It didn’t exactly come as a surprise that LSU chose to part ways with fifth-year basketball coach Will Wade.
The bulk of his tenure has been spent under investigation from the NCAA, and the program had received a Notice of Allegations citing Wade for multiple Level I violations just days before he was fired on Saturday.
A disappointing 2021-22 season in which the team began 12-0 but finished 22-11 with an SEC Tournament exit in the quarterfinals didn’t exactly help Wade’s cause, either. Still, the timing of the move on the eve of Selection Sunday, where the Tigers expected to find themselves comfortably within the NCAA Tournament field, was certainly a bit jarring.
With LSU about to undertake yet another coaching search, ESPN’s Jeff Borzello discussed several names he expects to come up in athletics director Scott Woodward’s search. Keep in mind, this search is just a day old and a lot is sure to change in the coming weeks.
Here’s Borzello’s breakdown.
Atop the list could be Baylor’s Scott Drew. He’s been linked to the Louisville vacancy this spring, although it seems unlikely he would leave Baylor one year after winning the national championship. Woodward could also make a run at the likes of Illinois’ Brad Underwood, who has shown the recruiting chops to compete in the SEC. Could Woodward go back to Texas A&M and hire Buzz Williams? The Aggies have played themselves into the NCAA tournament this week. Arkansas’ Eric Musselman could be a target, given his name recognition and what he has done with the Razorbacks. But Musselman seems to enjoy Fayetteville and has two top-10 recruits entering the program next season. One other name could be Florida’s Mike White, who spent four seasons as the head coach at Louisiana Tech and has been mentioned as someone who could look to make a move.
If the NCAA…
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