<
>
EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
Get ESPN+

The six biggest questions on college basketball's coaching carousel

A coaching carousel that started earlier than usual with preseason openings at Wichita State and Penn State and midseason firings at Boston College and Fordham hasn't slowed down since the season ended. In fact, the notion that a pandemic-impacted season would provide a lifeline to coaches on the hot seat has been thoroughly debunked.

Seven notable jobs have already been filled: Wichita State promoted interim head coach Isaac Brown; Penn State hired Purdue assistant Micah Shrewsberry; Boston College landed Charleston's Earl Grant; New Mexico picked up recently fired Minnesota head coach Richard Pitino; Iowa State snagged UNLV's T.J. Otzelberger; the Runnin' Rebels quickly promoted assistant coach Kevin Kruger to take Otzelberger's spot.

The latest job to fill was Minnesota hiring Xavier assistant coach Ben Johnson. There were a number of head coaches linked to the job, but the Golden Gophers wanted someone well-connected in the state. What it means, though, is the likes of Dennis Gates, Craig Smith and other top mid-major candidates are still available.

But there are still four power-conference jobs open ... and perhaps more to come. Here are the biggest questions right now on the coaching carousel: