Paul Finebaum evaluates Dan Hurley, Nate Oats as candidates at Kentucky

With John Calipari leaving Kentucky, the Wildcats have been thrown into the coaching carousel. With that, one of the premier jobs in college basketball is open and looking for its next head coach.

While making an appearance on Get Up, Paul Finebaum broke down two potential candidates to replace Calipari, UConn‘s Dan Hurley and Alabama‘s Nate Oats.

“I think the names you’ll hear are Dan Hurley, obviously,” Paul Finebaum said. “He’s the best coach in college basketball, but I don’t think he’s a legitimate candidate.”

As Calipari left Kentucky, Hurley was preparing for his second national championship game in as many seasons. He’d be a great hire, but it seems unlikely he’d leave UConn right now for any other job.

That led Paul Finebaum to share his thoughts on Nate Oats. He just took Alabama to its first Final Four ever, has found success in the SEC, and recently signed an extension. All of that makes him an interesting and complex candidate at Kentucky.

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“The one you have to keep your eye on we just saw SEC to SEC. Keep your eye on Nate Oats. He just took Alabama, yes Alabama, to the Final Four for the first time in history. The only issue, he just got a new contract from Greg Byrne the athletic director and Greg Byrne put in a $20 million buyout. Now, you say, ‘That is enormous. How could you possibly pay $20 [million]?’ Think about it. I realize I’m not Jim Cramer on Wall Street Today, but Kentucky just saved $33 million by not firing Cal,” Finebaum said.

“So, they have a surplus of plus $13 million if you’re doing the math before the Dow opens. I think they could say, ‘Why not go after the best coach in the SEC right now,’ who is Nate Oats.”

If Nate Oats were to leave Alabama, that would mean the Crimson Tide lost both their head football coach when Nick Saban retired and their head men’s basketball coach. That would be a strange situation at Alabama, but it’s one that Finebaum thinks is possible.

“It’s possible. Nate Oats loves Alabama and I think Alabama’s run was phenomenal, but listen, Alabama is not Kentucky,” Finebaum said. “Kentucky is the gold standard. Alabama football and Kentucky basketball are essentially the same thing. So, Nate Oats does not need a refresher course in the event he takes the job.”

In the domino effect that is coaching hires, assuming Kentucky hires a sitting head coach like Oats, it would set off another high-profile head coaching search.