ESPN Men's Basketball

The Big East will send out its annual straw poll to its coaches to get their preseason predictions about the strength of the league's teams to help put together next season's conference schedule.

The league office said Syracuse's Jim Boeheim and Pitt's Jamie Dixon will be allowed to vote in the poll, even though the schools are leaving the conference for the ACC. They weren't invited to the conference meetings earlier this week in Florida.

The results of the poll will determine which teams face each other twice during the conference schedule. Having a tiered system based on those predictions has worked well for the Big East, rather than the predetermined rotations of which teams play each other twice used by the Big Ten, ACC and SEC.

The Big East had 11 teams in the NCAA tournament in 2011; it sent nine teams last season. Coaches firmly believe handling scheduling this way is the reason.

"We've been able to give the league the flexibility to balance the schedule," Cincinnati's Mick Cronin said after the Big East meetings wrapped up Tuesday morning in Ponte Vedra Beach. "The repeat opponents have been set up by the hierarchy of the league in the summer. Something has been done right. We've had 11 teams and then nine teams in the NCAA. The coaches were against 18 league games but then it has helped us get more teams in [the tournament]."

Notre Dame coach Mike Brey agreed that the formula has worked for the Big East.

"It has driven us to get more bids," said Brey, who added it was odd not to have Boeheim at the Big East meetings for the first time during Brey's tenure at Notre Dame. "We've got to stay with this formula. It's not too constrictive. We don't want a rotation. We've got to keep an open mind. Some of it is by design, some of it is by luck, but it has really worked. You can sit there as a coach and say, 'If you're in the top eight, you're in the tournament.'"

There were 13 men's basketball coaches in attendance at Monday's meeting. Four coaches stayed to meet with athletic directors Tuesday. UConn's Jim Calhoun and Louisville's Rick Pitino weren't in attendance and neither were coaches from incoming 2013 members Temple (Fran Dunphy), Memphis (Josh Pastner) and SMU (Larry Brown).

According to Brey, the 11 other coaches in attendance, outside of him and Cronin, were: Stan Heath (South Florida), Ed Cooley (Providence), Kevin Willard (Seton Hall), Steve Lavin (St. John's), Mike Rice (Rutgers), Jay Wright (Villanova), Buzz Williams (Marquette), John Thompson III (Georgetown), Oliver Purnell (DePaul) and 2013 new members Donnie Jones (Central Florida) and James Dickey (Houston).

Heath said that there was even discussion about possibly opening up to 20 games from 18 when the new teams come into the conference.

"We had some conversation, but nothing was shot down," Heath said.

Heath, Cronin and Brey all said there was a renewed sense of optimism in the room, especially with presentations from television executives from NBC and Fox. ESPN and CBS have the current Big East rights, but the league will enter a new negotiating period in the fall.

"There was excitement over the TV presentation possibilities," Cronin said. "The Big East can't negotiate now but there was interest in our product. You could see people spending valuable time on the presentations and they say we'll be even stronger with the media market changes in adding Dallas, Houston and Orlando, which only helps the big picture."

The coaches agreed that the conference tournament must include all members in 2013, regardless of that number.

Heath said he brought up to the coaches that former USF player Kentrell Gransberry never played at Madison Square Garden during his career at South Florida because all the teams weren't invited.

"It's meaningful to the players and the teams even if it's one game," Heath said. "It's a big part of being in the Big East."

The format for the 2013 Big East tournament is still being discussed. There are 15 teams in the league this season with West Virginia's departure. Connecticut is currently not eligible for the tournament since it is not allowed to play in the postseason because of an NCAA ban for poor academics.

The coaches said the plan would be a for 14-team tournament with two games on Tuesday (instead of the previous four) and the rest of the schedule going forward from Wednesday on during championship week with the remaining teams.

Brey said the number of games for an 18-team Big East is still an issue.

"Everybody wants to play everybody," Brey said. "We can't have no-plays. And we need all of the schools to come to New York. A lot of these schools do a lot of business around the Big East tournament. We've got to figure out a way to do this. We're going to figure this all out together."

Quick hitters post-Final Four:

• Pitt and Syracuse representatives won't be at the Big East meetings, but they will be at the ACC meetings in May. The respective coaches will be at the ACC meetings, too.

When will the two schools join the ACC? "Hopefully, we'll get everything worked out here soon,'' Pitt athletic director Steve Pederson said. "Their league is reconfigured and ready to move, and when you get to that point where everybody is on the next page, everybody should move on.''

Pederson wouldn't commit to the fall of 2013, but that seems to be the goal. The ACC is ready to receive Pitt and Syracuse, and the Big East is ready to move on with its new members.

• NBA commissioner David Stern isn't a fan of his league's draft rule. But the players association has to agree on it, and it hasn't been on board. The best-case scenario would be to go back to the original deal, which allows players to go to the NBA from high school or have a two-year minimum agreement of staying in college -- similar to baseball -- before being allowed to enter the draft.

