It's no secret that Oklahoma men's basketball coach Porter Moser is on the hot seat, but even if the OU brass under a new leader in athletic director Roger Denny once again doesn't make the change fans have been begging for, Sooner Nation could still get what it wants by next basketball season.
ESPN college basketball writer Jeff Borzello on Wednesday released his annual late-season guide to the men's basketball coaching carousel, and for the second year in a row, OU was mentioned as a job that could open with anticipation of the Sooners firing Moser after five seasons. However, this year, Moser was also included with Borzello's "High-profile candidates to keep an eye on" as coaches who could jump ship for a different job whether they're fired or not.
ESPN lists Porter Moser on hot seat, but also as a potential college basketball coaching candidate
"It's true, we had Moser on the hot seat earlier, but he also has a big enough name and résumé to land on his feet at a reasonably strong job -- whether it's by leaving on his own or being let go. He has a Final Four and Sweet 16 on his ledger from his time at Loyola Chicago," Borzello wrote.
Borzello believes that even if Moser is fired from OU, he'll still land on his feet based on name alone and his prior success at Loyola Chicago. Moser's NCAA Tournament runs to the Final Four and Sweet 16 with Loyola Chicago were also what got him the job at OU. However, he's gotten the Sooners to the NCAA Tournament just once in five years, and it took a miracle late-season run and having a future NBA Draft lottery pick on the roster to sneak OU into the NCAA Tournament with a losing conference record and save Moser's job last season.
OU fans won't really care where Moser ends up, though, just as long as he's not in Norman after five of some of the worst years in OU basketball history. Many OU fans have already turned their eyes toward potential replacements, but once it's official no matter what terms Moser leaves on, every fan will be wondering who's next.
Fortunately for the Sooners, Borzello pointed out that Kansas State is the only Power Four job open right now, compared to five this time last year. That means if and when the Sooners part with Moser, they should have less big-time programs to fight with for candidates unless firings start coming soon at a rapid pace.