Busting Brackets
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NCAA Basketball: 3 mid-major coaches likely to land a power conference job in 2019

By Holden Walter-Warner

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: Head coach Eric Musselman of the Nevada Wolf Pack calls to his team during a semifinal game of the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament against the San Diego State Aztecs at the Thomas
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: Head coach Eric Musselman of the Nevada Wolf Pack calls to his team during a semifinal game of the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament against the San Diego State Aztecs at the Thomas /
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ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 22: Head coach Eric Musselman of the Nevada Wolf Pack reacts against the Loyola Ramblers in the first half during the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament South Regional at Philips Arena on March 22, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 22: Head coach Eric Musselman of the Nevada Wolf Pack reacts against the Loyola Ramblers in the first half during the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament South Regional at Philips Arena on March 22, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Eric Musselman, Nevada Wolf Pack

Eric Musselman hasn’t been with Nevada for very long, but he’s made a big impact in his limited time.

He improved the Wolf Pack’s win total by nine victories in his first season. By his second year, Nevada was back in the NCAA Tournament.

Last season, he took them to the Sweet Sixteen, where they fell to Loyola-Chicago.

The culture feels much different in Reno than it has in recent years. Musselman has fostered an environment where players want to stick around. Just this spring, the Martin twins passed up an opportunity to enter the NBA Draft to return to play for Musselman.

What Musselman’s future at the mid-major program projects to be is cloudy. He has coached as seemingly all levels of the sport – including the NBA – but has never been the head man at a major college program.

He reportedly batted away some overtures from major programs last offseason, including from Cal. Eventually, that led to an agreement on a contract extension to remain in the desert.

But if a Pac-12 job comes open next offseason – perhaps at Washington State, or even UCLA – it may be hard for Musselman to stay put at his mid-major abode.

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