NCAA Basketball: 5 potential college landing spots for John Beilein

By Brian Rauf | Feb 18, 2020

CLEVELAND, OHIO - JANUARY 23: Head coach John Beilein of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts to a call during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on January 23, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Wizards defeated the Cavaliers 124-112. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

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SUNRISE, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 21: Tre Mann #1 and Scottie Lewis #23 of the Florida Gators (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

2) Florida Gators

Florida is another job that may not become available this offseason, yet it has become very clear this season that current Gators head coach Mike White is not the guy that is going to take this program to the level it was at under Billy Donovan.

After being ranked No. 6 in the country in the preseason, Florida is now a bubble team that has a real chance of missing the tournament entirely. They have plenty of talent, they’ve just woefully underachieved – largely due to poor coaching.

Florida may be slow to move on White given the fact he has led them to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances prior to this season and took them to the Elite Eight in 2017, but the program has regressed every year since. Should Beilein take over, it would be a definite upgrade.

What would the appeal of Florida be for a coach who has spent his entire coaching life in the Northeast and Midwest? The Gators are one of the best jobs in the SEC, have a great recruiting base, and already have a roster with plenty of talent. And, while expectations are high, the program is always second to football, so the job isn’t a pressure-cooker like the Indiana gig.

Many of the SEC’s coaches are in their last job after having success elsewhere in their coaching careers, too.

Rick Barnes is having a great run at Tennessee after his tenure at Texas, Ben Howland is doing the same at Mississippi State after making three Final Fours with UCLA, and Tom Crean is rebuilding Georgia after his time at Indiana. Beilein is a more accomplished coach than those three and would be taking the better job in this scenario, so it’s not hard to imagine him having success in Gainesville.

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