Kelvin is out the door and Dan is not our man, so that can only mean one thing: It’s coaching search time! Here’s a look at the candidates that could land in Bloomington. We’ll give you the pros, the cons and the bottom line. This afternoon: Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl.

Pros: Bruce Pearl wins, profusely and almost as a habit. In his first nine seasons at Southern Indiana, Pearl never had a season in which he won fewer than 22 games; in 16 years as a head coach, Pearl has won fewer than 20 games only once, in his first season at UW-Milwaukee. He’s won high — at Tennessee — and he’s won low — at Southern Indiana — and he’s blazed a trail of his recognizability and personality at each stop. Pearl can also recruit, largely because he fosters an atmosphere of fun and freedom and runs a fast break system that appeals to young players. In this way, one could argue he’s basketball’s Pete Carroll — both are uniquely predisposed to understanding modern players and willing to bend to fit those needs. He’s become a star in Rocky Top despite it a). being deep SEC football country and b). playing on a court named after the monolithic women’s head coach. He’s a winner. His nickname is “Brucers.” Also: Illinois fans hate him, and as a rule, I like everything Illinois fans hate.

Cons: First, let’s clear up what is and is not a con: Headbands are not a con. If you’re concerned that Pearl would destroy everything you love about IU basketball because he lets his players wear their personal style on the court, we’ve got worse issues in Indiana than not having a basketball coach.

That aside, there are concerns, most of which revolve around Pearl’s salary. Pearl currently averages $1.3 million a year in base salary plus compensation, a figure one would hope IU could top but which isn’t a given in any athletic department, especially one without Tennessee’s football money to throw around. Other cons include Pearl’s style; where one might see a funny guy full of personality, others might see an overbearing, spotlight-chasing boor. We’ve also heard the impression that some see Pearl as “sleazy,” perhaps because he’s been photographed with young girls, or perhaps because he was regarded for so many years as a snitch.

Bottom line: Pearl is the big splash. If IU wants to make a screamer headline of a hire and simultaneously re-install a positive cult of personality at the university, Pearl is the go-to guy. He’s not all style, either; his record is that of a proven winner, and after his exile from bigtime college coaching to Evansville for nine years he’s rocketed back to the top of his profession. That’s not a coincidence. If hired, there’s no doubt Pearl would bring plenty of wins — and plenty of entertainment — back to the state of Indiana.

Tomorrow morning, PostmanR will break down Scott Skiles.

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I’m usually not big on rumors, after all, anyone can make something up and hope it comes true, but during the impending coaching search, we’re sure to hear a little bit of this and a little bit of that. So to preface this, it’s a rumor. But we wouldn’t be doing our job if we didn’t pass it along.

The word out of the East Region in Birmingham, Alabama is that Indiana has asked Tennessee for permission to speak to coach Bruce Pearl. Reportedly, a Tennessee coach said Pearl hasn’t said a word to his staff.

With that said, Pearl was on Real Sports on HBO with Bryant Gumbel recently and off camera, he said that he knew Indiana would come calling and that he had no interest in the job.

So I’m not really sure to make of this. One would think if IU did make the call, Pearl would surely listen to their pitch after the season. Worst case scenario, he’ll get a raise from good ol’ Rocky Top. I’m sure this will make PostmanE happy, but am I the only one who thinks photos like these are a cause for concern when discussing Pearl’s candidacy? It’s one thing to get a photo with your favorite coach, but these just strike me as a bit over the top. Also, the headbands would have to go.

We’re already hearing things about the coaching search — Kevin Stallings this, Scott Skiles that — so it’s probably appropriate to make a note of Pat Forde’s story today about Bruce Pearl. It’s a lot of stuff most of you probably already know. For example, Pearl’s fiasco at Iowa, when he turned rival Illinois in for recruiting violation — and that made him a pariah in the tight-knit, stop snitching world of college basketball coaching — is common knowledge. Also, if you aren’t privy by now to the man’s record, or his charisma, you probably don’t have ESPN.

Still, after reading Forde’s story, it’s pretty impossible not to want Bruce Pearl to be the next head coach at IU. See for yourself.