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The Sweet Sixteen kicks off Thursday and along with those who were expected to make it, there have been some surprises. So far, many coaches have elevated their status during their respective Sweet Sixteen runs, but who has elevated their status the most? National basketball analysts Eric Bossi and Corey Evans have identified their guys, but as usual they have Rival Views.

MORE: Mid-major coaches primed for a move up the ranks

When most people think about coaches elevating their status with postseason runs, they think about low- and mid-major coaches who help spring and upset and move on to a bigger and better known job. I'm looking at this differently and that's why I'm going with Kansas State's Bruce Weber.

For whatever reason, there has always been a sizable portion of the K-State fanbase that has never quite warmed up to Weber. He had the task of replacing an immensely popular guy in Frank Martin and there have also been fans who hoped that the Wildcats could replace Weber with somebody like Brad Underwood before he ended up at Illinois. With Kansas State's 2017-18 season, Weber now has a winning record in the Big 12 over his six seasons, he's made the NCAA Tournament four times and by getting the Wildcats to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament he's now led three different programs to the Sweet Sixteen.

Weber hasn't always recruited the highest ranked players, but this year's edition of the Wildcats does have former four-stars Dean Wade - who should be back from foot injury against Kentucky - and Xavier Sneed along with former Rivals150 prospect Makol Mawien, who they plucked out of junior college. Weber and his staff have also proven they can develop under-the-radar talent like junior star Barry Brown. The Wildcats look to be in line to have their best team in years during 2018-19. If all of this doesn't enhance Weber's status with the members of his own fanbase who still question him, then I'm not sure what will.

Eric Musselman’s work at Nevada has stood out these past few days, making him one of the better up-and-coming coaching prospects nationally.

The Wolf Pack won the Mountain West by two games and, leaning on a talented roster made up of transfers and under-the-radar high school prospects, the Wolf Pack entered the NCAA Tournament with hopes of winning a game for first time since the JaVale McGee days.

Nevada not only won, but also captured the nation’s attention with a pair of double-digit comebacks, each celebrated in a manner that reflected Musselman’s personality. First, he threw a handful of F-bombs that were caught on national television during his post-game celebration before completing his weekend with a half-naked water bath that demonstrated the joys of winning in March.

A basketball nomad that has coached within the G-League, CBA, NBA, overseas and now at Nevada, Musselman’s biggest win came on Friday before one-upping it just 48 hours later. In a time where the coaching flavor of the month has the chance to parlay its team’s success to a higher level job offer, Musselman’s profile enhancement should put him in the driver’s seat for a new, more lucrative contract - at Nevada or elsewhere.