1. That was a massive win for MSU on several fronts

LAHAINA, Hawaii – There was a look to Michigan State’s men’s basketball team Wednesday that I hadn’t seen in any other game out of the gate this year. A determination to them. They weren’t leaving Maui without beating North Carolina. Or at least not without putting up the best wire-to-wire fight they could.

It’s as if they firmly understood that if you want to be taken seriously, you have to win some of these games.

A shaky-as-all-heck final couple minutes of regulation (and parts of overtime) notwithstanding, this 94-91 overtime win in their Maui Invitational finale was a you-better-take-me-seriously performance by MSU, which was playing without, arguably, its best player to this point in freshman Jase Richardson, who missed the game after taking an elbow to the head Tuesday in the Spartans’ loss to Memphis. And without Richardson, MSU played its best game of the season, almost end to end.

The reason: Just about everyone else elevated their games — beginning with junior guard Tre Holloman, who replaced Frankie Fidler in the starting lineup and couldn’t miss in the first half and made big free throws late, and Xavier Booker, who rewrote the script for his season (and maybe career) Tuesday, and Coen Carr, who rebounded and attacked with a ferocity that changed the game, and Jaden Akins, who was really good for a while, and Jeremy Fears Jr., who shepherded the Spartans along and made a boatload of free throws (and one massive defensive gaffe late), and Fidler, who, coming off the bench for the first time, made steady and important plays throughout.

This was an incredible game to watch. And the sort of game the Spartans have lost a lot in recent years. They nearly lost this one, losing a 79-71 lead by not making a field goal for the final four minutes of regulation.

They need to work on finding offense down the stretch — having Richardson will help. But give MSU credit, too. Once North Carolina sent this thing to overtime, with the Spartans visibly losing their poise in the final minute, I thought there was no way they were pulling this out. They were gritty in overtime — all the way to the final long pass up three, when Carr jumped through two North Carolina players to haul it in and all but end the game.

MSU shot 54% and scored 50 points in the paint — including 14 from Carr and 12 from Booker — and took advantage of a North Carolina team with some defensive deficiencies. But this is still North Carolina and the Tar Heels still have some serious backcourt firepower and shot-making.

So did MSU on Wednesday, with Holloman scoring 19 points and hitting three 3s — all of them coming in the first half — and Akins netting 14, playing well until the final minutes, and Fidler and Fears both 13.

This was a massive win on several fronts — what it means for Booker’s season, for Holloman, who’d been struggling, for Fidler, for their collective confidence and for their non-conference resume.

The way they began and played for so long — and that they held on — should help them.

2. Xavier Booker, holy smokes

Depending on where Xavier Booker’s season and career goes from here, this might be remembered as a pivot point. Booker was outstanding in the second half (more coming in a full column).

He was the catalyst for MSU during a critical stretch when the Spartans were wobbling a bit for the first time. Booker scored six points in less than a minute in the middle of the second half as the Spartans rebuilt a small cushion. It wasn’t just that he scored. It was how he scored — with aggression in the paint, which hasn’t come naturally for him. It was also how he impacted the game on the glass and how he changed shots defensively.

He finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and a block, his best moments coming in the second half. He wanted the ball in the post. His teammates wanted him to have the ball in the post. And they were thrilled for him.

One of best signs and scenes came when he checked out of the game after that impactful stretch — his teammates were so excited for him. He came back in and was in MSU’s closing lineup in regulation and overtime. That says a ton about how well he was playing.

A good game for Frankie Fidler in a big spot

Starting Tre Holloman proved to be the absolute right move Tuesday. MSU needed more in the opening minutes of games than Frankie Fidler had been given them. I don’t know that moving Fidler back into a starting role makes sense, given Wednesday’s start without him and Jase Richardson’s presence on this team coming off the bench. If there’s another move to be made, you’d think it would be Richardson entering the lineup.

But Fidler certainly didn’t play like someone who wasn’t hurt by it or sulking. Fidler hit 5 of 6 shots, scoring 13 points and was a steadying and consistent hand offensively in a game MSU absolutely needed him to be.

In overtime, he was there to steal a long pass and to grab a big rebound. He looked like a player MSU can count on — and count on off the bench.

Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow in on X at @Graham_Couch and on Blue Sky at GrahamCouch.

One day after North Carolina fired coach Mack Brown following a 6–5 start to the season, multiple coaching candidates have popped up as possible replacements, including Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, On3 Sports‘ Andy Staples speculated Tuesday.

There’s no confirmation that UNC is officially considering Smith as a candidate at this time.

Smith is an alum of UNC and later was hired as a graduate assistant there in 2006. He hasn’t worked for the Tar Heels program since then. Smith has spent most of his coaching career in the NFL, aside from one season interning with Ole Miss. He was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons for three seasons before being fired ahead of the 2024 season, which is when he later accepted the offensive coordinator role with the Steelers.

It would be quite the move for Smith since he doesn’t have any collegiate experience as a head coach. But a homecoming in North Carolina appears to be a possibility.

Brown, 73, will still coach the Tar Heels this Saturday in the team’s regular-season finale against NC State. It’s unclear if he will coach in the team’s bowl game.

Staples also listed Tulane coach Jon Sumrall, Iowa State coach Matt Campbell, SMU coach Rhett Lashlee, Georgia defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann, ESPN analyst Dan Mullen and Liberty coach Jamey Chadwell as other potential candidates to replace Brown.

The North Carolina job is open. Mack Brown was fired on Tuesday, a day after saying he intended to return next season. Turns out, the school wanted to go in a new direction. Brown will still coach the finale against NC State.

Brown is the winningest coach in UNC history and took the Tar Heels to a bowl in each of the six seasons in his second stint, after a decade in Chapel Hill from 1988 to 1997. But that second stint produced a 44-32 overall record. North Carolina lost at least five games in all but one of those seasons, never reaching the highs of Brown’s first run. Many people in the industry had their eyes on this job opening, given Brown’s age and his express consideration of retirement earlier in the season after a 70-50 loss to James Madison, comments he walked back the next week.

This is the first Power 4 opening on the coaching carousel and one that expects to get a ton of interest regardless of how the rest of the cycle plays out.

So how good is the North Carolina job? What names could get in the mix? Based on conversations with industry sources, here is a breakdown of the job and the potential names to watch.

Recent history/tradition: B

The potential has always felt bigger here than the reality. UNC has reached 14 bowl games since 2008, but the Tar Heels have won 10 games in a season just once since the final year of Brown’s first stint. Brown twice left the program better than he found it, but he never won a conference title. The program’s last ACC title came in 1980, a stunningly long time. Is there really potential to unlock for this program located in a great recruiting region with a national brand? Or is simply going to bowl games all UNC football is?

On-field outlook: B+

Junior running back Omarion Hampton is one of the best running backs in the country, with nearly 1,500 rushing yards this year, but he could be NFL-bound. The Heels have struggled to pass the ball, in part because transfer quarterback Max Johnson was lost for the season with a broken leg in Week 1. Johnson said he planned to return in 2025, but how will Brown’s departure impact things?

UNC is fourth in the ACC and 22nd nationally in 247Sports’ Team Talent rankings, which uses high school recruiting rankings. The incoming recruiting class ranks fourth in the ACC and 26th nationally, but that could change with Brown out. There is talent here, but in the portal era, it’s impossible to know how much stays and how much a new coach will change.

Still, the program operates in a recruiting area flush with good players, especially defensive linemen, and UNC has done a really good job developing quarterbacks over the past decade.

Money matters: B+

Brown’s $5 million salary ranked 42nd in the country, but UNC wasn’t competing with other schools for his services and can pay a lot more, and his $2.8 million buyout isn’t much. If this remains a quiet Power 4 coaching carousel, perhaps UNC won’t need to compete with many others in its search for a replacement this time around, either. UNC is third in the ACC in football spending, according to Sportico’s database, but quite a bit behind Florida State and Clemson.

Brown and UNC have been behind much of the country when it comes to NIL and transfers. Heading into a revenue sharing era, UNC needs a coach who will actively navigate that world, something Brown didn’t do as much. Other schools have been coming into the state, spending money and getting the best players. UNC has commitments from just two of the top 10 recruits in the state, per 247Sports.

