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From ESPN: Your giant, end-of-regular-season coach carousel primer
Storylines
3. UCLA: Ah, the elephant in the room. The job has been vacant since New Year's Eve, and there hasn't been a ton of activity. Tony Bennett has been at the top of UCLA's short list for several weeks, and it's likely that the Virginia head coach will ultimately say no. Fred Hoiberg has spoken to the powers-that-be in charge of the search, and he remains a candidate. There are a number of other names being thrown around, including Tennessee's Rick Barnes, Cincinnati's Mick Cronin, Washington's Mike Hopkins and Purdue's Matt Painter, while Los Angeles Lakers coach Luke Walton could be an option, depending on the timeline. It doesn't sound like UCLA is too close to a decision, though.
Could go either way
SMU: This seems early, but the whispers have been getting louder down the stretch for Tim Jankovich and the Mustangs. They've lost eight of their past nine and have won 11 conference games the past two seasons combined. It's an attractive job, thanks to the renovated arena and the talent-rich area that surrounds Dallas. Musselman has been mentioned as a potential name, and there is also some buzz that Alabama's Avery Johnson could be on the short list. The American Athletic Conference has made some big-time hires in recent years; could pressure be on SMU to be next?
Others to keep an eye on
Tulane: The buzz is growing that Mike Dunleavy Sr. is not long for college coaching. Given that his first 22 years of coaching were spent in the NBA and he had zero college coaching experience before taking over the Green Wave in 2016, that's not a huge surprise. They're also one of the worst teams in the country, and they had an 18-game losing streak heading into Wednesday. Could someone such as Andy Kennedy get back into coaching at Tulane?
Big names to watch
Kelvin Sampson, Houston: Sampson has turned around Houston and made the Cougars nationally relevant again, and there's some buzz that he doesn't want to leave just yet. However, expect Texas A&M -- and Arkansas if it opens up -- to make a run at him.
Gregg Marshall, Wichita State: His star has waned somewhat the past couple years, but he went to seven consecutive NCAA tournaments before this season -- and took Wichita State to a Final Four in 2013. If there's a massive carousel this spring, he will land a big job.
Mick Cronin, Cincinnati: Another coach who has had consistent success for years, Cronin has been to eight NCAA tournaments in a row and has the Bearcats on their way to another. He's likely going to be a backup option for the biggest jobs that open.
Storylines
3. UCLA: Ah, the elephant in the room. The job has been vacant since New Year's Eve, and there hasn't been a ton of activity. Tony Bennett has been at the top of UCLA's short list for several weeks, and it's likely that the Virginia head coach will ultimately say no. Fred Hoiberg has spoken to the powers-that-be in charge of the search, and he remains a candidate. There are a number of other names being thrown around, including Tennessee's Rick Barnes, Cincinnati's Mick Cronin, Washington's Mike Hopkins and Purdue's Matt Painter, while Los Angeles Lakers coach Luke Walton could be an option, depending on the timeline. It doesn't sound like UCLA is too close to a decision, though.
Could go either way
SMU: This seems early, but the whispers have been getting louder down the stretch for Tim Jankovich and the Mustangs. They've lost eight of their past nine and have won 11 conference games the past two seasons combined. It's an attractive job, thanks to the renovated arena and the talent-rich area that surrounds Dallas. Musselman has been mentioned as a potential name, and there is also some buzz that Alabama's Avery Johnson could be on the short list. The American Athletic Conference has made some big-time hires in recent years; could pressure be on SMU to be next?
Others to keep an eye on
Tulane: The buzz is growing that Mike Dunleavy Sr. is not long for college coaching. Given that his first 22 years of coaching were spent in the NBA and he had zero college coaching experience before taking over the Green Wave in 2016, that's not a huge surprise. They're also one of the worst teams in the country, and they had an 18-game losing streak heading into Wednesday. Could someone such as Andy Kennedy get back into coaching at Tulane?
Big names to watch
Kelvin Sampson, Houston: Sampson has turned around Houston and made the Cougars nationally relevant again, and there's some buzz that he doesn't want to leave just yet. However, expect Texas A&M -- and Arkansas if it opens up -- to make a run at him.
Gregg Marshall, Wichita State: His star has waned somewhat the past couple years, but he went to seven consecutive NCAA tournaments before this season -- and took Wichita State to a Final Four in 2013. If there's a massive carousel this spring, he will land a big job.
Mick Cronin, Cincinnati: Another coach who has had consistent success for years, Cronin has been to eight NCAA tournaments in a row and has the Bearcats on their way to another. He's likely going to be a backup option for the biggest jobs that open.
