What had been rumored for days since the University of North Carolina was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament last week in the first round after blowing a double-digit lead to VCU, the school parted ways with men's basketball coach Hubert Davis.
That creates a huge opening in the ACC with a blue-blood program. It is a job that would attract some of the top coaches, whether in college or the pros. Some names that have been floated about are Arizona's Tommy Lloyd and T.J. Otzelberger of Iowa State. Heck, even Brad Stevens of the Boston Celtics was mentioned. Lloyd and Otzelberger are still alive in the NCAA Tournament with their teams.
This is going to be a fascinating search to see who UNC ends up with. Will they be able to pry a big-name coach away from his current program, or will someone like Billy Donovan of the Chicago Bulls be pulled away from the NBA? He proved his college success with the University of Florida by winning a Natty in Gainesville.
Micah Shrewsberry out of the running for a Big East job
Notre Dame men's basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry was linked to the opening at Butler after Thad Matta retired following the season. According to NDInsider writer Tom Noie, Shrewsberry is not a finalist for the Butler opening, and he'll be back in South Bend next season. The Irish are coming off a season where they missed the ACC Tournament after dealing with some injuries.
Busy weekend on diamond upcoming
Fresh off a sweep at home of North Carolina State, the Hokies softball team will head North for a three-game weekend series at Boston College. At 28-4, Virginia Tech will play the Eagles, who went through a coaching change after last season. This will be a sneaky tough weekend in Chestnut Hill.
The Hokies baseball team will return home after dropping a mid-week contest, 9-5, at East Tennessee State on Tuesday to welcome Stanford to Blacksburg in their first trip as a member of the ACC. Virginia Tech sits at 12-11 overall and 4-5 in ACC play before the Cardinal visit for the three-game set.