Utah State and former Miles assistant Craig Smith
While some Nebraska basketball fans might not be keen on the idea of hiring a former Tim Miles assistant, one guy that the Huskers should look at and could probably land is Craig Smith.
Smith is currently the head coach of Utah State and is in his first season with the Aggies and looks to have them on the cusp of earning an NCAA tournament berth out of the Mountain West.
Utah State is 25-6 this season under Smith, who has worked his way up from the ranks of the NAIA, where he led Mayville State to the national title game in two of three seasons there. Then, he served as an assistant under Miles before taking the head job at South Dakota.
During his first two seasons, South Dakota was barely over .500, yet in his third season, they won the Summit Championship. He also led them to two postseason appearances.
Smith may not be the flashiest candidate, but he has won everywhere he’s gone and if he gets Utah State to the Big Dance, he could be a hot candidate and Nebraska is a major program, with a new arena, a fancy TV deal with the Big Ten and a lot of resources, so he’d have to consider.