Like, even *Cal* doesn't get four of the top nine recruits. That just doesn't happen much, to anyone anywhere.

If they crater next year too, with that class? Sure, make the move. But being a 2 seed last year, regardless of the tournament result, combined with the class ahead, combined with what must surely be a seismic buy-out? I just don't see it.

I'm not even going to bat for Cal as some great Xs and Os guy or anything (he pretty clearly isn't imo). I just don't know who the better option is for that job in this climate. You basically have to be a top 10 team, every year, bring in elite recruits, every year, and get tournament results, every year, for the fans to be happy. The best guys for that already have titles at their present schools and are unlikely to leave positions where they're gods to go to a school where you can get shitcanned like Tubby did.

So who's out there? Can't imagine Jay Wright leaving Villanova just to return to UK (especially considering they say he left due to feeling worn out by recruiting/transfer/NIL stuff, which would be miles worse at UK). Can't imagine Billy Donovan returning, really, even with the Bulls sucking ass-- he seems to be an NBA lifer now, and he hasn't coached college since the transfer/NIL stuff really started in. Would he want to tangle with all that when another NBA team would almost certainly bring him in?

I just see this world in which Kentucky brings in, like, Eric Musselman, and the fans are stoked-- until his trademark 5-6 man rotations and all-iso all-the-time offense drives them bananas. Or someone like Mark Pope, who I think can really coach, but who'd have zero interest in playing the "splashy elite recruit" route.

It's just a tough scenario. I say this as a guy who loves a blue blood, is rapidly losing faith that the current coach is The Guy, and doesn't really know where to turn outside of throwing Hail Marys at the same slam dunk names.