That would skim off some -- but not all -- of the top players from attending college. Anthony Davis may have gone straight to the NBA, but Michael Kidd-Gilchrist may not have done the same.

John Wall may have left. But Eric Bledsoe most likely would not. The onus is on the NBAPA to make a concession and cut a deal with the league if this rule is going to change.

But once again, this isn't the NCAA's rule. The one-and-done rule is the NBA's rule. And coaches such as Kentucky's John Calipari and Duke's Mike Krzyzewski are simply taking advantage. Duke has had "one-and-done" point guards in consecutive seasons in Kyrie Irving and Austin Rivers.

And every coach in the country would have taken Davis for one season if they had the choice.

• When I caught up with Calipari Tuesday night, he was extremely tired. "Everyone said I looked sad,'' Calipari said. "I'm just exhausted.''

Calipari has been going at warp speed for months, and especially in the past three weeks.

• Calipari said he will meet with his five underclassmen this week and see what their intentions are for the NBA draft. The assumption is Davis and Kidd-Gilchrist will declare, but the decisions for Doron Lamb, Terrence Jones and Marquis Teague will be more intriguing since they aren't lottery locks.

"I'll meet with each of them, get information,'' Calipari said. "I want them to breathe, come back and then go home for a few days [over Easter weekend] and come back and finish their academics.''

Calipari is telling his players they don't have to decide by April 10, the unilateral NCAA deadline. And he's right. The players can wait until the NBA's April 29th deadline, the only date that really matters.

"They don't have to follow that April 10 date,'' Calipari said.

The NBA won't put out a draft list until after the April 29 early-entry date. The only binding agreement is a player cannot return to college if he declares for the draft on April 29, even if he doesn't sign with an agent.

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon didn't dismiss the Panthers' NCAA tournament chances even after his team lost eight straight games.

And neither did the selection committee. They never do when it comes to ruling a team dead on arrival for the selection process.

Of course, it helps if the team dealt with injuries, like the Panthers did with Tray Woodall, and plays in a conference like the Big East, where opportunities for quality wins exist every week. "The one thing we don't do is project," said Jeff Hathaway, the chair of the NCAA tournament selection committee and a current Big East conference consultant. "We don't predict or project. Pitt won the last three [games]. They've got good opponents.

"We know this team had injuries. Nobody has deleted this team or put any team from being considered [for the NCAAs] at this point."

The Panthers started the losing skid with a home loss to Wagner on Dec. 23 and then dropped seven consecutive Big East games. The streak ended with a home win over Providence, and Pitt also beat Georgetown at home before shocking West Virginia on Monday night in Morgantown.

"Having Tray out there changes everything since everyone plays their position," Dixon said. "I was hoping he would be back even earlier."

Woodall, who had a groin injury, missed 11 of 12 games earlier this season. He returned for the Jan. 21 game at Louisville but was held scoreless, with three turnovers and two assists. But in the past three games, all wins, he's averaging 15 points and 7.3 assists.

Dixon said the Panthers never panicked during the rough stretch. There have been other illnesses and injuries that have befallen this club and have not been widely reported. Finally, Dixon said, the Panthers have been practicing with a full complement of players (save the Khem Birch transfer to UNLV).

Dixon said the Panthers never discussed the NCAA tournament or what lies ahead. They can't take any game for granted at this stage. A home game versus Villanova is next up on Sunday, and then Pitt visits surging South Florida and Seton Hall.

"I didn't see a change in attitude," Dixon said. "We have our rotation down. We're more comfortable. I feel good that we're getting better."

The Panthers have the opportunities in the Big East to get quality wins. A number of teams in other conferences do not.

And that's why Hathaway said the BracketBuster event is critical for the teams involved.

"There's no question that there are chances for road victories," said Hathaway of matchups like Long Beach State at Creighton, Saint Mary's at Murray State and Nevada at Iona on Feb. 18.

"It gives those teams another crack at a quality opponent. It's something important for their résumés. It's another game that will catch the committee's eye."

Hathaway said a Murray State win over Saint Mary's will give the Racers another top-50 win. Murray State currently owns two top-50 victories over Southern Miss (11) and Memphis (28). Murray also beat Dayton, which is just outside at 59. Saint Mary's is at 25.

"They get another game against a quality opponent that you say will be in the tournament," Hathaway said. "Anything that gives us more information is a plus. It comes at a crucial and intriguing time. It gives these schools another crack at the bat to play top-50 teams. It stands off the sheet more."

Hathaway said he was impressed that Middle Tennessee State chose to play Vanderbilt (and for the Commodores to do so, as well) in January. The Sun Belt and the Blue Raiders weren't participating in BracketBusters this season.

"Those schools are doing what the committee asked to do," Hathaway said. "They're going out and playing people."

The fallout from the Big East's shakeup in football and basketball this week will continue for weeks, if not months or years.

