in 2026–27.[7]
- September 30 – Gonzaga announced it would leave the West Coast Conference to join the Pac-12 Conference for all sports except for football in 2026–27.[8]
- October 1 – UTEP announced it would join the Mountain West from Conference USA in 2026–27.[9]
- October 9:[10]
- The NCAA Division I Council approved a proposal that reduced the duration of the transfer portal to 30 days. Going forward, the window opens on the day after the completion of the second round of the Division I men's tournament.
- The Council also abolished the National Letter of Intent program effective immediately. Written offers of athletics aid will replace the NLI.
- The Council introduced a proposal that would shorten the transition periods for schools wishing to reclassify from Division II or Division III to Division I. If approved at the Council's January 2025 meeting, the transition periods for D-II and D-III schools would drop by a year, respectively to three and four years.
- October 15 – The Mountain West announced that Hawaiʻi, which has been a football-only member of that conference since 2012, would leave the Big West Conference in 2026 to become a full MW member.[11]
- October 21 – The Associated Press released its preseason All-America team. Alabama guard Mark Sears was the leading vote-getter (54 of 55 possible votes), joined by guard R. J. Davis of North Carolina (51 votes), center Hunter Dickinson of Kansas (42), center Johni Broome of Auburn (34), freshman forward Cooper Flagg of Duke (24), and guard Caleb Love of Arizona (24). A tie in voting between Flagg and Love created a sixth spot on the preseason team.[12]
- October 24 – South Florida head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim died unexpectedly at the age of 43.[13]
- November 1 – The Mountain West announced that Grand Canyon would join the conference no later than 2026 for all sports except for football.[14] Grand Canyon's official announcement stated that it would not compete in the West Coast Conference, which it had previously been scheduled to join in July 2025, and that if MW bylaws allowed, it would join that conference in 2025.[15]
- November 7 – The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents approved the name change of the former Texas A&M University–Commerce to East Texas A&M University.[16]
Milestones and records
- November 12 – Bill Self became Kansas' all-time leader in wins after recording a 77–69 win over Michigan State in Atlanta. The win was his 591st with the Jayhawks, surpassing Phog Allen as the winngest coach in program history.[17] On November 20, he won his 800th career game in an 84–66 home win over UNC Wilmington. Prior to Kansas, Self coached at Oral Roberts, Tulsa and Illinois.[18]
- November 13 – Creighton coach Greg McDermott defeated Houston Christian 78–43 to became the school's all time leader in wins with 328.[19]
- November 18 – Kansas City defeated local NCCAA member Calvary 119–19, setting several school records, including most lopsided win and fewest points allowed. With the Roos having defeated another local NCCAA school, Kansas Christian, 124–36 on November 8, they became the first Division I men's team with two wins by 85 or more points in a single season.[20]
Conference membership changes
A total of 23 schools joined new conferences for the 2024–25 season. Of these, 20 moved within Division I, two began reclassification from NCAA Division II, and Chicago State ended its two-year stint as an all-sports independent to join the Northeast Conference.
The 2024–25 will be the last season in their respective conferences for at least five Division I schools.
Arenas
New arenas
- Georgia Southern will leave the Hanner Fieldhouse, after 55 seasons, for the new Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center.[21] The team will play its first game in the Hill Convocation Center on December 7, 2024 against the North Florida Ospreys, despite playing their first three home games at the Hanner Fieldhouse.
- St. Thomas will play their final season at Schoenecker Arena, where they have played since 1981, before moving to the new Lee and Penny Anderson Arena, which will open in the 2025–26 season.[22]
- Vermont was originally slated to open their new arena, Tarrant Event Center, as a replacement for the current arena, Patrick Gym. Construction was to continue in 2021 but it has been delayed indefinitely.[23]
Arena of new D-I teams
Arena name changes
- In September the name of the PNC Arena, the home arena of NC State, was changed to the Lenovo Center.
- In October the name of the Greensboro Coliseum, the home arena of UNC Greensboro changed to the First Horizon Coliseum.
Other arena changes
Seasonal outlook
See main article: 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings. The Top 25 from the AP and USA Today Coaching polls
Pre-season polls
Top 10 matchups
Rankings reflect the AP poll Top 25.
