PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- There's a lot of speculation about the future of a young, Pittsburgh area college basketball coach who is on the short list for several vacancies.

And it's not Jamie Dixon.

Fresh off a near upset of No. 2 Villanova, Robert Morris coach Mike Rice, 41, is one of the hottest names on the coaching market, linked to openings at Seton Hall of the Big East and Fordham and Charlotte of the Atlantic 10.

Rice, who finished his third season as the Colonials' coach Thursday, declined comment Friday and said he would not talk about his future until at least next week.

Robert Morris athletic director Craig Coleman said after the loss to Villanova that he is hopeful Rice will stay.

"We are going to do everything we can to keep coach Rice at Robert Morris," Coleman said.

"We think he's built an incredible program here. We hope that he'll continue to build it to bigger and better things."

Rice has won 73 games -- a three-year Northeast Conference record -- and became the first NEC coach in 16 years to advance to the NCAA tournament in consecutive seasons.

He also has a lot of experience recruiting the East Coast, which boosts his credentials as a candidate.

He ran a basketball camp in New Jersey for three years and was an assistant at Pitt, St. Joseph's and Marquette before taking the job at Robert Morris. He focuses his recruiting efforts for the Colonials in Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York.

"I think Mike Rice would be a good candidate for any job," Villanova coach Jay Wright said after Rice's Colonials nearly won the overtime game against the Wildcats.

"I think he's got great passion. He's an excellent leader, you can tell by the way they play. ... And I would recommend him for any job."

Rice's name has been thrown around for the Fordham job since it opened in December. A Fordham alumnus and three-year starter for the Rams, Rice got his coaching start as an assistant at the New York City school in 1991.

Fordham coach Dereck Whittenburg was fired after the team's sluggish start this season.

Bobby Lutz, a 12-year coach at Charlotte, was fired Tuesday after his team's late-season collapse.

Seton Hall fired Bobby Gonzalez Wednesday, citing discipline issues. The New York Times listed Rice as a potential candidate on its website that day, 24 hours before Robert Morris took Villanova to the wire.

Adam Zagoria, a prominent East Coast basketball blogger, wrote Wednesday that Rice and Seton Hall would be a good fit.

All this speculation creates mixed emotions for Coleman. He said it is great for the university to win games and play on a big stage like the NCAA tournament. But, he admitted that with success comes uncertainty about the coach that helped to develop it.

"It's difficult to handle because you want to keep the guy," he said.

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