So after another week of changes, the basketball winners and losers can be summed up this way:

Winner
The Big West: Getting San Diego State is a major coup for this league. Steve Fisher's Aztecs are going to be an NCAA tournament team on a regular basis and a national player for getting marquee games. SDSU has a chance to be the Gonzaga of the Big West. The Aztecs won't be as good as the old UNLV teams that won a national title, but being the dominant player that can attract marquee games and attention for the Big West is a great get.

Loser
The Big East: You simply can't make this three-team trade (Out: Pitt, Syracuse, West Virginia; In: Central Florida, Houston, SMU) and not come out looking worse. The pool of teams the Big East had to choose from was small, but it still could have made a few more moves to appease football and basketball. The conference acquired new television markets, but the quality of play will go down and the matchups for the television partners won't be as palatable.

Biggest mess
The 2013 season: If Big East commissioner John Marinatto gets his way, the Big East will have 19 members for one season when the three new schools come aboard and Pitt, Syracuse and West Virginia have to stay. Big East associate commissioner Tom Odjakjian will have a thankless job as he tries to schedule a season that will keep him up at night.

The ongoing fight
West Virginia: The Mountaineers want to play in the Big 12. The Big East says they have to stay. This will likely end up being decided by a judge.

The unknown
Boise State: If coach Leon Rice can continue to improve the program, the Broncos can flourish in the WAC and become a player for a bid quicker there than in the Mountain West.

The potential
Houston, which has a solid recruiting class in 2012, and SMU have had their moments in the past, but the school that gets the tag as the one with the most potential of all the additions could be Central Florida. The Knights have a shot to make more of an impact in the Big East than South Florida has because of UCF's location and facilities. The Knights must stay out of the way of the NCAA's enforcement group after getting caught with violations that cost coach Donnie Jones the first three games of the C-USA season. Still, Jones has taken down Florida and Connecticut on neutral courts in each of the past two seasons.

The biggest question
When the 2014 season begins, will Louisville, Connecticut and Notre Dame be in the Big East? We just don't know.

Despite the losses of Syracuse and Pitt, Louisville coach Rick Pitino is confident the Big East brand of basketball will not only survive but thrive.

He said the Cardinals have no desire to go to another conference and are committed to making the Big East a strong and stable conference.

"I'm happy with Big East basketball," said Pitino, who was on the road recruiting when reached by ESPN.com on Wednesday afternoon. "I didn't want to lose Pitt and Syracuse, but now we're at a manageable 15 teams. We still have top-20 teams in Cincinnati, Georgetown, Marquette, Louisville, Villanova and West Virginia. We still have a great league. The schools like Rutgers and DePaul are getting much better. Losing Syracuse and Pitt hurts our quality, but 17 was going to be ridiculous."

The Big East still may have 17 teams in men's and women's basketball when TCU joins the conference in 2012-'13, unless Pitt and Syracuse can buy their way out of the 27-month departure bylaw that the conference is going to enforce before those schools leave for the ACC. The exit fee is $5 million.

"None of us here want to leave the Big East or playing in Madison Square Garden," Pitino said. "We want to be in the Big East in recruiting. We're very happy in the Big East."

Pitino said he was told that the Big East will add service academies Air Force and Navy by the end of the week -- but only in football. The conference will have football-playing members Louisville, Cincinnati, South Florida, Rutgers, Connecticut, TCU and West Virginia in 2012 if Pitt and Syracuse leave, making it imperative to add more football programs. Of course, at the same time, UConn is actively trying to get into the ACC with Pitt and Syracuse.

Pitino said the Big East was trying to secure Air Force and Navy before the departures of Pitt and Syracuse. Navy is an independent, but Air Force would have to decide if it makes sense to leave the Mountain West for football and keep its other sports in the league. The MWC has a similar reverse deal with Hawaii joining the conference in 2012 only for football. The Warriors will play in the Big West in all other sports. Hawaii is currently in the WAC in all sports.

As he first pointed out in a blog he wrote earlier this week, Pitino is skeptical of what Boston College has gained from joining the ACC.

"What has it done for them?" Pitino said. "Syracuse and Pitt are risking everything and all these great traditions and for what?"

Pitt and Syracuse will say for security and stability.

SU coach Jim Boeheim told ESPN.com that his program would continue to play St. John's and Georgetown after the Orange move to the ACC. Pitino said there won't be room on UL's schedule to take on Syracuse and Pitt.

"It's not that I wouldn't play them, but we can't," he said. "There is no animosity. I don't blame them. But there's no reason for them to play us and no reason for us to play them."

Pitino said going to 15 teams in men's basketball is a much more palatable situation. He said he'd like to see 14 league games then two repeat teams to get up to 16 league games. Having a 17-team basketball conference would be a long-term nightmare, he added.

"We don't want any more basketball teams," Pitino said. "I feel very comfortable saying that we're going to be in the Big East. Now if you said to me two months ago that Syracuse and Pitt would leave the Big East, I never thought that.

"We have a great conference. If it stays at 15, then we could get eight or nine in the NCAA tournament. We just had 11 out of 16. We will still have one of the strongest conferences in the country."

Louisville will be one of the favorites in the Big East this season, along with Connecticut, Syracuse and Pitt. The latter two are on their way to the ACC and the first wouldn't mind going, too.

