UNC coaching search: Pete Thamel adds UConn’s Dan Hurley to mix, identifies ‘realistic list’ of candidates

North Carolina‘s head coaching search has bled in to Final Four weekend. However, that may be by design.

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the Tar Heels have their eyes on a couple of candidates including Michigan‘s Dusty May, the Chicago Bulls’ Billy Donovan and Iowa State‘s TJ Otzelberger. Now, it appears that UConn head coach Dan Hurley’s name is now in the mix.

“Let’s break this down into two tiers: aspirational and realistic,” Thamel explained on ESPN College GameDay. “UNC is still in its aspirational list. Expect them to make a push for a couple of Final Four coaches when they do lose, or potentially win this weekend.

“If Dusty May loses tonight, look for UNC to go after him hard. That remains unlikely, but he is at the top of their list. Look for Danny Hurley and TJ Otzelberger to get a call. In Otzelberger’s case, it’ll be a re-call. Also in this top tier is Billy Donovan. That courtship is complicated because Billy Donovan is insistent on coaching the rest of the season for the Chicago Bulls. That season ends on April 12.”

Both Hurley and May will coach in the Final Four on Saturday night. Based on the outcome of those games — Thamel believes Carolina will be in touch should they lose. Notably, they play in different Final Four games with Hurley taking on Illinois and May taking on Arizona. Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd withdrew his name from the UNC search after signing a contract extension with the Wildcats.

If none of these names work out — Thamel believes UNC has a backup plan, or a “realistic list.” That comes down to Scott Drew of Baylor, Grant McCasland of Texas Tech, Ben McCollum of Iowa and Mark Byington of Vanderbilt.

“These coaches would be costly. Drew and McCollum are $4 million for their buyout, and McCasland and Byington are more than $10 million for their buyouts. With that perspective, the biggest buyout in college sports history was Kalen DeBoer going from Washington to Alabama, and that was about $10 million a few years back.

“So even in the second pond, it’s going to be expensive for UNC to make a move. Most importantly, I was told UNC officials are insistent, they’re more concerned with getting the right guy than the timing of the portal opening on Tuesday.”

The NCAA transfer portal opens the day after the national championship on April 7. There’s a real possibility one or both of Hurley and May will compete for the national title on Monday night, but it appears Carolina is playing the waiting game to find the right coach for their program. If they miss out on a portal class — so be it.