Rivals Roundtable: Coaching rumor mill, conference tourneys

The conference tournaments are in full swing and nearing completion. With the end of those tournaments, the college coaching rumor mill and coaching carousel has hit full stride. In this week's Rivals Roundtable analysts Eric Bossi, Corey Evans and Dan McDonald touch on the tournaments, the current rumor mill and which remaining high school seniors could pull off a surprise decision .

RANKINGS: 2018 Rivals150 | 2019 Rivals150 | 2020 Rivals150 | 2018 Team | 2018 Position

1. The annual coaching carousel and the rumor mill that goes with it is turning up. Which open job or rumored opening are you paying the most attention?

Eric Bossi: "The situation at Memphis definitely has my attention. There have been rumors all winter long that Penny Hardaway is interested in taking the job and there has certainly been heat on Tubby Smith. The Hardaway-to-Memphis rumors have kicked into high gear of late. On top of that, Smith went on a bit of an out-of-touch-with-today's-game rant against transfers. Then Memphis President M. David Rudd didn't exactly give Smith a ringing endorsement by telling the Memphis Commercial Appeal: 'Tubby Smith is our basketball coach, and we will evaluate our coach on an annual basis like we've always done.'

"Amidst all the turmoil and rumors, Smith has simply been doing what he has done best at most places and that's squeezing the most out of his talent and slowly developing it, even though he doesn't recruit a bunch of highly rated prospects. After beating Tulsa on Friday, Smith and Memphis are into the semifinals of the AAC Tournament and have won seven of their last eight.

"If Smith ends up being relieved of his duties in favor of Hardaway, then things could get really interesting. Due to his coaching at powerhouse Memphis East and on the Nike grassroots circuit with Team Penny there's an expectation that Hardaway can immediately land recruits that Smith hasn't been able to touch. On the other hand, if Smith stays it sets up an interesting dynamic where the coach is going to know many are out to get him. Either way, get your popcorn ready."

Corey Evans: "I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, so it would be difficult for me to not name the opening in the Steel City as the one that I am paying attention to the most. Pitt has fallen on hard times. Just four years ago, the Panthers were among the most winning and consistent basketball programs in the sport. Getting a ticket to any home game, whether it was against Boston College or Duke, was nearly impossible as 'The Pete' was known as one of the hardest places to play college basketball. That was during the Jamie Dixon days. But over the past few years attendance began to dwindle to the point that people were giving away tickets. Recruiting had gone downhill, thanks to the change in conference affiliation, assistant coaching changes and the once-fruitful New York City metro region drying up and the pipeline between it and Pittsburgh being erased.

"Two years ago, it took over five coaching candidates before Kevin Stallings was willing to accept the job offered to him. The program was much better off then, and with Virginia Tech, Boston College, NC State and Georgia Tech in much better shape in the ACC, it is going to take a lot of money and a long-term contract for a proven name to take the job. Does Pitt have the money for such a hiring after the nearly $10 million still owed to the now fired Stallings? And are they willing to go the extra mile to find the appropriate, long-term fit? My eyes will certainly be on what Athletic Director Heather Lyke and her staff can achieve. The hiring will be her biggest since taking the job a year and a half ago."

Dan McDonald: "This one is easy for me. Given where I live and my background in the Rivals network, it's obviously Georgia for me. Mark Fox is gone, and he had been mentioned in hot seat talk for a few years. With the Bulldogs going 16-14 and only 7-11 in the SEC this year with the AP SEC Player of the Year, it was hard to imagine the Bulldogs keeping Fox for a 10th season.

"The question now turns to: Who will replace Fox? Tom Crean's name comes up a lot behind the scenes. Thad Matta could be another former Big Ten coach the Bulldogs take a look at if they feel he's healthy and they want a more established coach. If they choose to go for a mid-major coach on the rise, don't be surprised if Georgia looks to UNC-Greensboro's Wes Miller or Charleston's Earl Grant."

2. What's the most notable development you've seen in the conference tournaments?

Bossi: "For me, the most notable development of the conference tournaments to this point was Michael Porter Jr.'s decision to go ahead and lace them up for Missouri in the SEC Tournament.

"After playing just two minutes the entire season due to back surgery, I've been of the 'believe it when I see it' mindset about a return of 2017's No. 1 rated high school player. I just felt he had too much to risk when it comes to possibly hurting himself or looking bad in front of scouts. Now that he has come back, I think it says a lot about Porter. Nobody would have blamed him for sitting out and waiting for individual workouts to protect/build his NBA Draft stock and to stay healthy. Instead he played, and he played pretty hard. Not surprisingly, he was a bit rusty, but I loved seeing him go out there and be a team guy."

Evans: "The number of bubble teams losing so early in their postseason conference tournaments. All of the talking heads can go to war about which bubble team deserves to be in the tournament and how it is ludicrous that such programs as Middle Tennessee State, Boise State, Arizona State or Oklahoma could be left out of the NCAA Tournament but realize this: Each could have silenced the bubble talk by beating the teams that they should have beaten.

"With so much on the line, it was surprising to see MTSU, OU and ASU come up short whenever they needed just one more win to solidify their fate as an NCAA Tournament-bound team. Instead, they come out flat when they needed it the most. By Sunday evening, there will be a slew of articles talking about the programs that got burned by the NCAA selection committee but remember this; each program held their fate within their own hands this week and did nothing but let the opportunity go."

McDonald: "Michigan looked like a team ready to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament last week in NYC. John Beilein has proven for a long time that he's among the best coaches in the country, and he's taken the Wolverines to a Final Four before. I wouldn't be surprised if they return this year. In fact, depending on where they are placed when the bracket comes out, I just might place Michigan in my Final Four."

3. All 11 undecided members of the 2018 Rivals150 are four-star or better prospects. Which one is most likely to surprise with his decision, and why?

Bossi: "Exactly what is going to happen with five-star power forward Jordan Brown is the biggest question to me. UCLA has been considered a favorite at times, but after taking Shareef O'Neal they seem to be full. St. John's has been strong, but I've never seen Brown actually going all the way across the country to play his college ball. Brown's father is a Hall of Famer at Louisiana Lafayette, and he took an official visit a few weeks ago. The Ragin' Cajuns continue to be in the running, along with California, Nevada, Oregon and Gonzaga.

"I've always been of the belief that Brown ends up staying close to home at Cal. But the longer his recruitment drags out the more I start to feel that he might do something totally unexpected here."

Evans: "Everyone needs a point guard, and that makes Tyler Harris that much more of an important prospect this winter. Iowa State was the heavy favorite during the summer months, but it is currently in a scholarship bind, and if Harris even wanted to commit to the Cyclones, he can't until their roster numbers are sorted out. This has allowed other programs more time to get into the picture for Harris. The local Memphis Tigers have done their best to remain involved, though wins on the recruiting trail have been hard to come by since Tubby Smith took over the reins of the program two years ago.

"This all leads to Baylor making a late surge, and the Bears may now be the favorite for the diminutive guard. Scott Drew has worked wonders with players in the mold of Harris at the point guard spot."

McDonald: "I'll go with Brandon Williams here. He's the most recent prospect to open up his recruitment after being committed to Arizona for so long. Given that he's one of the top point guards available in the entire country, he'll have no shortage of options. This could be a case where a coaching change could have an impact, or it could be a situation where a school loses a player early to the NBA Draft that they weren't expecting.

"Bobby Hurley appears to be making a strong push here. How fun would it be if he ends up with Arizona State after being committed to the Wildcats for so long? This could spice up the rivalry even more and make for some awkward moments when Sean Miller and Hurley are in the same gym on the recruiting trail this summer."