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Why Todd Golden, Nate Oats should (and shouldn't) consider UNC basketball
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- Why Todd Golden, Nate Oats should (and shouldn't) consider UNC basketball
History matters less than ever before in college sports.
Consider the case of Indiana . Once a basketball power, the Hoosiers rarely make the NCAA Tournament anymore, while Indiana rules college football . That's an Indiana football program that was forever-a-doormat until two years ago.
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Oh, and get a load of this: Nebraska basketball is in the Sweet 16. Nebraska football gives contract extensions for 7-6 seasons.
Coaching a blue-blood means subjecting yourself to the highest degree of pressure and expectations, with fewer advantages than those programs were once accustomed to enjoying.
Take this college basketball season .
Follow the latest news, updates: Will UNC basketball fire Hubert Davis?
Indiana missed the tournament, for the eighth time in the past 10 years. UCLA lost in Round 2, and Mick Cronin complained he needs more NIL money. NIL money isn't the issue at Kentucky, but its expensive roster went bust , and the Wildcats got trounced in the second round. North Carolina lost in the first round for the second straight season, and Hubert Davis' rump sits on a hot seat .
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No. 1 Duke carries the torch for the blue-bloods. A more newly minted blue-blood, UConn, also remains in the tournament. Overall, though, these are not glory days for blue-bloods.
No coach wants to work for a program that resides in the poorhouse and can't finance a roster, but you could make a compelling argument that a coach is better off at a nouveau riche program than a blue-blood. What do all those banners in the rafters really get you, nowadays?
And, still, coaching a blue-blood offers an intoxicating ego-stroke in an industry full of egomaniacs.
If North Carolina fires Davis — a decision on his fate has yet to be announced — the Tar Heels need only one A-list candidate to say yes to the pressure in exchange for being at a school where basketball reigns supreme.
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On this edition of " SEC Football Unfiltered ," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate the appeal of coaching a blue-blood and whether two of the SEC's star coaches, Florida 's Todd Golden and Alabama 's Nate Oats, might consider leaving a stable job for a premier opportunity like North Carolina, where the pressure is high but so is the ceiling.
Toppmeyer: He played possum! John Calipari uncorked oldest trick in the book
Adams: Preach it, Rick Barnes. Team effort carried Tennessee basketball to Sweet 16
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Oats and Golden are proven coaches in their prime. Oats' Crimson Tide reached the Sweet 16 for a fourth straight year. They made the Final Four in 2024, beating UNC along the way.
Although Golden's Gators suffered a surprising second-round loss to Iowa, his stock remains red-hot after last year's national championship made him the youngest coach to win a title since Jim Valvano.
Would Todd Golden or Nate Oats consider leaving for UNC basketball?
Adams: A coach as successful as Golden or Oats doesn't think he'd fail at UNC. They probably think they'd crush it there and be the king of Chapel Hill — and, maybe, they would crush it there. They're winners, and although UNC comes with a mountain of pressure, it also comes with a lot of resources. Talent is the name of the game, and UNC attracts top talent, even in an era where the newly rich programs can buy talent, too.
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My only hesitation with leaving a good situation at Florida or Alabama in favor of UNC? Well, there's this: If you wait another year, perhaps you could have the Kentucky job. How's that for a blue-blood?
UNC must face Duke two or three or even four times a season. Why subject yourself to being compared to Duke, if you could instead be at Kentucky? The Wildcats have rivals, but nothing as intense as the intra-conference battle between Duke and UNC. Kentucky has shown it'll spare no expense on its roster. It just needs a better coach. Come 2027, it might find itself in hot pursuit of one.
Toppmeyer: Golden and Oats have it quite good right where they're at. They can have all of the success of a blue-blood, without about half of the pressure. It's the same reason why Curt Cignetti would've been a fool to leave Indiana for Penn State .
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The football programs act as a heat shield for coaches at Alabama and Florida. If Oats' team loses in the Sweet 16, he'll get a satisfied thumbs up from Alabama fans, before they turn their attention to A-Day and demand a football national title from Kalen DeBoer.
Bottom line: So long as you can build a competitive roster, it's not such a bad thing to be a successful basketball coach at a football school. Ask Rick Barnes.
Plus, the SEC is enjoying a basketball uprising. It led all conferences with 10 bids to the NCAA Tournament this season, after 14 bids last year and a national title from Golden's Gators. Win 20 games as an SEC team, and you're dancing.
Programs like UNC and Kentucky need coaches like Golden and Oats a lot more than those ace coaches need a blue-blood.
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Which SEC school will be left standing in the Sweet 16?
The SEC advanced four teams into the Sweet 16, second only to the Big Ten's six Sweet 16 teams . But, with the Gators eliminated, will any SEC teams be left standing in the Elite Eight?
Adams: Tennessee has the best chance to reach the Elite Eight, especially if Iowa State star Joshua Jefferson (ankle injury) doesn't play in this Sweet 16 game. Arkansas is the hottest SEC team, but better to face Iowa State than No. 1 Arizona , which will play the Razorbacks.
Toppmeyer: Take Tennessee as the last SEC team standing in the Elite Eight. This looks like a winnable matchup for the Vols. Tennessee and Iowa State are blue-collar teams built on defense. Barnes has two straight Elite Eight appearances. Make it three in a row.
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Where to listen to SEC Football Unfiltered
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's national college football columnist. John Adams is the senior sports columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel. S ubscribe to the SEC Football Unfiltered podcast, and check out the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox .
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UNC still a blueblood. Is that enough to lure Todd Golden or Nate Oats?
