After two seasons, Kenny Payne is out as Louisville’s men’s basketball coach, per the school.
The Louisville college standout and NBA veteran returned back to his alma mater for a disastrous two seasons at the helm of the Cardinals, one where he only won 12 games and five games in the ACC.
Louisville hasn’t appeared in the NCAA tournament since 2019 and had its most recent national championship under Rick Pitino vacated by the NCAA following an investigation into misconduct.
The Cardinals will now attempt to rebuild the prestigious basketball program under new leadership, and we’ve assembled a list of established veterans and rising stars who would make sense as Louisville’s next head coach, including a few guys you may see in March Madness this month.
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Look no further than Kansas State’s 2023 NCAA tournament win over Kentucky to see why Louisville might try to move Heaven and earth to get Tang as its next head coach.
The Wildcats’ stellar tournament run last spring hasn’t quite led to similar results this season for K-State, but it wouldn’t surprise us one bit if he is a top option on the board for the Cardinals. As an associate head coach, he helped Baylor win a national title in 2021, and he’s 43-23 in his three seasons with Kansas State with a 2032 Elite Eight appearance under his belt.
If Louisville wants a proven winner who can beat the team in Lexington, Tang is your guy.
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Smart hasn’t been to the Final Four as a head coach since his early days at VCU, but he’s remained one of the most consistent coaches of his generation and has sparked an impressive revival at Marquette the past three seasons after a six-season run at Texas where he won the NIT in 2019.
After two years of putrid results, Louisville badly needs stability, and Smart could be the perfect guy to get the program back on track to contend in the ACC and possibly make waves in the tournament.
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Another proven winner on the list is Alford, who is from Indiana and has been able to win wherever he’s gone in his coaching career. He made three Sweet 16 appearances at UCLA in his six-season stint with the Bruins, and he’s got Nevada at a stellar 25-6 record going into this year’s tournament.
He’s been a head coach in college basketball since 1991 and knows how to navigate March Madness after numerous appearances. If Alford is interested in a new gig after five years in Nevada, Louisville would present a great option with plenty of resources to win immediately.
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Otzelberger is a rising star in the coaching ranks, as his No. 7 Cyclones figure to be major contenders in this year’s tournament. He made it to the Sweet 16 in his first year at Iowa State and has notched an impressive 24-7 record as of mid-March. Louisville really needs to consider how quickly Otzelberger has turned Iowa State into a winner and consider how they possibly could give him his best chance yet to really contend for a title.
It feels like Otzelberger is going to get promoted to one of the top jobs in college hoops eventually if his ascent at Iowa State continues as it has. Louisville might be a great spot for him to make the leap.
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No. 18 Utah State (26-5) has been one of the great stories of the men’s college basketball season, and Sprinkle might not be long for the program after one stellar year on the sideline.