The college basketball coaching carousel hasn’t quite come to a complete stop, but it has slowed enough that we can rank the 10 best hires of the offseason.

Auburn landing Bruce Pearl was the top coaching hire of the offseason.

This list isn’t necessarily the list of the 10 best coaches that changed places, it’s the 10 best hires based on fit – taking into account things like past performance, future potential, who else the school could have landed, etc.

Obviously there will be some debate, and we look forward to discussing the list with as many of you as possible.

1. Bruce Pearl, Auburn – Pearl is the perfect fit to take over the Tigers program. That said, he has a tough task ahead of him. His previous work at a “football school” like Tennessee was such that Volunteers fans wanted him back even after his NCAA indiscretions. Tennessee’s basketball fan base is under rated, and he’ll have to work harder at Auburn to energize the hoops fanatics. Some think the school’s Under Armour apparel deal will make it more difficult for Pearl to recruit, and it probably will. However, he is a proven recruiter and the type of hard worker who is best equipped to overcome such an obstacle.

2. Buzz Williams, Virginia Tech – The Hokies benefit greatly from Marquette’s misfortune. Williams discontent was such that he took a less prestigious job and a pay cut to head to Blacksburg. If Williams has waited a bit he may have ended up in a different spot, but that is a moot point now. Williams is a proven winner who has been to multiple Sweet 16s in the old Big East. He’s faced plenty of hoops powers in his day, so he won’t be intimidated by playing in the ACC. He’ll also see some familiar opponents like Syracuse now that the realignment has taken place. I’m not sure how long Williams will be at Virginia Tech, but the Hokies should enjoy it while it lasts.

3. Donnie Tyndall, Tennessee – It was a bit of a surprise when Cuonzo Martin left Knoxville to become Cal’s new coach, but the Vols ended up with a better fit for their program. Tyndall has won in his previous stops at Morehead State and Southern Miss, and there is no reason to believe he can’t continue that success with more support, recruiting power and resources. He was an assistant at Middle Tennessee and LSU, so he knows the SEC footprint as well. His passion, energy and attitude are similar to UT football coach Butch Jones, who has quickly endeared himself to Vols fans. Tyndall made light of the fact he wasn’t AD Dave Hart’s first choice (Louisiana Tech’s Michael White turned down the job), but he may end up being a better option.

4. Kelvin Sampson, Houston – Sampson’s past NCAA troubles are well-documented, but much of what he was penalized for is now OK according to new recruiting rules. Sampson is well worth the risk for the Cougars. The fact that he was already in Houston working as an assistant with the Rockets was key. He has Final Four experience and a fertile recruiting territory in Texas from which to pull. His name recognition and tenures at Oklahoma and Indiana immediately will cause folks to take the Cougars seriously. Perhaps Sampson will be able to restore some of the glory from the Phi Slamma Jamma days of the early 1980s.

5. Orlando Antigua, USF – The Bulls missed out on one former Kentucky Wildcat when Steve Masiello’s resume error came to light, so USF turned to a UK assistant coach. This may seem a bit high for someone with no previous college head coaching experience, but Antigua has worked the bench as the coach of the Dominican Republic National Team. He also has stops at Pitt and Memphis in addition to his time in Lexington, so he has had experience recruiting to several types of outposts. A New York native, Antigua has already proven his recruiting mettle at his new job by luring a couple Division I transfers to Tampa. Florida is fertile recruiting ground, and it shouldn’t be hard for a recruiter like Antigua to keep some kids at home or lure some other talented players to the Sunshine State. His staff, which includes former UK assistant and NBA point guard Rod Strickland, is also a big plus.

6. Cuonzo Martin, California – Despite taking Tennessee to the Sweet 16 last season, Martin never seemed to win over a portion of the Vols fan base that longed for the Bruce Pearl days. After Martin didn’t leave for Marquette, it seemed as thought he would stay in Knoxville after he and AD Dave Hart released statements saying they were working things out for a raise and extension. At the end of the day, Martin decided to bolt for the West Coast. It’s true that Martin is a Midwest guy, but this fit may be a bitter better than it appears on the surface. Two of the things Martin stresses heavily are academics and character – and those traits are in line with the way they do things in Berkeley.

Cuonzo Martin elected to leave Tennessee to become the new coach at Cal.

7. Steve Wojociechowski, Marquette – The former Duke assistant doesn’t have any previous head coaching experience, but that hasn’t deterred Marquette in the past. After flirting with Martin, Marquette settled on coach Mike Krzyzewski’s assistant head coach. Quin Snyder didn’t work out great as a head coach, but other Coach K protégés like Mike Brey, Tommy Amaker and Johnny Dawkins have done OK on their own. Can Wojo have the success of Tom Crean and Williams, or will he go more the route of Snyder? Time will tell, and recruiting will be the key. Having been at Duke for so long, that exposure on the national scene will help on the recruiting trail. However, having been at one place for so long will take some adjusting as well.

8. Danny Manning, Wake Forest – Great players rarely make great coaches, but perhaps Manning will be an exception. He did play under Larry Brown and worked under Bill Self, so Manning had the chance to absorb a lot of knowledge from proven coaches. After a 17-16 season at Tulsa, he turned in a 21-13 campaign and earned an NCAA Tournament berth by winning the regular season and conference tournament titles. However, this job appears to be a lot tougher. The revamped ACC is one of the strongest leagues in the country, and Wake is in the backyard of Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State. Manning will have to hope his name-recognition can help him land the talent required to move the Demon Deacons up in the ACC pecking order.

9. Doc Sadler, Southern Miss – Sadler comes to Southern Miss after serving as an assistant at Iowa State. As a head coach, Sadler struggled a bit at Nebraska – but who hadn’t struggled there before Tim Miles arrived. He did take the Huskers to three NITs, so it wasn’t like NU was terrible under his leadership. At UTEP he took over a good program and led it to a 48-18 record. He is a native of Arkansas and also was an assistant with the Razorbacks, so he is familiar with the geographic region. Prior to being an assistant at Iowa State, he was Bill Self’s director of basketball operations. If he can bring some of the Cyclones and Jayhawks magic with him and build on what Donnie Tyndall left, Sadler could keep Southern Miss near the top of Conference USA.

10. Steve Masiello, Manhattan – This isn’t a traditional “hire” by most standards, but after the Masiello-to-USF saga ended the Jaspers could have kicked Masiello to the curb. They will be glad they didn’t. Masiello is a New York native and seems to have a new perspective and appreciation for the position he has with the Jaspers. We’ll see how loyal he is to Manhattan if he has another good year on the court and schools come calling, but his comments after the incident seem to indicate he is genuinely happy with his current situations. Masiello is 60-39 in three seasons with the Jaspers and is coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Other hires considered: Mike Dunlap at Loyola Marymount, Kim Anderson at Missouri, Wayne Tinkle at Oregon State, Frank Haith at Tulsa, Jim Christian at Boston College, Ernie Kent at Washington State and Mike Rhoades at Rice.