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, SB Nation’s Mitchell Northam reported Tuesday evening that Buffalo’s Becky Burke and George Mason’s Vanessa Blair-Lewis are finalists for the UA job.

, her third as Buffalo’s head coach. She spent the previous two seasons as the head coach at USC Upstate and the two seasons before that as the head coach at Charleston.

Blair-Lewis led the Patriots to their . She’s been at George Mason for four seasons. Blair-Lewis has 25 years of head-coaching experience, including nine with Mount St. Mary’s and 12 with Bethune-Cookman.

Barnes arrived in Dallas on Tuesday to begin her new job at SMU after nine seasons at her alma mater. She sent the following message :

“ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Family,

“From the moment I chose ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥Â â€” first as a player and later as a coach — I knew this place was special.

“Being your head coach for the past nine years has been the greatest honor of my career. Together, we built something extraordinary. We defied the odds, played for a national championship, won a Final Four game, brought home a WNIT Championship, made multiple NCAA Tournament appearances, shattered attendance records and turned McKale Center into one of the most electrifying arenas in the country. Yes, we did that!

“I am forever grateful for the unconditional love and the friendships that I've made. Tucson is a special place with the most amazing people. There are too many people to thank individually, but I want to express my deepest appreciation to Greg Byrne for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to lead my alma mater; Dave Heeke for supporting my vision and helping elevate this program to new heights; President Hart, thank you for believing in me; and President Robbins, you were my biggest fan and I felt that at every home game. You provided unwavering support and dedication to our success.

“A special thank you to Rocky LaRose, Suzy Mason, Erika Barnes and Phoebe Chalk — you women are amazing! Coach Candrea, your friendship and support was invaluable. Mike Hairgrove and everyone who worked endless hours behind the scenes — thank you. All of our administrators, coaches and staff — your hard work and commitment made everything we accomplished possible. Desireé Reed-Francois, I wish you nothing but the best. To all of my players — you are the heart of this program and we left a legacy. Together we put ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ women's basketball on the map. I'm so proud you chose ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥, just like I did, and I know this experience will stay with you forever. We are ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ for life.

“Finally, to my family — your love and support have made this journey possible. Thank you for allowing me to chase my dreams. I leave with a heavy heart, but I am excited to start a new journey. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ will always be home, I love you and thank you for everything. Bear Down.â€