One Domino May Not Fall

A coaching rumor that has had more legs than some coaches this season, now stop me if you've heard this one, goes as follows:

Skip Prosser moves from Wake Forest to Cincinnati
John Beilein leaves West Virginia to replace Prosser at Wake Forest
Bob Huggins rejoins the ranks of the employed by replacing Beilein at West Virginia, his alma mater

It all sounds plausible, right?

What if the Cincinnati job does not open up? As Mike DeCourcy writes in his Sporting News blog, the Bearcats' interim coach Andy Kennedy may be working his way into keeping the job for next season.

What happens with Skip Prosser, who Wake Forest doesn't want to fire because he has a large buyout? After the Demon Deacons crash-and-burn this season, the school may be all too happy to let him leave for greener pastures and rebuild with a new coach. If he doesn't leave voluntarily, what direction with Wake's program go--can they bounce back at all? I'm not optimistic.

I think Beilein would likely be content to hang out in Morgantown for a while, but where does that leave Huggins? Surely not Missouri (too much baggage) or Indiana (not "one of the family). What about star recruit O. J. Mayo, who reportedly will play wherever Huggins lands? That could be an enticing package deal, but Huggins might have to slide down the food chain to get someone to buy it.

The coaching carousel, always a great side-show to March Madness, is getting ready to spin. Stay tuned.