The coaching carousel is heating up, and the Big 12 is at the center of it all. Sound familiar?

Big 12 fans are used to this. For years, the college football power brokers tried to poach Big 12 coaches. They finally succeeded this past offseason by landing Matt Campbell and Kyle Whittingham, with an assist from Utah itself.

Now, the North Carolina men’s basketball search is in full swing after the Tar Heels fired Hubert Davis this week. It’s arguably the best job in the entire sport, and I’ve seen five Big 12 coaches mentioned as candidates this week, though Houston’s Kelvin Sampson (age), Baylor’s Scott Drew (star faded), and Texas Tech’s Grant McCasland (search isn’t likely to get to him) are all a reach.  

There are only two that I think are realistic possibilities: Iowa State head coach TJ Otzelberger and Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd. And one of those two is much more likely to be poached than the other. 

On Wednesday, Otzelberger gave a pretty emphatic denial of any interest in any jobs this cycle. 

Iowa State AD Jamie Pollard followed that up with a very confident statement of his own. 

ISU fans have long operated under the assumption that Otzelberger would never leave Ames because of his wife’s status as an esteemed alum and Iowa State Athletics Hall of Famer. And he certainly doesn’t sound like somebody eager to leave in the clip above. 

I still think it’s mostly a longshot that Otzelberger and UNC are a match, but he’s also being asked about the job two days before a Sweet Sixteen game. That’s a much different scenario than being offered the best job in college hoops when your season is over.  

For instance, former NC State head coach Will Wade snapped at a reporter a couple of weeks ago who asked about rumors he might go back to LSU. Guess who is now the head coach of the Tigers?

Lloyd was also asked about the UNC speculation at the podium yesterday ahead of Arizona’s Sweet Sixteen matchup with Arkansas. 

His answer left the door much more open. 

I think Lloyd is a much better fit for the Tar Heels, and he’s the Big 12 candidate they’d prefer.

This hire will be the first time since the 1950s that UNC has hired someone without Carolina or Dean Smith ties. They care deeply about keeping it in the North Carolina family whenever possible.

When former Carolina head coach Roy Williams offered input on his successor in 2021, he gave his blessing to Gonzaga’s Mark Few if Hubert Davis wasn’t going to be the pick. 

Guess who spent 20 years working with Mark Few on Gonzaga’s staff? That would be Lloyd.

The Athletic also had this to say:

“North Carolina stakeholders who wanted Gonzaga coach Mark Few to replace Roy Williams in 2021 are especially high on Lloyd, Few’s disciple, according to multiple sources.”

UNC is going to take some big swings before they get to Lloyd or Otzelberger. 

The Tar Heels already took their shot at Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens and got turned down. UConn head coach Dan Hurley, Florida’s Todd Golden, Michigan’s Dusty May, and even former Florida coach Billy Donovan may get calls before any Big 12 coaches do. 

But I think Lloyd is a very realistic possibility at Carolina if enough big fish turn the job down.

Is Bill Self Retiring?

While North Carolina can credibly claim it is the best job in the sport, Kansas has an argument too. And the Jayhawks may be in the market for a coach themselves.

Rumors went wild early Wednesday that Self was going to announce his retirement by the end of the day, but he put that to bed with a text to Kansas City Star reporter Gary Bedore. 

That doesn’t mean he’s coming back. It just means he hasn’t made a decision yet. 

It would be wild if both KU and Carolina were looking for a head coach at the same time. The Jayhawks would likely target many of the same coaches on the Tar Heels’ list. 

Would Otzelberger or Lloyd be tempted to move within the conference?

It’s more complicated for Lloyd, who essentially has a one year non-compete in his contract for Big 12 schools specifically. 

Love it or hate it, the coaching carousel is wildly fascinating. Stay locked in, because it could be spinning out of control in Big 12 country pretty soon.

Big 12 Sweet Sixteen Schedule

#1 Arizona (-8.5) v. #4 Arkansas – 8:45 PM Tonight on CBS
#2 Houston (-2.5) v #3 Illinois – 9:05 PM Tonight on TBS
#2 Iowa State (-3.5) v #6 Tennessee – 9:10 PM Friday on TBS

What You Need to Know

• Arizona AD Desiree Reed-Francois says Arizona has been working with Tommy Lloyd on a contract extension since the beginning of the NCAA tournament. 

• The Big 12 dominated the list of most-watched NCAA tournament games during the first weekend. 

• New Cincinnati head coach Jerrod Calhoun explains why he left Utah State for the Bearcats. 

• Speaking of Calhoun, he has put some extra pressure on new K-State men’s basketball hire Casey Alexander.  

• TCU head football coach Sonny Dykes had some very pointed comments about former QB Josh Hoover, who transferred to Indiana. 

• We now have confirmation that former Utah’s Kyle Whittingham wanted to come back as the Utes head coach for the 2026 season. Here are the details.

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