Since taking VCU to the 2011 Final Four, Shaka Smart has turned down job offers in recent years from Illinois, Minnesota and UCLA. Credit: Adam Hunger

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Social media blew up about 5 p.m. Monday with rumors that Marquette had hired a basketball coach.

Television trucks went to a scene where there was no news conference. The airwaves were filled with erroneous reports.

And at the end of the day, Marquette still had no basketball coach.

For now, Shaka Smart is still at Virginia Commonwealth.

So ended Day 4 of the search to replace Buzz Williams, who had his introductory news conference Monday night at Virginia Tech, where he said about as much as his former bosses at Marquette.

The only certainty was the Marquette had talked to two candidates with Final Four experience — Smart and former UCLA coach Ben Howland.

Howland, 56, has expressed great interest in the job, but it wasn't clear how much interest has been reciprocated by Marquette. Howland, who is looking for a job after sitting out of coaching for a year, did not return phone messages Monday.

Smart, 36, has leverage because the Madison native is one of the most sought-after coaches in the country. Since taking VCU to the 2011 Final Four, he has turned down job offers in recent years from Illinois, Minnesota and UCLA after Howland was fired, as well as an overture from North Carolina State.

To get Smart to stay at the Atlantic 10 commuter school, VCU gave him an eight-year extension that increased his yearly pay from $350,000 to $1.2 million a year.

If it is security Smart is seeking, Marquette could make him happy. Williams was scheduled to be paid almost $3 million next season, so Marquette has the means to reward its next coach handsomely.

The problem is that Marquette is somewhat handicapped during its search because it does not have a full-time athletic director or president. Bill Cords, who hired Kevin O'Neill and Tom Crean, is leading the search on an interim basis.

But the longer Marquette waits to replace Williams, the harder it will be to attract a top candidate. At the moment, Marquette, Wake Forest and Boston College are the only jobs of consequence that are available.

Marquette's main competition is Wake Forest because it offers the chance to coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference. One of the reasons Williams left Marquette is because he did not think the remade Big East has much of a future as a strong basketball conference.

Wake Forest also is pursuing Smart, but it's not clear if he'd jump from VCU for Marquette or Wake Forest after spurning UCLA. At the same time, Williams took a professional step down and a cut in pay for a change of scenery.

VCU athletic director Ed McLaughlin told The Associated Press on Monday night that Smart had promised to let him know if any schools reached out to him, adding that he had not heard from Smart about being contacted. McLaughlin said no schools have sought his permission to speak with Smart.

McLaughlin told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that he and Smart had met Sunday and "will continue that discussion this week."

Cords said he won't comment on candidates during the process.

Howland would take the job immediately if offered. Other candidates Marquette might consider include Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall, Syracuse assistant Mike Hopkins, Manhattan coach Steve Masiello and UW-Green Bay coach Brian Wardle, a former Marquette player.

Hopkins is interesting because he is expected to take over at Syracuse after Jim Boeheim retires. He is well regarded in the industry and might get an offer before Boeheim steps down.