Regular season
- Nov. 4, 2024
- Nov. 8
- Nov. 25
- Nov. 26
- Dec. 4
- Dec. 7
Postseason
Regular season
Early-season tournaments
Names | Dates | Location | Teams | Champion | Runner-up | 3rd-place winner |
---|
Greenbrier Tip-Off | November 15–24, 2024 | The Greenbrier (White Sulphur Springs, WV) | 8 | Wisconsin (Mountain) UT Rio Grande Valley (River) | Pittsburgh (Mountain) Tennessee Tech (River) | LSU (Mountain) VMI (River) |
Bahamas Championship | November 21−22, 2024 | Baha Mar Convention Center (Nassau, Bahamas) | 4 | Tennessee | Baylor | St. John's |
Legends Classic | November 21−22, 2024 | Barclays Center (Brooklyn, NY) | 4 | Texas | Saint Joseph's | Texas Tech |
Boardwalk Battle | November 21−23, 2024 | Ocean Center (Daytona Beach, FL) | 8 | UC San Diego | Toledo | James Madison |
Charleston Classic | November 21–24, 2024 | TD Arena (Charleston, SC) | 8 | Drake | Vanderbilt | Seton Hall |
Myrtle Beach Invitational | November 21–24, 2024 | HTC Center (Conway, SC) | 8 | Bradley | Middle Tennessee | South Florida |
Paradise Jam tournament | November 22−25, 2024 | Sports and Fitness Center (Saint Thomas, USVI) | 8 | Liberty | McNeese | Kansas State |
Cayman Islands Classic | November 24−26, 2024 | John Gray Gymnasium (George Town, Cayman Islands) | 8 | Boston College | Boise State | South Dakota State |
Sunshine Slam | November 25–26, 2024 | Ocean Center (Daytona Beach, FL) | 8 | Clemson (Beach) Radford (Ocean) | Penn State (Beach) Purdue Fort Wayne (Ocean) | San Francisco (Beach) Drexel (Ocean) |
Fort Myers Tip-Off | November 25–27, 2024 | Suncoast Credit Union Arena (Fort Myers, FL) | 8 | Michigan (Beach) Miami (OH) (Palms) | Xavier (Beach) Mercer (Palms) | South Carolina (Beach) Jacksonville (Palms) |
Maui Invitational | November 25–27, 2024 | Lahaina Civic Center (Lahaina, HI) | 8 | Auburn | Memphis | Michigan State |
Acrisure Holiday Invitational | November 26–27, 2024 | Acrisure Arena (Palm Desert, CA) | 4 | SMU | Washington State | California Baptist |
Cancún Challenge | November 26–27, 2024 | Hard Rock Hotel – Riviera Maya (Cancún, Mexico) | 8 | Loyola Marymount (Riviera) Gardner–Webb (Mayan) | Wyoming (Riviera) Bethune–Cookman (Mayan) | Belmont (Riviera) Southeastern Louisiana (Mayan) |
Players Era Festival | November 26–30, 2024 | MGM Grand Garden Arena (Paradise, NV) | 8 | Oregon | Alabama | San Diego State |
Battle 4 Atlantis | November 27−29, 2024 | Imperial Arena (Paradise Island, Bahamas) | 8 | Oklahoma | Louisville | West Virginia |
Acrisure Classic | November 28−29, 2024 | Acrisure Arena (Palm Desert, CA) | 4 | Arizona State | Saint Mary's | New Mexico |
Acrisure Invitational | November 28−29, 2024 | Acrisure Arena (Palm Desert, CA) | 4 | Washington | Santa Clara | Colorado State |
ESPN Events Invitational | November 28−29, 2024 | State Farm Field House (Lake Buena Vista, FL) | 4 | Florida | Wichita State | Wake Forest |
NIT Season Tip-Off | November 28−29, 2024 | State Farm Field House (Lake Buena Vista, FL) | 4 | Utah State | North Texas | St. Bonaventure |
Rady Children's Invitational | November 28−29, 2024 | LionTree Arena (San Diego, CA) | 4 | Purdue | Ole Miss | BYU |
