ESPN’s Jeff Goodman and Jeff Borzello think Xavier head coach Chris Mack should be the obvious choice to take over for Rick Pitino at Louisville.
Chris Mack, Xavier: This is a fairly easy call. Mack is 47 years old and has led the Musketeers to seven NCAA tournament appearances in eight seasons, including four Sweet 16s and an Elite Eight a year ago. Cincinnati is less than 100 miles from Louisville, so Mack knows the landscape in the area in terms of the key AAU programs and players. His current staff is also plugged into the Midwest. Mack has proven the ability to coach, develop players and recruit — and he doesn’t have a history with the NCAA. Oh yeah, and the other factor that could come into play: Mack’s wife, Christi, hails from Louisville.
Recommendation
Mack: This just makes far too much sense. Mack has the personality, the coaching acumen and the connections in the area to get up and running quickly. Louisville can offer him a lucrative, long-term deal to make it something he can’t refuse.
Prediction
Mack: I know we’re going heavy with Mack here, but again, it’s logical in just about every sense.
Me and @GoodmanESPN go through what's next at Louisville — and look at some of the candidates to replace Pitino: https://t.co/YSfeP0yYbd
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) September 27, 2017
