Lobos on the verge of hiring Iowa's Steve Alford

Well one team appears to be finished with its coaching search, as Iowa head coach Steve Alford is working out a deal to coach the New Mexico Lobos.

Alford had success at Missouri State, leading them to the Sweet 16 in 1999, yet struggled as the head coach at Iowa. It had been rumored he was on the hotseat and the fans in Iowa City were pushing the athletic director to force Alford out. With the New Mexico job, it offers him an opportunity to leave on his own, instead of being humiliated with the prospects of being fired.

Honestly, I don't think this is a good hire for the Lobos. I've watched Alford's teams and they lack discipline and play poor defense. Then again, that may suite the Lobos well, so who really knows. I do find it odd that New Mexico had opened the possibility of interviewing Winthrop head coach Gregg Marshall, but informed him they were going in a different direction. Marshall, along with Southern Illinois head coach Chris Lowery, are two of the hottest coaching prospects in the nation right now and I think that hire would have created a helluva lot of buzz.

In the end, this is good news for the Utes, as it means New Mexico won't be hiring a possible candidate for the Utah job. Though Chris Hill has yet to seek permission to talk to Winthrop's athletic director, I wouldn't be surprised if Marshall's name is floated around for the Utah vacancy in the coming days.

As for that Utah job, Hill was expected to interview Michigan State assistant Jim Boylen, however it's unclear if that interview took place or how it went. Expect some news in the coming days and more names making the rounds, especially if Southern Illinois loses to Kansas tomorrow.