Arizona Tip-Off | November 28−30, 2024 | Mullett Arena (Tempe, AZ) | 8 | Butler (Cactus) Weber State (Desert) | Mississippi State (Cactus) Pepperdine (Desert) | Northwestern (Cactus) Bowling Green (Desert) |
Big 5 Classic | November 12−December 7, 2024 | Wells Fargo Center (final rounds) (Philadelphia, PA) | 6 | TBD | | |
Sun Bowl Invitational | December 20−21, 2024 | Don Haskins Center (El Paso, TX) | 4 | TBD | | |
Diamond Head Classic | December 22−25, 2024 | Stan Sheriff Center (Honolulu, HI) | 8 | TBD | | | |
Head-to-head conference challenges
Conference matchup | Dates | Conference winner | Conference loser | Record |
---|
ACC–SEC Challenge | December 3−4 | SEC | ACC | |
ASUN–SoCon Challenge | November 4−December 16 | | | |
Big Sky–Summit Challenge | December 4−7 | | | |
Big East–Big 12 Battle | December 3−9 | | | |
Conference USA–WAC Challenge | November 9−December 30 | | | |
MAC–SBC Challenge | November 4−February 8 | | | | |
Upsets
Winner | Score | Loser | Date | Tournament/event | Notes |
---|
UCF | 64–61 | No. 13 Texas A&M | November 4, 2024 | | |
Ohio State | 80–72 | No. 19 Texas | Hall of Fame Series - Las Vegas | |
New Mexico | 72–64 | No. 22 UCLA | November 8, 2024 | Las Vegas Hoopfest | Game played in Henderson, NV |
Wisconsin | 103–88 | No. 9 Arizona | November 15, 2024 | | |
Nebraska | 74–63 | No. 14 Creighton | November 22, 2024 | Rivalry | |
Georgia | 66–63 | No. 22 St. John's | November 24, 2024 | Atlantis Resort Series | Game played at Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas |
Kennesaw State | 79–77 | No. 24 Rutgers | | First win over an AP Top 25 opponent in school history |
Memphis | 99–97OT | No. 2 UConn | November 25, 2024 | Maui Invitational | |
San Diego State | 71–53 | No. 21 Creighton | November 26, 2024 | Players Era Festival | |
Colorado | 73–72 | No. 2 UConn | Maui Invitational | |
Oregon | 80–70 | No. 20 Texas A&M | Players Era Festival | |
Louisville | 89–61 | No. 14 Indiana | November 27, 2024 | Battle 4 Atlantis | |
West Virginia | 86–78OT | No. 3 Gonzaga | First overtime win for West Virginia since 2019 |
Michigan | 78–53 | No. 22 Xavier | Fort Myers Tip-Off | |
Michigan State | 94–91OT | No. 12 North Carolina | Maui Invitational | |
Dayton | 85–67 | No. 2 UConn | First top 2 team to lose to unranked opponent for three consecutive days. |
Illinois | 90–77 | No. 19 Arkansas | November 28, 2024 | Thanksgiving Hoops Showcase | Game played in Kansas City, MO |
Oklahoma | 82–77 | No. 24 Arizona | Battle 4 Atlantis | |
West Virginia | 83–76OT | November 29, 2024 | |
Butler | 87–77 | No. 25 Mississippi State | Arizona Tip-Off | |
San Diego State | 73–70OT | No. 6 Houston | November 30, 2024 | Players Era Festival | |
Oregon | 83–81 | No. 9 Alabama | |
Villanova | 68–60 | No. 14 Cincinnati | December 3, 2024 | Big East–Big 12 Battle | |
Michigan | 67–64 | No. 11 Wisconsin | | |
Clemson | 70–66 | No. 4 Kentucky | ACC–SEC Challenge | |
Creighton | 76–63 | No. 1 Kansas | December 4, 2024 | Big East–Big 12 Battle | | |
In addition to the above listed upsets in which an unranked team defeated a ranked team, there have been two non-Division I teams that defeated a Division I team so far this season.
Bold type indicates winning teams in "true road games"—i.e., those played on an opponent's home court (including secondary homes).
