Current: CBS analyst

Record: 642-282 (122-85 at Hofstra, 520-197 at Villanova)

Some of these names are unrealistic, but must be included. Jay Wright fits into that category.

The all-time great head coach is in a fantastic situation doing television and avoiding the day-to-day grind of coaching. But there’s always the chance he wants to return to coaching. That return would immediately make him the No. 1 option on every team’s board.

McIntosh shot for the stars with the Luke Fickell hire, why not give Jay Wright a call.

Current: Virginia

Record: 433-169 (364-136 at Virginia, 69-33 at Washington State)

Tony Bennett’s connection to Wisconsin is an easy one: He’s the son of former Badgers head coach Dick Bennett.

The question is would Bennett leave Virginia for a program like Wisconsin. He has proven the ability to consistently win at Virginia and has all the necessary resources to continue to do so.

Also, Bennett’s name has lost a bit of luster with Virginia’s recent struggles. Also, it would be surprising if Wisconsin moved off Gard to implement an even slower offensive system.

Current: Iowa State

Record: 169-97 (70-34 at Iowa State, 29-30 at Nevada-Las Vegas, 70-33 at South Dakota State)

Otzelberger is one of the hottest names in the college coaching market. He has Iowa State in the Sweet 16 and playing like one of the best teams in the country.

His defensive-first approach could appeal to Wisconsin’s brass. Plus, he is already having success recruiting the state of Wisconsin — something Gard or the next coach must improve upon.

Otzelberger would be a home-run hire. The question is whether he’d leave Iowa State for a possible Wisconsin opening.

Current: Wisconsin (assistant)

Record: Zero head coaching experience

Any coaching candidate list must include the possible internal promotion, which would be Krabbenhoft.

The former Wisconsin small forward has been on Greg Gard’s staff since 2016 and, obviously, knows the program well.

I’d bet against this happening given the need for a home run hire if Gard is fired. Krabbenhoft may make a good coach, but he isn’t the name that would revitalize the fan base.

Current: Alabama

Record: 210-96 (114-53 at Alabama, 96-43 at Buffalo)

Oats has turned Alabama, a football school, into one of the SEC’s best and most consistent basketball programs. The Crimson Tide have made four consecutive NCAA Tournaments — after making only two from 2007-2020.

Oats is also a Wisconsin native and was an assistant coach at UW-Whitewater from 2000-2002. The in-state connection could be easily sold.

Wisconsin is a better job than Alabama and should be attractive enough for Oats to leave his current post. This would be a big-time hire.

Current: Detroit Pistons (advisor)

Record: 571-325 (278-150 at Michigan, 104-60 at West Virginia, 100-53 at Richmond, 89-62 at Canisius)

Beilein is one of the more decorated names in the college coaching profession. Like Wright, he may not want to return to the profession. But his name will come up as long as there are open jobs.

The longtime Michigan coach left college after the 2019 season for an NBA job, so there is a question whether his methods would still work. His ability as a coach is without question. The hesitation would be his recruiting ability in the current age.

It’s hard seeing someone with deep Michigan ties taking the Wisconsin job, but you never know.

Current: South Carolina

Record: 124-101 (37-29 at South Carolina, 87-72 at Chattanooga)

Paris should be toward the top of the list. The former Wisconsin assistant was named 2024 SEC Coach of the Year after the team’s surprising 26-8 season.

Paris spent 2010-2017 as an assistant on Bo Ryan and Greg Gard’s Wisconsin coaching staffs. He left to get head coaching experience. That has quickly led to him becoming one of the hottest names in the profession.

The young head coach just signed an extension with South Carolina. But the modern age of college athletics sees those types of things not really matter.

Current: Northwestern

Record: 178-173 (all at Northwestern)

Collins has turned Northwestern into a solid program — peaking in 2022-23 and 2023-24 with NCAA Tournament appearances.

This would be tough to see happening given Collins’ current Big Ten position. But it would be a solid hire.

Current: Colorado State

Record: 196-163 (117-75 at Colorado State, 17-17 at Drake, 62-71 at Furman)

Medved is one of the fastest-rising names in the profession. He built Colorado State into a staple in the Mountain West and is an exceptional talent-developer.

Wisconsin’s brand is built on what Medved has proven good at. So this should be a solid fit.

Current: Washington State

Record: 258-193 (94-71 at Washington State, 63-40 at San Francisco, 101-82 at Columbia)

Smith wins everywhere he goes and impressively led Washington State to a 25-10 record and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023-24.

His name is sure to gain traction as time passes.

UPDATE: Kyle Smith recently took the job at Stanford.

Current: Drake

Record: 150-55 (all at Drake)

DeVries has turned Drake into a Missouri Valley powerhouse with at least 24 wins in five of his six years at the helm.

This portion of the big board is mostly-up-and-coming coaches in the sport — like Luke Fickell was in football before he made the jump to Wisconsin.

Note: DeVries was hired by West Virginia on Sunday, March 24. A 15th name has been added to the end of the list.

Current: Indiana State

Record: 63-39 (all at Indiana State)

Schertz is only three years into his head coaching career, but he’s already turned Indiana State into a power in the Missouri Valley Conference. His offensive acumen would be a welcome sight for Badgers fans looking for change.

Current: Loyola (Chicago)

Record: 58-39 (all at Loyola Chicago)

Valentine has extensive Michigan State ties, but he’s one of the newest top up-and-coming names in the sport. His team won the A-10 regular season title in 2023-24 in his third year on the job. That feat came after winning 25 games in his first year, 2021-22.

Current: Not coaching

Record: 278-133 (63-36 at Louisville, 215-97 at Xavier)

Mack was a turnstile winner at Xavier from 2009-2018 before leaving for Louisville. His tenure with the Cardinals was short, and he hasn’t coached in a few years, but a return to the profession could see him entered as a hot coaching candidate.

Current: Utah State

Record: 109-49 (28-6 at Utah State, 81-43 at Montana State)

Sprinkle’s name is hot after his first year at Utah State resulted in a 28-6 record and NCAA Tournament appearance. His ties are all to the West Coast, but he would make an exciting hire for the Badgers.

UPDATE: Sprinkle was recently hired by Washington

Current: Creighton

Record: 474-290 (325-159 at Creighton, 59-68 at Iowa State, 90-63 at Northern Iowa)

McDermott is a mainstay at Creighton. He has brought the Blue Jays to four straight NCAA Tournaments and nine straight 20-plus-win seasons. He’s in a great situation and having success, but maybe he eventually wants an upgrade.

Many of the names listed are unlikely, mostly given the unknown of Wisconsin’s place in the sport and what Chris McIntosh wants in a head coach. But Wisconsin will not fire Greg Gard without a top name set up to take the position, so there’s no point in listing middling names that wouldn’t move the needle.

T.J. Otzelberger feels like the slam-dunk hire if it’s at all possible. I have trouble coming up with rankings after that.

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