5 college football coaches who would make good basketball coaches

Mark Dantonio – Michigan State

The 2017 NCAA Tournament showed that defense is still crucial to winning at the highest level. North Carolina and Gonzaga got as far as they did as much because of their defensive effort as any great offensive performance.

College basketball also has a brand of basketball that believes in reducing possessions and playing tough physical defense. This is the Big Ten style. It is still favored by the schools in that conference and schools of the old Big East. The team that reaches sixty-first is often rewarded with victory in a normal Big Ten game.

So where does one find such physical roadblock defense in college football? The Big Ten of course. Well, not the entire conference. One school that has built a reputation in the playoff era for defensive success is the Michigan State Spartans under Dantonio. At their height, the Spartans were even able to shut down the offensive machine that is Ohio State to win their conference.

The offensive side of the ball has not been so exciting, but a Dantonio basketball team would only need to score more points than the opposition. Their gameplan would be to play in the fifties and grind the clock on both ends. Consider them like Wisconsin or Virginia in their play style. Teams would have to adjust to them rather than playing their own styles. Naturally, it would not be pretty to watch, but if you win enough no one cares.

Dantonio would also be used to working at a recruiting disadvantage similar to Gundy at Oklahoma State.