Iowa State will be dealing with a big distraction in the Sweet 16 and it could benefit the Tennessee Vols

The Tennessee Vols are set to take on the Iowa State Cyclones in the Sweet 16.

Zach Ragan — Tennessee Volunteers News Writer
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The Tennessee Vols will take on the Iowa State Cyclones in the Sweet 16 on Friday night in Chicago.

Tennessee is looking to advance to the Elite Eight for the third straight season.

Iowa State is currently a 4.5 point favorite despite the fact that Cyclones star forward Joshua Jefferson won’t be anywhere close to 100 percent if he plays after suffering a leg injury in the first round of the tournament.

There’s also the fact that Iowa State could be dealing with a huge distraction.

Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger connected to UNC job

The biggest news in college basketball this week is the North Carolina Tar Heels’ decision to move on from head coach Hubert Davis.

UNC is expected to go “outside the family” to hire a head coach for the first time since hiring Dean Smith, who played college basketball at Kansas, in 1961 (Smith served as a UNC assistant for three seasons before getting promoted).

Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger was mentioned as a possibility for the Tar Heels by On3’s Pete Nakos.

“T.J. Otzelberger has established himself as one of the top up-and-coming coaches in the sport,” wrote Nakos. “The year before his arrival in Ames, Iowa State went 2-22. In Year 1 with the Cyclones, Otzelberger led Iowa State to the Sweet 16. He’s made five consecutive NCAA tournament appearances now at Iowa State. The Cyclones have won a Big 12 tournament title and went to the conference semifinals this season.”

North Carolina is expected to target some of the biggest names in the sport. It’s unclear where Otzelberger falls on their list. But if the Tar Heels show interest, Otzelberger will almost certainly listen to what they have to say. And since these hires often move quickly, he may have to listen to the Tar Heels’ pitch while Iowa State’s season is still alive.

We’ve seen “distractions” like this derail seasons for teams plenty of times before (remember how the Ole Miss season went off the rails when Lane Kiffin was flirting with Auburn in late 2022). It’s possible that Otzelberger handles the “distraction” just fine — maybe it won’t be an issue at all.

But history suggests that coaches who are trying to balance interest from big-time programs before a tournament game can often struggle. It’s something that could certainly work in Tennessee’s favor on Friday night in Chicago.

Update:

Otzelberger said on Wednesday that speculation about him and other jobs is “not true”.

“Any speculation with me and any other jobs or opportunities is not true,” said Otzelberger told. “I’m the coach of the Cyclones, thrilled to be the coach of the Cyclones. And what I can say to you even more, as we move forward together, is the alignment on our campus, with Dr. Cook and Jamie Pollard, is amazing. We’re thrilled and excited about our future together.”

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