"I feel very comfortable today that Big East basketball will be fine," Pitino said. "I never thought a charter member like Syracuse would leave. We don't know what will happen, but my feeling is that we will continue to have a great conference."

Here are some quick hitters during this crazy week in college sports …

• Villanova is trying to use its rising football program as a way to get in somewhere in the ACC or a Big 12/Big East hybrid. The school is hoping the Philadelphia market and the ability to get its football to FBS status (unlike, say, Georgetown) is attractive. And by the way, Nova is not pleased about the way Pitt helped block the Wildcats from being accepted into the Big East for football.

• If what's left of the Big East became a basketball-driven league, it would still be a very attractive conference. Imagine if the league were Villanova, St. John's, Georgetown, Marquette, DePaul, Seton Hall, Providence and possibly Notre Dame, then add Xavier, Butler, Saint Louis, Dayton, Creighton and maybe Saint Joseph's.

• The remaining non-FBS teams in the Big East have to commit to unity for a setup like this to work. The problem with this idea is that it still wouldn't command major media dollars. Non-football conferences don't make the major money. Check out my colleage Dana O'Neil's take on it here.

• The Big East is saying the right things by holding Pitt and Syracuse to the 27-month departure bylaw. But it's in the best interest of the remaining Big East schools to let the schools go so that they can figure out what the conference will look like in two or three years. Multiple lame-duck seasons serve no purpose.

• Pitt is having some selective memory these days about refusing to play Boston College after the Eagles broke off to the ACC eight years ago. The Big East office was not a fan of anyone playing the Eagles in anything and made that clear to Pittsburgh. The Panthers were supposed to play BC in the Jimmy V Classic but were replaced with Indiana.

• The Barclays Arena in Brooklyn will provide the New York City area with multiple opportunities to host conference tournaments. The ACC, Big East and A-10 should all have choices for tournaments in the coming years.

• Adding Missouri to the Southeastern Conference makes the most sense for what the league wants from a 14th member. The SEC wants the perception to be that it is adding a new market (St. Louis/Kansas City) and a school that has some respect academically. Texas A&M obviously delivers a major market (Houston) and respect. But there aren't really two other natural schools out there for the SEC to bump up to 16.

• Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott will have to do some serious convincing when he talks to his presidents -- especially the Bay Area ones -- about adding Oklahoma State and Texas Tech with Texas and Oklahoma. I would love to hear that conversation.

• I like that Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson is being proactive, but the proposed MWC-Conference USA confederation to have a football championship that would decide a BCS bid is odd. Would it really produce an automatic qualifier to the BCS? Would there be some sort of basketball agreement?

• Texas would still rather stay in the Big 12 and have all of its program compete in the region. But it all depends on Oklahoma at this point.

• Can you imagine if the ACC added Notre Dame and Connecticut to get to 16? The Irish are always solid under Mike Brey and UConn is a three-time national champ. The top of the ACC would be scary good. But moving up from the bottom would be extremely difficult for some programs. The jobs at Wake Forest and Boston College would get even tougher.

• It really is amazing to think about how much super-conference talk is going on recently and yet Butler played in the last two national championship games and VCU was in the Final Four last season. March reminds us that there are hundreds of others schools competing in Division I and plenty of high-level players and coaches. It's not all about the big boys!

• The NCAA still hasn't decided on the fate of ousted Connecticut athletic director Jeff Hathaway. He's the men's basketball tourney committee chair yet is currently jobless. But a number of former committee members and current Big East officials want Hathaway to be on the committee for this final season as long as the NCAA can figure out a way around him not having a job. Hathaway would be able to focus solely on the task of running the committee, which meets again later in the fall.

• Michigan State coach Tom Izzo is as excited about this season as he has been in years. The Spartans are finally relatively healthy and it's clear some of the issues in the locker room are gone. Meanwhile, North Carolina coach Roy Williams, whose team will face off with Izzo in the Carrier Classic on Nov. 11, said he has been told the pickup games in Chapel Hill involving a number of locked-out NBA players have really helped his crew develop.

• UCLA's Class of 2012 commitments from the East and South, Kyle Anderson (New Jersey) and Jordan Adams (Georgia), continue to show the Bruins are a national program. Every former UCLA coach has consistently said the Bruins can't simply recruit California. UCLA has to be a national player to be a national contender. The recruiting by the Bruins and rival Arizona -- the top two teams in the latest ESPN rankings -- is a credit to Ben Howland and Sean Miller, who cut their teeth recruiting in the cut-throat East Coast. But it also shows that the down cycle of the Pac-12 elite was merely a blip on the radar.

The World University Games is usually the one international competition, outside of the Olympics, the U.S. expects to win.

Elite European players aren't usually in school. And in an Olympic qualifying year, the likelihood that national teams would have top players playing in this event is low.

Still, the Americans lost this event two years ago, falling to Russia in the semifinals. The U.S. beat Israel in the consolation game to take home the bronze medal with a 6-1 mark. Host Serbia won the gold.

