Swing big, LSU basketball. Here's who Tigers should target to replace Will Wade | Toppmeyer

LSU's basketball opening should concern athletics directors who would like to retain talented coaches, because Tigers AD Scott Woodward has established a track record for spending big to hire proven winners.

LSU fired Will Wade last week. A notice of allegations in LSU's NCAA case suggests rampant cheating occurred during Wade’s tenure. The threat of NCAA penalties will make an attempt to hire an elite coach more challenging. That doesn’t mean Woodward won’t succeed.

Also, stiff allegations of misconduct don't guarantee crippling NCAA penalties, although the evidence seems stacked against LSU.

LSU basketball is quality job

Even if the Tigers are dinged with a postseason ban, that need not derail a basketball program long-term. A strong recruiting class or two and a few transfers can quickly re-elevate a program to NCAA Tournament status

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LSU showed by firing Ed Orgeron at the cost of a $16.9 million buyout and hiring Brian Kelly from Notre Dame to a 10-year, $100 million deal that money is no object.

Woodward doesn't cast his line hoping to catch bluegills. He plundered women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey from Baylor, and Mulkey led an immediate revival. Her Tigers are a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Woodward also hired baseball coach Jay Johnson from Arizona.

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Investigation aside, LSU basketball is a top-five SEC job that enjoys the necessary resources and facilities.

Its status as the lone Power Five school in Louisiana is a recruiting advantage, and although the state’s depth of basketball talent is not comparable to football, the 2023 recruiting class features three national top-200 prospects from Louisiana.

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LSU basketball has proven it can win big in a way most SEC schools have not.

The Tigers have four Final Four appearances, trailing just Kentucky, Arkansas and Florida in the SEC. From Bob Pettit to Pete Maravich to Shaquille O’Neal, LSU produced some of the sport’s biggest stars.

Here's who LSU should target

Woodward should set his eyes on Texas.

Houston’s Kelvin Sampson, 66, fits the bill for veteran, proven winner. He excels wherever he goes, leading Oklahoma and Houston to the Final Four. Sampson’s recruiting inroads in Texas would be a boon for LSU.

Sampson's teams are NCAA Tournament fixtures. Houston is seeded fifth in this year’s event, overcoming a midseason injury to their leading scorer.

Sampson has his own history of running afoul of the NCAA. He received a five-year show-cause penalty after repeated violations at Oklahoma and Indiana.

But this is LSU we’re talking about, a school unconcerned with employing puritans.

Viewed through today’s lens, Sampson’s transgressions don’t seem so bad anyway. It’s not as if he operated a sham degree program or arranged easy money for recruits. Sampson's cheating featured impermissible text messages and phone calls to recruits.

Sampson has a good thing going at Houston, where his salary is $3.1 million. He enjoys sturdy backing from billionaire booster Tilman Fertitta, the Houston Rockets owner who is the chair of the UH System’s board of regents. Sampson’s son, Kellen, is Houston’s coach-in-waiting.

Look deeper in Texas, and Woodward will find a coach with whom he’s familiar.

Woodward famously hired Jimbo Fisher to be Texas A&M’s football coach, but he also hired Buzz Williams from Virginia Tech on the heels of Williams taking the Hokies to the Sweet 16 for just the second time in program history.

Williams curiously gravitates to programs with little pedigree. He went from Marquette to Virginia Tech to Texas A&M. The Aggies narrowly missed earning an NCAA bid this year in Williams’ third season. His best success came at Marquette, which he led to five straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including an Elite Eight.

If Williams desires a Final Four for his mantle, he’d have a better shot achieving that at LSU. Texas A&M is one of six SEC programs to never reach a Final Four.

Wade's conduct damaged LSU, but he didn't ruin the program. The Tigers are one big hire away from fixing this mess.

Blake Toppmeyer is an SEC Columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer. If you enjoy Blake’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: LSU basketball: Eye Kelvin Sampson, Buzz Williams with Will Wade fired