Conference winners and tournaments
Each of the 31 Division I athletic conferences will end its regular season with a single-elimination tournament. The team with the best regular-season record in each conference receives the number one seed in each tournament, with tiebreakers used as needed in the case of ties for the top seeding. Unless otherwise noted, the winners of these tournaments will receive automatic invitations to the 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
Conference | Regular season first place | Conference player of the year | Conference coach of the year | Conference tournament | Tournament venue (city) | Tournament winner |
---|
America East Conference | | | | 2025 America East men's basketball tournament | Campus sites | |
American Athletic Conference | | | | 2025 American Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament | Dickies Arena (Fort Worth, TX) | |
Atlantic Sun Conference | | | | 2025 ASUN men's basketball tournament | Campus sites | |
Atlantic 10 Conference | | | | 2025 Atlantic 10 Conference men's basketball tournament | Capital One Arena (Washington, D.C.) | |
Atlantic Coast Conference | | | | 2025 Atlantic Coast Conference men's basketball tournament | Spectrum Center (Charlotte, NC) | |
Big 12 Conference | | | | 2025 Big 12 Conference men's basketball tournament | T-Mobile Center (Kansas City, MO) | |
Big East Conference | | | | 2025 Big East Conference men's basketball tournament | Madison Square Garden (New York, NY) | |
Big Sky Conference | | | | 2025 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament | Idaho Central Arena (Boise, ID) | |
Big South Conference | | | | 2025 Big South Conference men's basketball tournament | Freedom Hall Civic Center (Johnson City, TN) | |
Big Ten Conference | | | | 2025 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament | Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, IN) | |
Big West Conference | | | | 2025 Big West Conference men's basketball tournament | Lee's Family Forum (Henderson, NV) | |
Coastal Athletic Association | | | | 2025 CAA men's basketball tournament | Entertainment and Sports Arena (Washington, D.C.) | |
Conference USA | | | | 2025 Conference USA men's basketball tournament | Propst Arena (Huntsville, AL) | |
Horizon League | | | | 2025 Horizon League men's basketball tournament | Quarterfinals: Campus sites Semifinals and final: Corteva Coliseum (Indianapolis, IN) | |
Ivy League | | | | 2025 Ivy League men's basketball tournament | Pizzitola Sports Center (Providence, RI) | |
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | | | | 2025 MAAC men's basketball tournament | Boardwalk Hall (Atlantic City, NJ) | |
Mid-American Conference | | | | 2025 Mid-American Conference men's basketball tournament | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (Cleveland, OH) |
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | | | | 2025 MEAC men's basketball tournament | Norfolk Scope (Norfolk, VA) | |
Missouri Valley Conference | | | | 2025 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament | Enterprise Center (St. Louis, MO) | |
Mountain West Conference | | | | 2025 Mountain West Conference men's basketball tournament | Thomas & Mack Center (Paradise, NV) | |
Northeast Conference | | | | 2025 Northeast Conference men's basketball tournament | Campus sites | |
Ohio Valley Conference | | | | 2025 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament | Ford Center (Evansville, IN) | |
Patriot League | | | | 2025 Patriot League men's basketball tournament | Campus sites | |
Southeastern Conference | | | | 2025 Southeastern Conference men's basketball tournament | Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, TN) | |
Southern Conference | | | | 2025 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament | Harrah's Cherokee Center (Asheville, NC) | |
Southland Conference | | | | 2025 Southland Conference men's basketball tournament | The Legacy Center (Lake Charles, LA) | |
Southwestern Athletic Conference | | | | 2025 SWAC men's basketball tournament | Gateway Center Arena (College Park, GA) | |
Summit League | | | | 2025 Summit League men's basketball tournament | Denny Sanford Premier Center (Sioux Falls, SD) | |
Sun Belt Conference | | | | 2025 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament | Pensacola Bay Center (Pensacola, FL) | |
West Coast Conference | | | | 2025 West Coast Conference men's basketball tournament | Orleans Arena (Paradise, NV) | |
Western Athletic Conference | | | | 2025 WAC men's basketball tournament | | |
Coaching changes
Many teams will change coaches during the season and after it ends.
Team | Former
| Interim
| New
| Reason |
---|
South Florida | Amir Abdur-Rahim | Ben Fletcher | | The 43-year-old Abdur-Rahim passed away on October 24, 2024, just 11 days before beginning his second season as South Florida head coach, following complications during a medical procedure at a Tampa hospital. In his first and only season at USF, he led the team to a school record 25 wins, an American Athletic Conference regular season championship, and was named AAC Coach of the Year.[27] 5 days after his death, Bulls associate head coach Fletcher was named interim head coach for the season.[28] |
Virginia | Tony Bennett | Ron Sanchez | | Virginia announced on October 17, 2024 that Bennett had retired, effective immediately, and made a formal announcement the next day. Bennett leaves the Cavaliers after 15 seasons as the winningest head coach of the program with 364 wins, 10 NCAA tournament appearances, six ACC regular-season titles, two ACC tournament championships, and a national title in 2019.[29] Associate head coach Sanchez, who rejoined the staff last season after spending the past 5 seasons as Charlotte head coach, was named interim head coach for the season.[30] | |
See also
Notes and References
- Expanded video replay review proposed for men’s basketball . 5 November 2024 . NCAA . May 2, 2024.
- News: Expanded video replay review approved for men’s basketball . 5 November 2024 . NCAA . June 6, 2024.