Purdue coach Matt Painter is well-aware of the stakes in China over the next two weeks. The U.S. is coming off a disappointing fifth-place finish at the FIBA U-19 World Championships in Latvia last month. The gold in the World University Games isn't with Team USA, either.

And that's exactly why Painter, who will be assisted by Butler's Brad Stevens and Tennessee's Cuonzo Martin, wanted to put together a team, not an all-star tour.

"We have three weeks together and we have to have the right mindset,'' Painter said prior to leaving for China on Monday. Painter was an assistant on the U-19 gold medal team two years ago in New Zealand. "It's very important to be on the same page.''

That's why he was thrilled to see two players from that U-19 gold medal-winning team on this roster in Pitt's Ashton Gibbs and Kentucky's Darius Miller.

"It was important for them to talk about their experience in New Zealand and what it meant to sacrifice minutes and how important this was,'' Painter said.

On Thursday in Huizhou, the Americans play a Chinese team called New Century in an exhibition game before pool play starts Saturday. Based on the groupings, the U.S. should win its group with the toughest challenger probably being Israel (Finland, Hungary, Mexico and South Korea are also in Group D). Host China and Brazil are in Group A; Serbia, Turkey, Canada and Australia are in Group B; and Russia and Lithuania headline Group C. The medal round is Aug. 20-22.

Here is Painter's breakdown of the 12 finalists representing the United States:

Tim Abromaitis, Sr., F, Notre Dame: "He's a very good player, and a guy that we can swing between small forward and power forward. He'll cause a lot of matchup problems for other teams.''

Marcus Denmon, Sr., G, Missouri: "When he's on, he changes the game. He can be a high-energy guy. His performances in practice have been strong. He has the potential to carry this team with his shooting and energy.''

Ashton Gibbs, Sr., G, Pitt: "He's a tough, hard-nosed player that simply gets the job done. He comes early and stays late. He's a very good shooter, can make 3s and will knock down the shots for us. He's our point like he was for us on the U-19 team.''

Draymond Green, Sr., F, Michigan State: "He's a very versatile, intelligent basketball player. He knows what's going on. He plays hard and he cares. He wants to win. He will impact the game for us.''

JaMychal Green, Sr., F, Alabama: "He's a guy that is going to have to score down low for us. He's a very talented kid. He's going to have score and rebound for this team to win.''

Scoop Jardine, Sr., G, Syracuse: "He's a very experienced player who has played in a lot of big-time games. He will help us get through the dog days of pool play to the medal round. He's a point guard who will help us and create for himself.''

John Jenkins, Jr., G, Vanderbilt: "He's a big-time shooter. He needs to score for us. He has to be aggressive. He will look for his shot and help us defensively at the 2-guard. I think we'll win the battle at the 2-guard with him.''

Orlando Johnson, Sr., G, UC Santa Barbara: "He can score the basketball. He's a good shooter, can drive the ball, post-up and pull-up with his left hand. He has to help us defensively and put points on the board. He was someone who positively surprised us at the trials. We recruited him when he left Loyola Marymount, and I'm kicking myself now that we didn't get him. He's a really good player.''

Greg Mangano, Sr., F, Yale: "I think he was the right piece for this team. He plays his role. He defends and plays post defense. He runs the court and does the little things. He could do for us what Arnett Moultrie and John Shurna did for the U-19 team two years ago -- doing key things down the stretch in the medal round. We wanted that last spot on the team to be a player with size and it came down to him and Aaric Murray [West Virginia] and Yancy Gates [Cincinnati], and we just felt that Greg would complement the other guys.''

Trevor Mbakwe, Sr., F, Minnesota: "He's tough. He's hard to handle. He's got great energy. He's got a great motor. He can really move his feet on the perimeter. He's got an impressive work ethic and a joy to coach. We were always in awe of him at Purdue. He's got brute strength and athleticism and will do a great job for us around the basket.''

Ray McCallum, So., G, Detroit: "He's so talented. His young. But he can play either guard spot and you can tell how hungry he was to make this team. He was one of the last guys we invited but he has a chance to really impact these games.''

Darius Miller, Sr., G, Kentucky: "If we throw Darius in there with Abromaitis and Green, we can play different ways. He can help us play bigger or smaller. He has really improved his shooting since we had him in New Zealand. He's going to be good against a zone, and we'll just have to find the right place to play him. He's a very good player and will help us a lot defensively.''

The Cleveland Cavaliers made a highly publicized play for Michigan State coach Tom Izzo in June 2010, but Izzo turned down a lucrative financial offer to stay with the Spartans.

A year later, Minnesota Timberwolves general manager David Kahn asked about Washington coach Lorenzo Romar. But it's not going any further than that initial inquiry. Romar isn't heading to Minneapolis.

Will that be the only flirtation with a college coach in the NBA this offseason? Have we entered an era when college coaches may not venture into the NBA because for the high-level coaches, the money won't be much of a difference?

Possibly.