University stability: B+

UNC just hired a new president this summer after its previous president left for Michigan State in an awkward departure. Athletic director Bubba Cunningham has been in charge since 2011 and is one of the most respected voices in the sport, one who talks openly about the changes to college football and how to approach them. But the alignment from top to bottom hasn’t always been there for football, and it’s needed more than ever with revenue sharing ahead.

Florida State and Clemson’s lawsuits to attempt to get out of the ACC have shaken up the league, but it’s still hard to know when a resolution could come. If the ACC were to become destabilized, UNC could actually be the most attractive potential target for the Big Ten or SEC.

GO DEEPER

‘I didn’t know, Mom’: The driving force behind the most improved player in college basketball

Advertisement

Coach pool: A-

Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall has been destined for a Power 4 job since he turned Troy into an immediate winner. Sumrall is 32-6 as a head coach at Troy and Tulane, with four of those losses coming to Power 4 opponents and one coming on a Hail Mary from Appalachian State. He replaced Willie Fritz at Tulane and didn’t miss a step despite the departure of key players. But the Green Wave are set to play in the AAC Championship Game and still have a path to the College Football Playoff. Could that timeline impact Sumrall’s availability?

Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell is 42-9 as a head coach since 2020, winning at least 11 games three times across stints at Coastal Carolina and Liberty, including a Fiesta Bowl appearance last year. The East Tennessee native has won big everywhere he’s been and runs an exciting offense. His lack of Power 4 experience has hurt his candidacy for some SEC jobs, but he has shown at Liberty he can take advantage of resources. He also might have a conference championship to play for.

UNLV head coach Barry Odom is 18-7 in two seasons with the Rebels, the best run for the program in half a century. They hadn’t won more than eight games in a season in 40 years. Odom has made smart staff hires and improved from his 25-25 run as Missouri head coach. He, too, could have a conference championship game to play in.

Georgia defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann has been Kirby Smart’s right-hand man at Georgia and Alabama, winning a lot of national championships. The 34-year-old has been getting in the mix for more head coaching jobs and would bring a winning pedigree.

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden has done a really good job since arriving in South Bend in 2022, leading a defense that is third nationally in yards per play allowed and finished fifth last year. As a head coach, he took Temple to two seasons of eight-plus wins in the late 2000s after decades of losing. He went 32-25 as Miami head coach while dealing with NCAA penalties from the previous staff, and he spent 2016 to ’21 in the NFL.

Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is a former UNC player and graduate assistant, and the former Atlanta Falcons head coach has been in the NFL since 2011. He has ties to the program and has some people in his corner. Smith is also the son of billionaire FedEx founder Fred Smith, and remember that FedEx recently committed $25 million in NIL money to Memphis over five years. Perhaps Smith could get some money flowing to the Tar Heels.

Former Florida head coach Dan Mullen has been floating around some openings in recent years while working for ESPN, waiting for a good job. He’s 103-61 as a head coach, took Mississippi State to a No. 1 ranking and reached three New Year’s Six bowls in four years at Florida. He’s a good offensive mind who has won national championships; he just couldn’t recruit at an SEC level before NIL took off. But UNC hired Brown out of the TV booth. Would it do that a second time in a row?

Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks is from Charlotte and worked with the Carolina Panthers for six seasons. He most recently helped out at Charlotte as a volunteer advisor this season. He previously coached in college as Missouri’s defensive coordinator in 2021.

Army head coach Jeff Monken continues to win at a tough job, winning at least nine games in a season five times since 2017. The Black Knights are 9-1 this year and were recently a Top 25 team. Monken has made clear he doesn’t have to be a triple-option coach elsewhere, and Ken Niumatalolo’s success at San Jose State this year should help get that stigma off of service academy coaches.

Overall grade: B+

The upside has always been here, but coaches have rarely tapped into it. That won’t discourage anyone from feeling they’re the person who can finally unlock the potential. This should be one of the best jobs in the ACC, and if the infrastructure can improve to match the right coach, we’re still going to believe this can be a big-time program.

(Photo: Grant Halverson / Getty Images)