NCAA Basketball: Grading the biggest 2022 CBB coaching hires two years later

Kenny Payne, Louisville Cardinals: F

In short, there probably isn’t a power-five head coaching hire that turned out as badly as it did compared to Kenny Payne’s short-lived tenure at Louisville. Maybe Billy Gillespie at Kentucky? Dave Bliss at Baylor? Sure. In just Kenny Payne’s two years leading the Cardinals, Kenny Payne only won 12 games total. A 12-52 (5-35) record will surely kick you out the door, especially at a program with the standards and pedigree of Louisville. In Kenny’s defense, he did inherit a mess, however, Louisville’s struggles were historically bad, making Kenny Panye’s grade a sure-fire F in his two years leading the Cardinals.

Matt McMahon, LSU Tigers: C-

After a successful stint at Murray State, Matt McMahon was hired at LSU after the firing of Will Wade, whose program received a notice of allegations from the NCAA in March 2022. McMahon, who chose LSU over South Carolina despite being the potential cloud from the NCAA, struggled in year one. The Tigers finished 2-16 in SEC play. Year two was much better, though, as the Tigers finished in the middle of the SEC, even earning an appearance in the NIT. The results haven’t been immediate under McMahon, but the improvement from year one to year two is noteworthy, demonstrating the Tigers are heading on the right track. Year three will be a big one for McMahon, whose team will be tested in the grueling SEC as he looks to build off last year’s improvement.