"If it's based on money, I'm not sure coaches will make that transition, especially if they like where they are," Romar said. "The guys that make that type of NBA money are already established."

It seems NBA teams are now seeking the coaches who have been players or assistants such as Mark Jackson or Dwane Casey.

"I just don't see it happening," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said of elite college coaches making the jump. "I think the NBA will continue to recycle guys unless it's a former college guy like Kelvin Sampson."

Sampson has been an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks and was recently interviewed by the Pistons. He's gone the assistant route after running afoul of NCAA rules at Oklahoma and Indiana.

"Once you take the top guys out, guys like Phil Jackson, Doc Rivers, the average salary is much more comparable to the college coaches," said Duke associate coach Chris Collins, whose father, Doug, is the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. Elite college coaches like John Calipari, Billy Donovan and Mike Krzyzewski are already making more than $3-4 million per year.

"To do it, it has to be that you want to challenge yourself in something new," Collins said. "Financially, coaches like Lon Kruger and some of those other guys, it was a such a big-money deal it was hard to say no. Mike Montgomery, did it and it was something he couldn't turn down."

Leonard Hamilton was in a similar situation when Michael Jordan plucked him from Miami to coach the Washington Wizards. Hamilton got a significant payday but was fired, then landed back in Florida, this time coaching Florida State.

"The trend is to go find a coach that has a relationship with the players," Hamilton said. "But I'm not so sure it won't come back again. The rules are changing with allowing zone, and teams aren't running as many sets."

Still, Hamilton said there will be coaches who see the allure of coaching in the NBA regardless of the financial terms that may be similar.

"A lot of coaches have the aspiration to coach at the highest level," Hamilton said. "If they had the opportunity, I think most coaches, regardless of pay, would welcome it. I think it will change in the near future where college coaches will get the chance again."

A few more news and notes ...

• The schedules for the 2011-12 season are starting to shape up, including in the Hoosier State. As previously announced, Butler will play Purdue, and Indiana will take on Notre Dame at an event at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. But the Bulldogs also will play at Indiana after the two schools agreed to be part of a multiteam event during which they'll play three home games against weaker teams. Butler associate head coach Matthew Graves said the Bulldogs aren't in a traditional neutral-site tournament this season but will play in the Maui Invitational in 2012. Butler also signed a home-and-home series with Gonzaga beginning next season in Spokane with the Bulldogs getting the return game in 2012-13. Butler also will host Xavier and Louisville and travel to Stanford next season.

• Missouri coach Frank Haith is trying to offset a number of departures, as the Tigers have only three scholarship players for 2012-13. That's why he took on transfers Keion Bell (Pepperdine), George Goode (Louisville) and Earnest Ross (Auburn) and is now looking at Brian Oliver (Georgia Tech). Oliver is deciding among Penn State, Seton Hall and Missouri, according to a source.

• Former Arkansas sharpshooter Rotnei Clarke is down to Butler and Oklahoma for his new destination, according to a source. Clarke would have one season of eligibility remaining but must sit out next season.

The most coveted assistant coaching job in the Big East might be on Jamie Dixon's staff at Pitt.

Get on that bench and suddenly your chances of landing a head-coaching job increase dramatically.

Mike Rice arrived from Saint Joseph's and landed a head-coaching gig at Robert Morris and then at Rutgers.

Tom Herrion arrived from the unemployment line and is now the head coach at Marshall.

Barry Rohrssen was a carryover from Ben Howland's staff and spent three years as Dixon's associate head coach before landing the Manhattan job.

Pat Skerry came for one season after being a longtime assistant for Herrion at Charleston, for Jim Baron at Rhode Island and then for Keno Davis at Providence.

Now Skerry is the head coach at Towson.

"Why wouldn't an administration want a coach who works for him?" Skerry said of Dixon. "He's incredibly focused. He's incredibly consistent. The way [his teams] play, he gives a team a chance to win every night. The focus is on defense, rebounding."

Herrion was on Dixon's bench when the Panthers lost to Villanova on a last-second basket in the 2009 Elite Eight. He coached Marshall to a 22-12 record in his first season with the Thundering Herd.

"I believe that people across the country truly appreciate and respect the level of success that Jamie and the Pitt program have established and, more importantly, the integrity with which Jamie lives and coaches," Herrion said.

Rice, who is recruiting well at Rutgers and just secured transfer Wally Judge from Kansas State, said "everyone wants to copy the success Pitt has had."

"Jamie does it right on and off the floor, and everyone wants to emulate what he has created," Rice said. "The quickest way to do that is by hiring his assistants. I never thought I'd be there one year. But I jumped at the chance to go to Robert Morris in my hometown. He's consistent with who he's hired. He has an eye for talent."

Rice and Herrion aren't only from Dixon's family tree. Rice worked for Phil Martelli; Herrion for Pete Gillen. They have formed their own identities. So, too, has Skerry. But Dixon seems to have given them the final push into head coaching. So far Rice and Herrion are off to solid starts in their new gigs.

Can Skerry do the same?

