The Indiana basketball coaching job is probably the juiciest plum out there this offseason, and IU has apparently settled on two candidates to invite for interviews. Who they are is still unknown, but we know one name not on the list--Steve Alford.
While an Alford-IU marriage looks awfuly good on paper, I think it would be a mistake. Alford's done a decent job as a head coach, but it hasn't been anything spectacular. Whiel Indiana is a little easier to recruit at then Iowa is, the difference isn't so compelling as to think the former Hoosier star will suddenly start cranking out national powerhouses. Indiana is one of the best basketball jobs in the country, and while it might not be realistic for any school to aspire to the level of what Duke has become, IU can certainly expect its coach to displace Michigan State or Illinois as the benchmark program in the Big Ten. There is no evidence to suggest Alford is the guy.
My choice for the job would be Mark Few at Gonzaga. That the university is moving this quickly, while the Zags are getting ready to play UCLA in the regional semis, indicates it's probably not him. But it's who I would pick.
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