Tennessee fired head coach Donnie Tyndall after just one season on Friday, amid an NCAA probe into impropriety during his tenure at Southern Miss. The firing of Tyndall means the Volunteers will be seeking their fourth coach in the last six seasons.
Departed: Tyndall. Tyndall was not jettisoned because he can't coach, though he went just 16-16 in his lone campaign in Knoxville, and 7-11 in SEC play. The Vols, who lost the core of a Sweet 16 team in 2014, were 4-11 over their final 15 games.
Program situation: It seems like an eternity ago that Bruce Pearl had this program truly relevant. Sure, Cuonzo Martin surprisingly took them to the Sweet 16 a year ago, but let's remember: Pearl had this program in the NCAA tournament all six of his seasons, and the Vols advanced to the Sweet 16 three times in his tenure. The issue right now is that there's not much talent in the cupboard (and that's being kind).
Realistic candidates
Michael White, Louisiana Tech: He turned it down last season, but things have changed. White had his top three players coming back the last time. Now, Speedy Smith and Raheem Appleby are graduating.
Richard Pitino, Minnesota: He hasn't gone to the NCAA tourney in his two seasons at Minnesota, but he's young and his last name is Pitino. That helps.
Bobby Hurley, Buffalo: He's in the mix for DePaul, and he has the name and also an NCAA tourney on his résumé.
Steve Prohm, Murray State: Turned down the Mississippi State job a couple years ago, and probably makes more sense for Alabama (he's an alum). However, he's not at the top of the list for the Crimson Tide.
Brad Underwood, Stephen F. Austin: The former Kansas State and South Carolina assistant has gone to the NCAA tournament in each of his two seasons with the Lumberjacks.
Ben Jacobson, Northern Iowa: He's now taken UNI to the NCAA tournament three times -- in 2009, 2010 and this season. He also has the reputation of being squeaky-clean, which definitely helps with this one.
Rick Byrd, Belmont: Byrd is a Knoxville native who has done a tremendous job down the road at Belmont, guiding the Bruins to 619 wins and seven NCAA appearances since 2006. His age (he'll be 62 next month) might work against his candidacy, however.
Will Wade, Chattanooga: He helped build the program at Harvard and also at VCU. Wade has been at Chattanooga for the past two years, would come on the cheap and certainly knows the area.
Long-shot candidates
Gregg Marshall, Wichita State: Alabama is going to make a run at Marshall, and Tennessee could do the same. But my guess is that Marshall holds out for a more attractive job.
Archie Miller, Dayton: Miller has taken Dayton to the NCAA tournament two years in a row (and won five games once he got there), but he recently got extended at Dayton and would likely only leave for an elite job -- which Tennessee is not.
My choice
Pitino. He's done a good job at Minnesota, especially when you factor in what he inherited from the Tubby Smith regime. The Golden Gophers won the NIT in his first season, and while some may view this year (the team went 18-15) as a disappointment, he really didn't have that much talent to work with. Pitino is young and while he doesn't have the energy of a Pearl, he has a personality that would work in Knoxville.