Rivals Roundtable: A look at Louisville; 2018 title favorites

Louisville was stripped of a Final Four and a National Championship this week. The Cardinals also need to find a coach. Analysts Eric Bossi, Corey Evans and Dan McDonald discuss what the Cardinals should look to do this spring. They also take a look at seniors who need to produce right away as freshmen in college and name their favorites for the 2018 title in this week’s Rivals Roundtable.

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Eric Bossi: “First of all, Louisville is still a great job. I wouldn’t be worried about the stripping of a title and a Final Four if I was considering it. I’d be more worried if they have any other sanctions on the way because of alleged payments to Brian Bowen that ended up costing Rick Pitino his job. But the money is there, the facilities are there, the fan base is rabid and the national brand of Louisville is still pretty strong. So it’s a great job.

Personally, I may be tempted to go a little more off the radar and away from the names everybody else seems to be mentioning. The guy I think I’d look strongly into is Danny Hurley at Rhode Island. He’s built a legitimate top 20 program, he is a strong recruiter with great ties from his days as a high school coach, he has proven he can develop talent, he looks to be a good in-game coach and, most of all, I don’t think he could pass up on an opportunity like Louisville - assuming there’s no fear of them getting hammered even more by the NCAA. Some high-major program is going to end up hiring Hurley, and I think Louisville would be smart to take a long look at him.”

Corey Evans: “You have to give respect to where it is due, which is me saying that David Padgett deserves every right to receive a legitimate chance to be named the full- time head coach at Louisville. However, the Cards are going to want to go for a splashy hire, someone who can infuse the fan base with much-needed hope and optimism, and that makes Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall the ideal candidate. I get that he has turned down multiple gigs in recent years, including NC State and Alabama. But this one is different. Yes, the recent NCAA rulings do taint the job some, as does the cloud hovering off in the distance regarding the more recent allegations regarding the former staff that saw 10 people arrested in the corruption case. Yet if Louisville can rid itself of Rick Pitino’s contract and offer a long-term contract for, let’s say eight years, starting at $5 million per year, it may be hard for Marshall to say no. Marshall is the type of coach who wouldn’t be afraid to compete against such coaching giants as Coach K, Williams & Boeheim, and has the type of playing style that would remind Louisville fans of Pitino’s up-and-down pace that relies on its guards to do damage but isn’t afraid to throw out multiple big men at any given time. It may be difficult to pull him away, but Marshall is the guy.”

Dan McDonald: “The Louisville situation is really complicated. I don't believe the news of the NCAA stripping the Cardinals of a Final Four appearance and a National Championship impacts how good of a job it is because, despite what the NCAA wants us to believe, people still remember it. Most basketball people think of Louisville as a premier program, whether the NCAA vacates its records or not. The bigger issue for a new coach, in my opinion, is what comes from the FBI investigation. Does that lead to more sanctions for the program, or are they in the clear after getting rid of all the characters involved? Nobody ever knows with the NCAA.

As for candidates, I think Gregg Marshall and Xavier's Chris Mack are obvious candidates here. I have my doubts Mack would take the job, given that he's in a perfectly stable situation now at his alma mater with a great roster, although he loses some serious firepower. With Marshall, I know he's treated like a king at Wichita State and is very well-compensated, but I've never believed he will end his coaching career there. Louisville could be the type of job that lures him away.”

Bossi: “I think the answer here is Nassir Little at North Carolina, and it’s for multiple reasons. First of all, the Heels will really need another go-to guy next year to help out senior Luke Maye, and they could really use a versatile, athletic and - at times - nasty guy like Little to inject a little attitude into their play on the floor. Also, fair or not (and for the record, I think it’s ludicrous), Roy Williams has been hammered by some for not producing many one-and-done talents and supposedly holding talents back. Little going off as a freshman would help to dispel this silly notion that Williams holds guys back or doesn’t develop talent. One would think that his track record speaks for itself, but kids hear and sometimes believe some pretty wild stuff during recruiting.”

Evans: “Duke has its handful of star-studded recruits set to hit the Durham campus next fall, as does Kentucky. And while Keldon Johnson and Immanuel Quickley will be leaned upon heavily, the guy who may hold the keys to the 2018-2019 season for the Wildcats is Tyler Herro. A 6-foot-4 shot-maker who is one of the most polished scorers in high school basketball - if not the most - just the sight of Herro on the Rupp Arena floor would be enough to transform the entire Kentucky offense. For a team that currently is one of the worst 3-point shooting teams nationally - with no one shooting above 37-percent from beyond the arc - UK has been forced to hope that its shots go in while relying upon a defense that has been just as inconsistent. Herro would immediately prove his value as a shooter and he would be someone who can create more open driving lanes for Quade Green, Quickley and Johnson. The Wisconsin native would make Kentucky a much more efficient bunch and put the Wildcats back into the national title conversation.”

McDonald: “Brad Underwood's first year at Illinois hasn't gone well. The Fighting Illini need some help in the backcourt, and the good news is that help is on the way in the form of Ayo Dosunmo. The Chicago native is a high-level scorer who can help out as a primary ball-handler, as well. We could look back on Dosunmo four or five years from now and view him as the guy that sparked a great run for Underwood and Illinois.”

Bossi: “My pick since Miles Bridges announced he would be back for his sophomore season has been Michigan State, and I’m not going to bail on the Spartans now. It’s crazy to me to watch as bracket experts still won’t even consider them as a No. 1 seed, but that’s an entirely different discussion and I don’t want to get too far off the rails.

I don’t know if they defend as tough as some of Tom Izzo’s teams in the past, but I do think that this year’s Spartans can play an up-tempo or grind-it-out game. I think they have multiple guys who can get hot and they have a front line that will be tough for almost anybody to match up with in Bridges, Jaren Jackson and Nick Ward. I worry some about foul trouble and a somewhat suspect bench derailing them. But here’s the deal: Every team has pretty glaring flaws this year, and there’s not anybody who you can look at and say to yourself 'No major holes here.' So, I’m still with Michigan State, and I think they’ve got a great chance to run the table come NCAA Tournament time.”

Evans: “The Michigan State Spartans currently own the longest winning streak in America and are college basketball’s Noah’s Ark: They have two of everything. As much as Michigan State has been dissected, it sits with just three losses on the season and can take home sole ownership of the Big Ten title this weekend. Miles Bridges has been slighted for his inefficient move to the small forward spot. But, hello, he is averaging over 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists! Jaren Jackson has won the month of February, Cassius Winston is growing up in front of our eyes and the Spartans' frontcourt remains the deepest in America.”

McDonald: “I'd have a hard time picking against Villanova right now. Jalen Brunson looks like the best player in the country, and it's hard to block out what I saw the Wildcats do to Xavier at Xavier last weekend. When every team is playing at their best, I think Villanova's best is just better than everybody else. Jay Wright could be on the verge of winning his second national title in a three-year span.”