Michigan basketball head coach candidates to watch in each region of March madness
By Nick Popio
For the second year in a row Michigan basketball is not dancing, they're watching from home waiting for their next head coach to arise. The departures have mounted up and left only four scholarship players on the roster. More turnover will come once the inevitable is situated. Until then the speculation about which coach is best suited to run the program will continue to rage on. Here's a list of names to ponder.
1. Shaka Smart Marquette, South Region
The AP coach of the year in 2023 is the most rationale choice in the south region. He seems better off at a secondary school like Marquette though. Just by peeking at his track record it feels like he should stick around at Marquette, because we've already seen what he can do with the eyes of Texas upon him.
In the south there are not really any other realistic candidates. James Madison coach Mark Byington did beat Michigan State at the Breslin center in November and went on to win 31 of 34 games in 2023-24. His only losses came at the hands of Southern Miss and Appalachian State twice. The masses will be chatting about him and the Dukes if they can upset Wisconsin in that trendy, but scary 12/5 matchup.