Skip Prosser,
Wake Forest
Why: He’s a proven success in the ACC after coaching Xavier from 1994 to 2001. He still has a house in Cincinnati.
Why not: Prosser previously spurned Pittsburgh, in his hometown, to stay at Wake Forest. Why would he leave for Cincinnati?
Fran Dunphy,
Pennsylvania
Why: One of the most respected coaches would bring immediate credibility to the program.
Why not: Coaching in the Ivy League isn’t exactly the Big East.
Kevin Stallings,
Vanderbilt
Why: Coming from a school with a scholarly reputation, Stallings would fit with Cincinnati President Nancy Zimpher’s academic plan.
Why not: He interviewed for the Ohio State job last year and didn’t get it.
Oliver Purnell,
Clemson
Why: The former Dayton coach has proved he can recruit well in the area, and UC would be in a more competitive position than Clemson.
Why not: The ACC is considered the epitome of college basketball and Purnell still is trying to install his program at Clemson.
John Beilein,
West Virginia
Why: He’s hot after leading Mountaineers to the Elite Eight last season and knows the Big East well.
Why not: Beilein still has not proved himself over the course of several seasons at the major level.
Dana Altman,
Creighton
Why: He’s about as clean-cut as they come and has won 20 or more games seven straight seasons.
Why not: How is the fan base going to react to a new coach from the Missouri Valley Conference? And would Altman even leave? He has rejected other overtures before.
Steve Lavin,
ESPN analyst
Why: Five Sweet 16 appearance in seven years at UCLA and has Midwest connection as former Purdue assistant.
Why not: It might be hard to get Lavin to move from the West Coast and leave his TV gig.
