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Report: UNC Basketball Has 4 Notable Candidates On Radar

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated Apr 4, 2026 6:01 PM ET

With Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd committing to the Wildcats on a long-term deal, the candidate pool for the vacant North Carolina head coaching job may not have the same punch as it did a few days ago. But the Tar Heels are still fully-committed to finding an ideal candidate with plenty of experience.

According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, there are four coaches that UNC have at the top of their list: Michigan head coach Dusty May, Iowa State head coach TJ Otzelberger, UConn head coach Dan Hurley and Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan.

Thamel acknowledged that May is "unlikely" and said that Donovan is "complicated" due to his NBA commitments.

“Let’s break this down into two tiers: aspirational and realistic,” Thamel said on ESPN College GameDay, via On3. “UNC is still in its aspirational list. Expect them to make a push for a couple of Final Four coaches when they do lose, or potentially win this weekend.

“If Dusty May loses tonight, look for UNC to go after him hard. That remains unlikely, but he is at the top of their list. Look for Danny Hurley and TJ Otzelberger to get a call. In Otzelberger’s case, it’ll be a re-call. Also in this top tier is Billy Donovan. That courtship is complicated because Billy Donovan is insistent on coaching the rest of the season for the Chicago Bulls. That season ends on April 12.”

The Backup List

Thamel also listed off a quartet of more "realistic" options for UNC that he believes would be costly but doable. Those coaches are Baylor's Scott Drew, Texas Tech's Grant McCasland, Iowa's Ben McCollum and Vanderbilt's Mark Byington.

“These coaches would be costly. Drew and McCollum are $4 million for their buyout, and McCasland and Byington are more than $10 million for their buyouts. With that perspective, the biggest buyout in college sports history was Kalen DeBoer going from Washington to Alabama, and that was about $10 million a few years back.

“So even in the second pond, it’s going to be expensive for UNC to make a move. Most importantly, I was told UNC officials are insistent, they’re more concerned with getting the right guy than the timing of the portal opening on Tuesday.”

Of that four, Drew is the only one with a national title, having led the Bears to a title in 2021.

Will any of the eight coaches that Thamel has named be the next head coach of the Tar Heels?

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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