The Number 1 Overall Seed
The number one seed in the NCAA Tournament is the team that everyone expects to win and many hope will win. As far as a coaching candidate they need to check off all the boxes and be a proven winner. For this list, there is only one 1 seed.
Mark Pope: Mark Pope was the BYU assistant coach during the Tyler Haws and Kyle Collinsworth years. This time span saw the Cougars make the NCAA Tournament three times and the NIT semifinals once. Many have said that since Pope left BYU Basketball, the program has gone down and many have pointed fingers at him as one of the reasons why. Pope currently coaches at UVU where he inherited a 11-19 program. In four years though, Pope has won more games every season including beating BYU once and giving them much closer games than in the past.
This past season, UVU went 25-10 overall and are showing to be a strong contender in the WAC next season. Pope has three things going for him right now. The first is that he is a former assistant coach for BYU and fans already love him. The second is that he is coaching just down University Parkway from BYU so fans are hearing about him all the time. Most coaches who leave across the country are never heard of again, but because he is so close, fans know what is going on with him. The last checkbox he marks off is his success. He made a 25-10 team using many players who were bench players for BYU Basketball and later transferred to UVU. If he can do that with those players imagine what he could do with BYU starters.
– – – – – – – – – – – –
Who do you have getting the job? Will it be a five seed who surprises everyone or will it be someone who as not mentioned on this list? Let us know in the comments!