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By Cory Nightingale
Published:
Vanderbilt head coach Mark Byington has been linked to the current opening in Chapel Hill that is grabbing a lot of attention during the Final Four.
According to a report by ESPN insider Pete Thamel on Saturday afternoon, Byington is a name to watch in North Carolina‘s continuing search to replace the fired Hubert Davis. The situation with Byington is complex, too, because exactly a week ago Vanderbilt agreed to a long-term extension with the 49-year-old Virginia native who led the Commodores to 27 victories this past season, 1 short of the program single-season record.
Byington is the first head coach in Vanderbilt history to post 20 or more victories in each of his first 2 seasons in Nashville, and the extension was supposed to quiet the rumors of his connection to North Carolina’s search. But it hasn’t, and Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd turning down UNC on Friday as the Wildcats get ready to play Michigan in the Final Four on Saturday didn’t help in quieting the rumors of Byington’s interest in the North Carolina job.
Thamel threw out a bunch of names during his report on Saturday in ESPN’s leadup to the Final Four semifinals. Byington was one of them, and unlike the head coaches currently in the Final Four who have business to take care of right now, Byington’s team isn’t in Indianapolis, which adds a layer of intrigue for the SEC program in Nashville that advanced to the second round of this year’s NCAA Tournament.
What’s next at UNC? Latest from @gameday, as a flurry of action is expected soon. pic.twitter.com/8OxI3urfFI
With Byington apparently in the mix to be the next head coach in Chapel Hill, here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the odds to be North Carolina’s next hire:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
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