- Web site: Hall Of Fame Coach John Calipari To Lead Razorback Basketball . arkansasrazorbacks.com. April 10, 2024 .
- SFA Athletics Accepts Invitation to Join Southland Conference in 2024-25 . Southland Conference . May 29, 2024 . May 29, 2024.
- News: 'A no-brainer.' New IU Indy basketball coach Paul Corsaro will 'start in our backyard.' . Neddenreip . Kyle . Indianapolis Star . April 1, 2024 . June 7, 2024.
- Ushering in a new era, the Pac-12 Conference strengthens its legacy by welcoming four respected academic and athletic universities . Pac-12 Conference . September 12, 2024 . September 14, 2024.
- Pac-12 Conference and Utah State University Unite to Advance the New Era of the 100-Year-Old Legacy . Pac-12 Conference . September 24, 2024 . September 25, 2024.
- Pac-12 Conference and Gonzaga University Unite to Build a Basketball Powerhouse, Advancing the New Era of the Conference's 100-Year Legacy . Pac-12 Conference . September 30, 2024 . October 1, 2024.
- Mountain West Welcomes UTEP Into The Conference . Mountain West Conference . October 1, 2024 . October 1, 2024.
- DI Council approves changes to notification-of-transfer windows in basketball, football . NCAA . October 9, 2024 . October 9, 2024.
- Mountain West Officially Welcomes Hawaiʻi as a Full-Time Member . Mountain West Conference . October 15, 2024 . October 15, 2024.
- News: Duke’s Cooper Flagg makes preseason AP All-America team as ACC, Big 12, SEC each place 2 players . Associated Press . APNews.com . October 21, 2024 . November 11, 2024 .
- Web site: 2024-10-24 . South Florida Head Men’s Basketball Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim Passes Away. 2024-10-24. USF Athletics. en.
- Mountain West Officially Welcomes Grand Canyon University . Mountain West Conference . November 1, 2024 . November 1, 2024.
- GCU accepts invite to Mountain West Conference . Grand Canyon Antelopes . November 1, 2024 . November 1, 2024 . In joining the Mountain West Conference, GCU has formally declined an invitation from the West Coast Conference that would have seen the Lopes become WCC members on July 1, 2025..
- Texas A&M University System Board of Regents Approves Name Change for Texas A&M University-Commerce . East Texas A&M University . November 7, 2024 . November 9, 2024.
- News: Paul . Newberry . Bill Self brushes off becoming winningest coach in Kansas history, passing Phog Allen . apnews.com . November 12, 2024 . November 21, 2024.
- News: Jordan . Guskey . Kansas basketball coach Bill Self reaches 800 career wins with victory vs UNCW . cjonline.com . November 20, 2024 . November 21, 2024.
- Web site: McDermott Becomes Winningest Coach in Victory Over Huskies .
- News: The Division I team that set records after humiliating a former bible college school by 100 points . Kyle . Boone . CBSSports.com . November 19, 2024 . November 20, 2024.
- Web site: Aubrey . Josh . July 31, 2024 . Convocation center nears opening . October 6, 2024 . TheGeorgeanne.com.
- Web site: November 5, 2023 . Neighborhood Group Court For Environmental Review Of New St. Thomas Arena . November 5, 2023 . MPRNews.org.
- Web site: September 28, 2022 . UVM Sports Complex Arena Still On Hold Wellness Center Open . September 28, 2022 . WCAX.com.
- NCAA basketball returns to Knights Hall as Bellarmine celebrates full Division I membership after successful reclassification process . Bellarmine Knights . August 28, 2024 . August 28, 2024.
- Web site: November 9, 2024. Xavier (LA) 62-56 Alcorn State (Nov 9, 2024) Final Score -ESPN. November 9, 2024 . ESPN.com.
- Web site: November 25, 2024. Rogers State 69-68 Oral Roberts (Nov 25, 2024) Final Score -ESPN. November 25, 2024 . ESPN.com.
- South Florida Head Men’s Basketball Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim Passes Away. South Florida Bulls. October 24, 2024. October 24, 2024.
- South Florida Athletics Names Interim Head Men’s Basketball Coach. South Florida Bulls. October 29, 2024. October 29, 2024.
- Tony Bennett to Announce Retirement on Friday at 11 a.m. . Virginia Cavaliers . October 17, 2024 . October 17, 2024.
- News: Virginia coaching candidates: Ron Sanchez named interim coach for 2024-25, search begins to replace Bennett. cbssports.com. Kyle. Boone. October 18, 2024. October 22, 2024.