North Carolina coaching search update: 2 co-favorites emerge, per prediction markets
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The North Carolina coaching search is ongoing, but a couple of key candidates have separated from the pack according to the latest odds on Kalshi.
Kalshi, a predictions market that’s legal in most US states, has identified former Florida coach Billy Donovan and current Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd as the clear front-runners for the job.
Both Donovan and Lloyd have better than a 30% chance to be the next North Carolina men’s basketball coach, per Kalshi’s marketplace. No other candidate is above 8% as of publication.
North Carolina next coach odds
Here’s an updated look at the market:
Let’s take a deeper dive into both leading candidates.
Billy Donovan
Donovan is currently the head coach of the Chicago Bulls, but it’s unclear if he will remain in charge beyond this season. Donovan is in his 6th season with Chicago, but has only reached the playoffs once during his tenure.
Without a surefire future star on the roster, Donovan could look for an exit ramp and a return to college basketball at a job like North Carolina would presumably be attractive. Donovan previously won 2 National Championships with the Florida Gators before making the jump to the NBA. Prior to Chicago, he was the coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder for 5 seasons. His tenure with OKC peaked with an appearance in the Western Conference Finals in 2016, but he made the playoffs in all 5 years with the Thunder.
If North Carolina does attempt to hire Donovan, the timing would be complicated. The Bulls are set to play their final regular season game on April 12 — several days after the transfer portal will open.
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Tommy Lloyd
A former longtime Gonzaga assistant under Mark Few, Lloyd is off to an excellent start at Arizona. He has the Wildcats in the Elite Eight of this year’s tournament. Arizona has been a top-4 seed in all 5 seasons under Lloyd and has advanced to the second weekend in 4 of those campaigns.
Arizona athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois made public comments earlier this week regarding Lloyd’s contract negotiations. Reed-Francois says Arizona’s goal is for Lloyd to “retire as a Wildcat.”
Lloyd has won 80.8% of his games as Arizona’s head coach. Over the last 5 years, only Houston, Duke and Gonzaga have won a higher percentage of their games.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
