A year after stumbling through a 7-24 season and finishing near the bottom of the ACC, Miami has flipped the script under first-year coach Jai Lucas, sitting at 17-5 overall and 6-3 in conference play as February gets under way.
Lucas, hired last March to replace Jim Larranaga, inherited a program that needed a reset and has already pushed the Hurricanes back into the NCAA tournament conversation. Let's take a look at how big Miami's turnaround in Year 1 is, how it stacks up against the best first-season flips in college basketball history, and what's different about doing it now in an era where rosters can change overnight.
It's also worth saying up front that huge swings have become more common in the transfer-portal era, just because roster overhauls are faster now. Also, there have been a ton of turnarounds in college basketball; these are just the ones that have been picked out with similar circumstances.
Where Miami's turnaround sits right now (as of Feb. 6, 2026)
Miami (Jai Lucas, 2025-26): 17-5 so far after 7-24 in 2024-25
- Win jump (already): +10
- First year at program: Yes
- First head-coaching job ever (college): Yes
That's a legit turnaround, even before the season is finished. For "all-time great" territory, you usually need something closer to +18 to +20 wins in year one, which has happened, especially lately.
Big first-year turnarounds (modern/portal era)
Iowa State (T.J. Otzelberger, 2021-22): 22-13 after 2-22 (2020-21)
- Win jump: +20
- First year at program: Yes
- First head-coaching job ever: No
Louisville (Pat Kelsey, 2024-25): 27-8 after 8-24 (2023-24)
- Win jump: +19
- First year at program: Yes
- First head-coaching job ever: No
Missouri (Dennis Gates, 2022-23): 25-10 after 12-21 (2021-22)
- Win jump: +13
- First year at program: Yes
- First head-coaching job ever: No
Arizona (Tommy Lloyd, 2021-22): 33-4 after 17-9 (2020-21)
- Win jump: +16
- First year at program: Yes
- First head-coaching job ever: Yes (he’d spent 22 seasons as an assistant at Gonzaga before getting his first head-coaching job at Arizona)
Kansas State (Jerome Tang, 2022-23): 26-10 after 14-17 (2021-22)
- Win jump: +12
- First year at program: Yes
- First head-coaching job ever: He was a high school head coach before college
Notable first-year turnarounds (pre-portal era)
Washington State (Tony Bennett, 2006-07): 26-8 after 11-17 (2005-06)
- Win jump: +15
- First year at program: Yes
- First head-coaching job ever (at the Division I level): Yes (he was promoted from WSU staff)
Georgetown (John Thompson, 1972-73): 12-14 after 3-23 (1971-72)
- Win jump: +9
- First year at program: Yes
- First head-coaching job ever (college): Yes
UCLA (John Wooden, 1948-49): 22-7 after 12-13 the year before
- Win jump: +10
- First year at program: Yes
- First head-coaching job ever: No (Wooden had already been a head coach at Indiana State)
Nevada (Eric Musselman, 2015-16): 24-14 after 9-22 (2014-15)
- Win jump: +15
- First year at program: Yes
- First head-coaching job ever: No (he had been a head coach before, including in the NBA)
Texas A&M (Billy Gillispie, 2004-05): 21-10 after 7-21 (2003-04)
- Win jump: +14
- First year at program: Yes
- First head-coaching job ever: No
UMBC (Ryan Odom, 2016-17): 21-13 after 7-25 (2015-16)
- Win jump: +14
- First year at program: Yes
- First head-coaching job ever: No (he got his first head-coaching job at Lenoir-Rhyne before UMBC)