The NCAA tournament begins in earnest today and these are four coaches that should be followed attentively to see how they fare in the big dance.
Michigan basketball is not dancing for the second year in a row; instead, they are watching from home and waiting for their next head coach to take the helm. There are now just four scholarship players on the team due to a string of departures. Once the inevitable is positioned, there will be more churn. Until then, there will be much conjecture over which coach would be the most suitable to oversee the program. This is a list of names to think about.
1. South Region’s Shaka Smart Marquette
The most sensible selection in the southern region for 2023 is the AP coach of the year. But a secondary school like Marquette seems like a better fit for him. Based only on his past performance, it appears that he ought to remain at Marquette, as we have already witnessed his potential when Texas is looking him in the eye.
There aren’t really any other viable options in the South. In November, Mark Byington, the coach of James Madison, did defeat Michigan State in the Breslin Center. His team went on to win 31 out of 34 games in 2023–24. His only losses were twice to Appalachian State and Southern Miss. If the Dukes win that trendy but terrifying 12/5 contest against Wisconsin, everyone will be talking about him and the team.
2. Niko Medved Colorado State; Midwest Area
Tuesday night was Niko Medved’s first victory in the NCAA tournament. His lone other game was in 2022, when he was seeded sixth and fell to Michigan basketball, which was ranked eleventh. Given that Medved has only made it to the show twice in his six seasons in Fort Collins, he wouldn’t be a very exciting hire. With him leading, NIL and recruiting would be rather unappealing.
McNeese State’s Will Wade is likewise in the midwest category. If he had not violated LSU’s recruiting policies, he would very certainly be given consideration for the position. Wade has been successful in every coaching position he has been, but the events in Baton Rouge will always remain stained in his memory. It won’t be Michigan basketball, but someone will undoubtedly give him another chance to prove whether or not he has learned his lesson.
Another Virginian name to mention would be Tony Bennett. He’s exhausted all options there, so perhaps a move to a new location is in order. His detractors will contend that his offense is outdated and with good reason. After he recently defeated Colorado State by scoring 42 points in a 25-point game, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith is demanding that he be fired.
3. West Region’s Bryce Drew Grand Canyon
The first name out of the west wouldn’t be Drew. Undoubtedly, Alabama’s Nate Oats, whose name has been reported to Michigan, signed that extension. Drew, on the other hand, has excelled in Grand Canyon but struggled at Vanderbilt when he tried his hand at the SEC’s major leagues. He essentially developed the Antelopes from nothing to their third appearance in March during his three losing seasons there.
Scott, his brother, is still a student at Baylor. He denied the rumors that he was being linked to the Louisville opening. Without a question, the two most sought-after positions are Louisville and Michigan, who might contend for the same coaches. Therefore, even if the Cardinals are the first to strike, Warde Manuel will not be able to fall behind in this pursuit.
Other men in the west that have been discussed include Randy Bennett of St. Mary’s, who is Grand Canyon’s opponent and has been a constant there for more than 20 years and might never leave. Anthony Grant, who failed miserably at Alabama and saw his finest team miss the tournament because of COVID, was at Dayton.
4. Florida Atlantic, East Region, Dusty May
the clubhouse favorite, depending on who you speak to. At heart, May is a Hoosier, and it’s possible that she’s waiting to succeed Mike Woodson. What would he do if he accepted the basketball position at Michigan and the Indiana position opened up—jump ship? If you ask me, everything would depend on how well he is doing at Ann Arbor and whether or not he shows genuine interest in his old university. Naturally, everything hinges on whether or not he first accepted Warde Manuel’s offer.
Given the current bad perception of both Manuel and the program, would May choose to stay at Florida Atlantic or move elsewhere? Can he repeat the feat this time as the eighth seed? Keep in mind that he was just a few plays away from competing for a national championship at an AAC institution. He has a record of 60-12 over the previous two seasons and will face a Big Ten opponent on Friday.
Unless Manuel can try to get Iowa State’s T.J. Otzelberger or bring back John Beilein for a brief stint, May ought to be the top priority right now. Money shouldn’t be an issue for Michigan, but if Otzelberger is the guy they want to replace Juwan Howard with his medium shirts on, are they willing to pay Otzelberger’s buyout amount?
