Drew and UK AD Barnhart have been friendly since the 2021 NCAA Tournament bubble, when Barnhart was the selection committee chairman and Baylor won the title. Multiple people familiar with Barnhart’s thinking have said Drew would be his top choice whenever the job opened. The Baylor coach orchestrated arguably the greatest build in college basketball history. Baylor was going on probation when he got the job. Drew had the Bears in the NCAA Tournament in his fifth season. He has won two Big 12 titles and been to five consecutive tournaments. He is one of the sport’s top recruiters. Baylor has had a lottery pick the last two years and has another projected lottery pick this year. Baylor has just gone through this with Drew, who was also the top choice at Louisville. Baylor and Drew agreed recently to terms on a new contract, according to a source briefed on the matter.
Is this an easy or hard sell for Kentucky? This past season was a 16-18 slog through injuries. He’s never made a Final Four. But he’s won 71.6 percent of his games and can martial all of the program’s resources in the correct direction. And he’d probably say yes very quickly, with an eye on levels of success that he never quite attained at Arizona.
This might make the most sense, but an $18 million buyout would require some seismic belief. Oats might be worth it to Kentucky. In five years at Alabama, the 49-year-old is 62-28 in the SEC with two league titles and four NCAA Tournament appearances. He’s reached two Sweet 16 trips and delivered an ultimate statement this year: a Final Four trip. Not only does Oats win, but his style of play would have Cats fans drooling. Fast pace, high pressure, 3-point centric. Oats had already proven he can recruit at a level required in Lexington and produces pros. In theory, what he’s already done at Alabama is what’s expected at Kentucky. (Update: Oats released a statement on Monday night that
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