LSU men’s basketball is looking for a new head coach after Will Wade was abruptly fired on Saturday amid NCAA allegations.
The reality of the LSU job is a complicated one right now. The athletic department has a bounty of resources and is willing to pay top dollar for its coaches. Also, the Tigers play in a strong SEC and are about to lock up their third NCAA Tournament bid in the last four seasons.
However, the NCAA released its Notice of Allegations against the program on Saturday, and it’s not good. In total, the Tigers are facing eight Level 1 violations and two Level II violations.
Even so, we’re already seeing analysts throw around some high-profile names as possible candidates. CBS Sports’ Kyle Boone’s list of hypothetical “big fish” is a particularly strong one.
Boone named Illinois’ Brad Underwood, Baylor’s Scott Drew, Kansas’ Bill Self, Florida’s Mike White and Texas A&M’s Buzz Williams as coaches to watch for LSU. Of that group, Williams has the most obvious connection with Tigers AD Scott Woodward.
Woodward hired Williams at Texas A&M just a few weeks before he was hired at LSU, so there’s an obvious connection here. Additionally, Williams’ stock is once again on the rise, as he’s got the Aggies into the SEC Tournament title game. The past connection with Williams combined with his turnaround at Texas A&M makes him a plenty viable candidate.
Poaching a coach from another school in the same conference doesn’t happen often, but it has happened before. Williams would certainly qualify as a major hire.
In the meantime, interim head coach Kevin Nickelberry will lead the Tigers into the NCAA Tournament later this week.
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