Somebody forgot to remind the college basketball world that today marks the Ides of March. It’s barely the afternoon and several coaches from top programs across the country have already been axed.
According to Jeff Goodman of Stadium, DePaul has just parted ways with head coach Dave Leitao after six straight years without an NCAA Tournament appearance. Leitao is now the third head coach to be fired today, joining Indiana’s Archie Miller and Minnesota’s Richard Pitino.
DePaul hired Leitao in 2015 for a second stint after having previously taken their program to the NCAA Tournament in 2004. But Leitao’s success in his first stint didn’t follow him to the second one.
The Blue Demons finished last in the Big East in each of the last five seasons. They were CBI runner-ups in 2019, but never finished a regular season with a winning record.
DePaul has parted ways with Dave Leitao, source told @Stadium.
Leitao 2.0 is over.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 15, 2021
Indiana got the ball rolling on what has become “Black Monday” for the college basketball world. They fired Archie Miller this morning after missing the NCAA Tournament yet again.
Richard Pitino parted ways with Minnesota shortly afterwards, ending an eight-year run that included two NCAA Tournament appearances.
More firings are likely to come in the days or even hours to come.
All three of those positions are in top-tier conferences. They’ll all be going after the top coaching prospects available, even if they don’t get one.
Which job seems the most appealing heading into the college basketball offseason?