San Francisco vs. Murray State was the perfect cap to an amazing opening day of the 2022 NCAA Tournament (First Four games notwithstanding). The two offenses lit the scoreboard on fire throughout the end of the game and overtime as each defense failed to find answers. Ultimately, the Racers had just enough in the tank to win the game.
Less than 24 hours later, USF is taking another L. Perhaps, one that cuts a little bit deeper.
According to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander, the Dons are losing head coach Todd Golden to the University of Florida on a six-year deal. The deal would bring Golden back to the SEC, where he served as an assistant under Bruce Pearl at Auburn before taking the head coaching position at San Francisco.
Breaking news: Florida is hiring San Francisco’s Todd Golden to be its next men’s basketball coach on a six-year deal, sources told CBS Sports.
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) March 18, 2022
Think Todd Golden is going to be really, really good at Florida. Incredibly smart coach. Has the recruiting lay of the land there from his couple of years at Auburn under Bruce Pearl.
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) March 18, 2022
At USF, it took the 36-year-old just three seasons to prove he’s one of the better coaches in the sport. Golden will leave the program after producing a 57-36 record over three seasons and bringing the Dons to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998.
Florida will hope for a similar turnaround. The Gators missed the NCAA Tournament this season for the first time since 2016 and for just the second time dating back to 2009. Things looked even bleaker for the Gators after head coach Mike White bolted for rival Georgia shortly after UF’s season ended.
It didn’t take long at all for Florida to find a replacement. In doing so, the Gators landed one of college basketball’s rising stars on the sidelines.
