That’s the most concrete thing we know about the Cardinals’ 2017-18 season at this point. Rick Pitino is out as coach — he’s officially on administrative leave but “effectively fired” — after Tuesday’s revelations of an FBI investigation into Louisville and several other schools. 

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So who replaces Pitino? Darn good question. Interim school president Dr. Greg Postel said during Wednesday’s news conference the school is looking to hire an interim coach within the next 48 hours. Will it be a one-year fill-in, or a long-time hire? Hard to tell at this point. 

(We’ll get to the list of candidates in a moment, but first let’s talk about WHY this opening is so unique, and so complicated — or you can just scroll down now).

There are a couple things to keep in mind regarding the new Louisville coach. First, this isn’t like when Ohio State dismissed Thad Matta. Louisville right now is an incredibly uncomfortable situation for a coach to walk into. Whoever takes over will likely be looking at NCAA Tournament bans, scholarship losses and recruiting restrictions. 

And don’t underestimate this: Athletic Director Tom Jurich is out, too, and that’s a big factor. Coaches love certainty with their new AD, and that’s not going to be the case now. Postel said they hope to have an interim AD in the next 48 hours, too. These factors will all impact which coaches are interested.

Another factor: Louisville can ONLY hire a coach who is beyond reproach. There cannot be any hint of past NCAA issues, proven violations or whispers of shady dealing. Nothing. Postel was clear in his news conference that integrity is key.

Take Chris Mack at Xavier, as a hypothetical example. He has built up a great situation at his current school, obviously. He wins consistently — he has made the Musketeers a regular in the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament — recruits very well and runs a great program. If Louisville was in good standing with the NCAA and Pitino just decided to retire, certainly Mack would at least be interested in. His wife, Christi, is from Louisville, and the Cardinals have always been thought of as a destination job for Mack.

But now? If Mack is ever going to leave Xavier, it would only be for an elite job in a great situation. Same thing goes for Virginia’s Tony Bennett and Wichita State’s Gregg Marshall. Keep that in mind when you start to think about who’s next for the Cardinals.

With a ton of guidance from SN college hoops guru Mike DeCourcy, here’s a list (based on educated guesses) of coaches who could be potential long-term replacements for Pitino at Louisville. 

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Tom Crean, former Indiana coach

Why he makes sense: Crean is the obvious name here, for obvious reasons. He did an amazing job reviving an Indiana program that was decimated by NCAA issues, and Louisville is potentially facing a similar situation. Crean was fired by the Hoosiers after they failed to make the NCAA Tournament this season (they finished 18-16), but suddenly “didn’t win a lot of games down the stretch” doesn’t seem like such a big deal if you’re a Louisville fan. He’s also very available to take over immediately, which has to be a big plus for Louisville’s administration. Crean would be a great hire for the Cardinals, but does he really want to tackle another potential complete rebuild? 

Chris Mooney, Richmond

Why he makes sense: Mooney was a hot name on the coaching carousel a couple years ago, after he led his 12th-seeded Spiders to the Sweet 16 in 2011. He stayed in Richmond, though, and he has continued to win basketball games — Richmond won 22 times in his 12th season with the school, including a pair of victories in the postseason NIT. Mooney’s teams have won at least 19 games seven times in the past nine years. If he ever decides to leave the Spiders, he’d make a great coach for a power-conference school. 

Mitch Henderson, Princeton

Why he makes sense: Remember Princeton’s victory over UCLA in the 1996 NCAA Tournament? Henderson was part of that squad that upset the defending NCAA champs, and he has done a great job in his six years at his alma mater. The Tigers finished 23-7 last year — their fourth 20-win season under Henderson — and made the NCAA Tournament as a No. 12 seed, falling to Notre Dame by just two points. Obviously, that type of success has put his name into the rumor mill, and maybe the Louisville challenge would be intriguing.

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Scott Davenport, Bellarmine

Why he makes sense: Davenport might not be a big name on the national stage, but Louisville basketball fans know him well. Davenport was an assistant at U of L for nine years before taking the job at Division II Bellarmine — the campuses are roughly four miles apart — in 2005. All he has done there is win: His teams are 287-93, and the Knights won the DII national title in 2011. They’ve been to the NCAA Tournament each of the past nine years and have made the Final Four four times in the past seven seasons. So, yeah, he brings a winning pedigree and a deep connection to the community (he was the head coach at Ballard High in Louisville before joining Louisville as an assistant). Those two factors are huge.

Bob McKillop, Davidson

Why he makes sense: You remember him as Stephen Curry’s college coach, but he’s so much more than the one superstar he helped develop. And this is a bit of a stretch, sure, but McKillop would be a home-run hire for the Cardinals. McKillop has arguably the most pristine reputation in all of college hoops — as a coach, as a person, as a recruiter and as a winner. He has had many, many opportunities to leave Davidson, but he has stayed to help the school make the jump to the Atlantic 10. Would he leave now? Honestly, it’s doubtful. Here’s one thing to consider: McKillop is 67, and though he’s still as good of a coach as ever, retirement isn’t far off. A few years as Louisville’s coach, at the salary he would command, would fund a great retirement package. Still, I’ll put it this way: Louisville needs McKillop more than McKillop needs Louisville.