North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball coaching search

John FantaNBC Sports college basketball broadcaster

• Fanta predicted Ben McCollum will remain Iowa's head coach for years rather than moving on.

  “I think he's going to be the Iowa head coach for years to come”

  Pardon My Take: Final Four Weekend As Michigan And UConn Advance, John Fanta Talks CBB + Possibly Taking The UNC Job, Geno Crash Out + National Sports Podcast Topics And Who's Back (Apr 6, 2026) · Listen from 1:45:00

• Prediction · due Mar 2027

  Fanta said Mark Pope faces a critical third year at Kentucky and that missing the tournament's second week would put him in trouble.

  “for kentucky if they don't make the second week in the ncaa tournament next year yeah things are things are hot”

  Pardon My Take: Final Four Weekend As Michigan And UConn Advance, John Fanta Talks CBB + Possibly Taking The UNC Job, Geno Crash Out + National Sports Podcast Topics And Who's Back (Apr 6, 2026) · Listen from 1:45:49

• Prediction · due Dec 2036

  Fanta predicted Dusty May will become an NBA head coach within roughly a decade.

  “But I do think 10 years from now, Dusty May is going to be an NBA head coach”

  Pardon My Take: Final Four Weekend As Michigan And UConn Advance, John Fanta Talks CBB + Possibly Taking The UNC Job, Geno Crash Out + National Sports Podcast Topics And Who's Back (Apr 6, 2026) · Listen from 1:43:24

• Fanta said he is on the Billy Donovan hype train for the North Carolina job and named Mark Byington as an alternative.

  “So I am on the Donovan hype train”

  Pardon My Take: Final Four Weekend As Michigan And UConn Advance, John Fanta Talks CBB + Possibly Taking The UNC Job, Geno Crash Out + National Sports Podcast Topics And Who's Back (Apr 6, 2026) · Listen from 1:40:10