Trading Places: NCAA Basketball Edition

The college basketball carousel has been spinning for quite a while. Rutgers remains as the only large conference program without a coach. However, perennial Missouri Valley contender Creighton made be the best job opening.

Here's a look at Who's in and Who's out for the 2010-2011 season...

Auburn - Tony Barbee parlayed a CUSA regualar season championship at UTEP into a well paying dead end job in the SEC. Let's face it. No one will ever care about basketball at Auburn, but it's Barbee's job to make some noise from the kids table. He may want to ask former coach Jeff Lebo how difficult that is.

Boise State - The Broncos are the WAC's sleeping giant, and hiring Gonzaga assistant Greg Graham may be exactly what is needed to release the Kraken in Boise. Graham has spent the past decade recruiting the Pacific Northwest's finest talent. If he could bring that same influence to Boise State, things may start looking up out of the blue.

Boston College - The Eagles fired a solid coach in Al Skinner to snatch one of the hot names on the coaching market this off-season, former Cornell head coach Steve Donahue. Donahue (pictured to the right) found players good enough to play in the Sweet 16 and smart enough to play at Cornell at his last stop. At BC, the recruiting pool becomes significantly larger, but so do the expectations.

Central Arkansas - The Bears made a great coaching hire when they gave the job to probably the most notable basketball player in the history of the state. The Big Nasty won a ring in college with the Razorbacks and in the pros ('05 Pistons), he will be able to connect with recruits and field a competitive squad very quickly.

DePaul - One of the country's most underachieving programs just hired one of the country's most underachieving coaches, former Clemson coach Oliver Purnell. I don't see the Demons leaving the Big East basement anytime soon.

East Carolina - Jeff Lebo can't catch a break. He goes from football crazy Auburn, to maybe even more football crazy ECU. Lebo needs to fire his agent. 

Fordham - Tom Pecora is taking over an A-10 program that plays in DIII facilities. Pecora's only advantage is a cell phone contact list of the most important basketball people in New York City. One that he used to lure plenty of the city's best talent to Hofstra. 

Hawaii - The good news is that Gib Arnold is moving to Hawaii, the bad news is that he has to coach the basketball team. The depleted roster is especially hard to replenish due to the job's geographical disadvantages, but Arnold must try to find a gem in southern California to make Hawaii a WAC contender again.

Hofstra - The Pride would have probably taken new coach Tim Welsh in a trade straight up for former coach Tom Pecora. Hofstra may have regretted it too. Especially, since Welsh is currently suspended and may face DWI charges.

Houston - James Dickey is facing mission impossible, replacing the legendary Tommy Penders fresh off a miracle tourney bid. I'm going to give Dickey three years before he lands elsewhere.

Iona - The Gaels went the DII route to tab Tim Cluess from perennially successful CW Post.

Iowa - The Hawkeyes may have hit a home run with the smooth and likable Fran McCaffery. McCaffery turned Siena into a NCAA tournament mainstay and has some big wins on record. If he gets his players in the system early on, the Hawkeyes could show some very immediate improvement.  

St. John's - After the Red Storm beat Louisville at MSG this season, a fan screamed "Fire Norm (Roberts) Anyway!" Eventually, AD Chris Monasch did, in fact, pull the trigger on Roberts and then landed Steve Lavin as his next coach. Lavin (pictured to the right) is a glitzy Hollywood type (formerly the coach at UCLA) that will embrace the challenge of bringing back the Red Storm. 

Seton Hall - Former Iona coach Kevin Willard is the new coach at The Hall, and quite frankly...I'm still trying to figure out why.

UTEP - Tim Floyd always lands on his feet, no matter what. This time UTEP snatched him up, knowing that he will be able to continue what Tony Barbee started until a big program forgives his evil deeds and gives him a power conference job.

Wake Forest - It's good to see Jeff Bzdelik coaching meaningful basketball again after being exiled in Boulder, Colorado for a spell. The Deacs will make dramatic strides behind the former Denver Nuggets head man.

Clemson - The Tigers may have made out like bandits when they lost Oliver Purnell to DePaul, and replaced him with Brad Brownell. While Purnell struggled to win with elite talent, Brownell has been at Wright St. battling Butler to the final week of the season every year with totally inferior talent. 

Oregon - After striking out on a Hall of Fame caliber coach, the Ducks made an underrated hire by luring Dana Altman from Creighton. Something should be said for a coach that just wins 20 games every year no matter what.