"He's a relentless worker," Dixon said. "He's bright. He went to Tufts. He's determined and a good fit in terms of the job. There are resources there. And there's nowhere to go but up."

That's because Towson finished winless (0-18) in the Colonial Athletic Association last season, Pat Kennedy's final year at the Baltimore school. The Tigers were 4-26 overall, one of the worst teams in Division I last season. They lost 144 games in Kennedy's seven seasons.

In a league like the Colonial, which put three teams in the NCAA tournament and one in the Final Four, Skerry has one heck of a challenge.

For all his ties to the Northeast -- from his native Medford, Mass.; to Tufts; to being the head coach at Division III Curry College (Mass.); to being an assistant at Stonehill College, Northeastern and then URI, Providence and Pitt -- Skerry did spend time in the CAA as an assistant at William & Mary under Rick Boyages and also coached in the South under Herrion at Charleston.

"Pat has paid his dues through his coaching career," Herrion said. "He has proven his worth as a recruiter at every stop, but he has a terrific basketball mind and is an excellent teacher. He will pump new life into the Towson basketball program."

Skerry started by hiring Rhode Island assistant Kevin Clark, who was once the interim coach at St. John's.

Towson is also showing a commitment to basketball now with the groundbreaking for a new $68 million, 5,200-seat arena that will open in two years.

Towson hasn't had relevance locally or in the CAA. But it appears all the postseason success at the top of the league has motivated the bottom to get serious about the sport.

"The situation reminds me a lot of what we had at Rhode Island, where we were coming off a six-win season and then had to flip the roster and three years later we were in the Top 25," Skerry said. "This is a great campus, a great location and they're pumping money into the program. They've had some bad luck here, some injuries, but why not try to catch some kids' eyes and get this thing going?"

Skerry said he wasn't the first choice to be on Dixon's staff to replace Herrion. He was convinced that an older or more experienced coach would get the job. He's also not sure he was the first choice at Towson. Princeton coach Sydney Johnson was a viable candidate, but opted to go to Fairfield.

But Skerry worked the gig, had plenty of support from the Dixon tree and ended up landing his first D-I head-coaching job.

"There's no question that working for a guy like Coach Dixon helps," Skerry said. "I'm going to recruit like an assistant here. This league isn't getting worse; it's getting better. I don't have any illusions of grandeur. There is a commitment here to athletics. It can be done here. [But] the profile of the league is improving. We've got a lot of work ahead of us."

To put it simply, Maryland is one of the best jobs in the country.

The Terrapins can boast fertile recruiting territory in the Beltway and surrounding areas. Maryland fans are as loyal and passionate as any in college basketball. The facilities are top-notch.

Yes, North Carolina and Duke are the perennial favorites in the ACC, but there's no shame in being the third-best job in the conference behind those two. That just means it's among the top 10 or 15 in the country. So why wouldn't top-tier coaches run to College Park if athletic director Kevin Anderson calls to find a replacement for Gary Williams, who abruptly resigned Thursday?

Well, after discussing the topic with a number of sources that have direct knowledge on the subject as it relates to these coaches, there are reasons that make moving to Maryland difficult.

Some of the key points that have come up:

• How many coaches leave an elite job to go to another elite job when things are going well?
• How many coaches in their late 40s or early 50s want to rebuild again if they don't have to?
• How many coaches want to go to a team next season that will likely miss the postseason when they have an NCAA tourney team on their own campus?
• How many want to re-invent themselves in a new community and go through the rigors of establishing new contacts?
• How many are willing to go laterally financially if they're already making millions in their current job?

A while back, moving to Maryland from a school like Pittsburgh (see Jamie Dixon) would've been a no-brainer. But now schools like Pitt have emerged as national players, which makes a decision to leave a good situation a tough one to digest.

The big-to-big moves of note recently were easy to explain. Roy Williams went from Kansas to North Carolina. That's two of the top five jobs in the country and Williams is a UNC alumnus. Bill Self left Illinois to replace Williams at Kansas, and that one made sense too.

Herb Sendek going from NC State to Arizona State was a geographic move and one in which he simply didn't feel appreciated enough at his old school.

Ben Howland left Pittsburgh for UCLA. Pitt was a new player in the Big East at the time. UCLA is, well, UCLA and Howland is from Santa Barbara. No need for an explanation.

Frank Haith going from Miami to Missouri was an obvious move. Missouri is a much better job. Mike Anderson going from Missouri to Arkansas was an easy choice since he had once coached at Arkansas.

But not every situation provides an obvious answer.

Let's look at the candidates Maryland will likely pursue based on a number of sources. It may not be limited to this list, but these guys will likely be among the first to get a call, if they haven't already:

Mike Brey, Notre Dame: This one seems obvious. Brey, 52, is from Maryland. He has a beach home in Delaware. He coached at Delaware. He played at George Washington. But he also hasn't lived in the area for more than two decades. Yes, Brey had a senior-laden team last season, including Big East player of the year Ben Hansbrough. But the Fighting Irish will be better than the Terrapins next season and Brey feels like he has created his own program in South Bend. He doesn't necessarily have the energy to re-start his career. He loves coaching the Irish and doesn't need a new challenge. If he were in his 40s, he might reconsider. But if he were asked now if he wants to stay at Notre Dame or coach at Maryland, his answer would likely be to stick with the Irish.

Jamie Dixon, Pitt: Dixon and Anderson have a special relationship. Anderson was the athletic director who hired Dixon's late sister Maggie at Army. They have shared a closeness since her death. So Dixon will likely be asked by his friend for advice, but it's not likely he will take the Maryland job if asked unless something were to change. Pitt is a Big East power now and has been within a layup of the Final Four. Dixon is entrenched in the Pittsburgh community. There is no reason for him to leave.

Jay Wright, Villanova: Wright has built Nova into a Big East perennial power. He has recruiting locked up in the corridor. He has coached the Wildcats to the Final Four. And he is extremely comfortable in Philadelphia. If there is a next move for Wright, it's likely to the NBA. Wright doesn't need to jump to a basketball-football school. According to sources, Wright wouldn't leave Villanova for Maryland.

Tubby Smith, Minnesota: Smith was reportedly high on the lists at Georgia Tech and NC State but claimed all along he had no plans of leaving Minneapolis. Georgia Tech couldn't have paid him what he could command anyway. Smith is from Maryland, so it would make sense for him to go home. But is that what Anderson wants? Smith is in his 60s and Williams just retired at 66. Smith is in the same coaching era as Williams, Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Boeheim, Jim Calhoun and Roy Williams. He has coaching left in him, but Maryland is in a rebuilding situation. Yes, Jim Larranaga at age 61 just went to Miami, but the Hurricanes have players and can win next season. Smith is an intriguing name with a national title to his credit, but would he be a long-term solution?

Mark Few, Gonzaga: Few has flirted with plenty of jobs in the past, notably Indiana. But he's never bitten. He loves his life in Spokane and with the Zags. He has built a national name at Gonzaga and the Zags recruit at a high level now. He makes over $1 million and is firmly entrenched in the Northwest. He would listen, according to sources, but would he really be willing to go from Spokane to College Park? Does Anderson want to pluck someone who doesn't have any ties to the area, as good a name as he is nationally?

Brad Stevens, Butler: Stevens should only leave Butler for a top 10-15 national job after coaching the Bulldogs to consecutive national title games. This is one of those jobs he would have to listen to if called. But Stevens has never worked outside Indiana. Is this the right fit for him? Anderson would hit a home run with this hire. Stevens has become one of the most well-respected coaches in the business in such a short time, drawing immense praise from none other than Krzyzewski the past two seasons. But would Stevens leave the two-time defending national runner-up? Tough call. If Stevens is going to move, he'll likely stay in the Midwest at an elite job in the Big Ten.

Mark Turgeon, Texas A&M: Turgeon played at Kansas. He fully understands what it's like to be at a basketball-crazed school. He coached at one in Wichita State. He would enjoy being at a basketball-first school like Maryland. He has done a wonderful job keeping the Aggies relevant in the Big 12 and A&M will again be in the mix in the conference title race next season. But would Turgeon be the choice for Anderson? That's still an unknown. As one source said, Turgeon may not be the news conference name that Tubby Smith would be on day one, but two years into his tenure at Maryland they would know they had an elite coach and a winner.

Sean Miller, Arizona: This is by far the most intriguing name. If this were a year ago, Miller would have probably run to Maryland. His first year at Arizona wasn't easy after taking over for two interim coaches who succeeded Hall of Famer Lute Olson. But Miller then coached the Wildcats to the Pac-10 title and a trip to the Elite Eight. He has an elite recruiting class coming to Tucson. This is a great time to be in the Pac-12 at a school like Arizona because it is winnable with so many programs in flux. Unlike Dixon, Wright, Brey, Few or even Stevens, Miller isn't entrenched in his community or the school. He went from Xavier to Tucson just two years ago. He is an East Coast coach, he played at Pitt and coached in the ACC at NC State. So he would be a great fit at Maryland, but is he willing to move after bringing back some of the glory to Zona? Is he willing to start over again and rebuild? Does he have the energy for that type of move again? This might be the most agonizing call.

Shaka Smart, VCU: Obviously Smart's name wouldn't have been on this list a year ago. But that was before he coached the Rams to an improbable Final Four run. He committed to VCU by staying put this offseason and the school upped his salary quite a bit. But he would almost certainly jump at an offer from Maryland. The question: Is this too big a leap for Maryland to make?

Johnny Dawkins, Stanford: Dawkins is from Maryland. He is an all-time great Duke player. He is trying to establish himself at Stanford, but it doesn't appear he's done enough to warrant interest from the Terps. But he does have a name that would resonate locally and in the ACC.

There likely will be others, possibly some names from the NBA. But any list that Anderson checks off should at least begin with the aforementioned coaches. Maryland shouldn't aim for anything less.