Report: SEC filled candidate list emerges for Louisville basketball job

According to a report, the Louisville Cardinals and Chris Mack are on their way toward separating from each other. Dominique Yates of WLKY has already reported a shortlist of candidates in play for Louisville.

Kenny Payne, New York Knicks assistant – Louisville could dip into the NBA for their next head coach in current New York Knicks assistant coach Kenny Payne. However, he has plenty of experience in college basketball, working under John Calipari with the Kentucky Wildcats for 10 seasons. He started as an assistant head coach but was promoted to assistant head coach. Payne may technically be an NBA hire but there would be familiarity on both sides.

Bruce Pearl, Auburn Tigers head coach – No team is hotter in college basketball right now than the Auburn Tigers. Coming off an electric home win against the Kentucky Wildcats, they gained the No. 1 spot in the AP poll for the first time in program history. During the 2019 NCAA Tournament, Auburn made the Final Four and the moment has not slowed down.

Yates says Pearl wants the Louisville job “badly” and would be willing to leave the Plains.

Will Wade, LSU Tigers head coach – Possibly the most surprising name on the list is LSU head coach Will Wade. Not because of how his teams have performed but because of the off-the-court issues he could possibly bring. Nonetheless, Wade has done a great job making the Tigers a consistent NCAA Tournament team, making it for two of the possible three years there. We know Wade is one heck of a recruiter as well.

Nate Oats, Alabama Crimson Tide head coach – The second coach mentioned from the state of Alabama, Nate Oats has turned around the Crimson Tide in just three seasons. He won the SEC regular-season and tournament championship last season and made it to the Sweet Sixteen. Oats came from Buffalo in the MAC and the ACC would be his third different conference within half a decade. If Louisville does pursue him, an exciting, NBA style of basketball would be coming to the Yum! Center.

Louisville Cardinals nearing seperation with Chris Mack

According to Seth Davis of The Athletic, the Louisville Cardinals and head coach Chris Mack are working toward a separation. Davis says they are in the “final stages of negotiations.”

Louisville has hit hard times under Mack, both on and off the court. Players and the head coach have publicly voiced their frustrations with one another. Mack has said he is having trouble getting his team motivated, while Malik Williams said he didn’t have a comment when asked to respond.

On the court, the Cardinals are currently 5-5 in ACC play and have the last five out of their last six. As things stand, they are in danger of missing a second consecutive NCAA Tournament. It would be the first time the programs did that since they were in Conference USA during the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons.