Pressure Index: Coaches on hot seat, in serious need of momentum

The college basketball season rolls on, with a flood of new eyes firmly focused on results after college football wrapped its season up on Monday night. With the additional recognition comes increased scrutiny for players, coaches, and teams currently performing below expectation.

Each season there are new storylines which pop up surrounding various teams, coaches and players which will determine how fans view the outcome of the season. Some will overachieve, others will find themselves firmly in the crosshairs of the fanbase.

This article focuses on those who have either underperformed to this point or look dangerously close to joining that category. Some might be on the hot seat, others just have a reputation to uphold.

Check out which teams and coaches are currently under the most pressure to have a big month leading up to March.

Mike Woodson

Perhaps no coach is under more pressure to save his job than Mike Woodson – who you would believe has already been shipped off with one glance at social media. A talented-filled roster with five-star prospects and big-time transfers has generally underachieved since Day One.

The biggest issue for Indiana comes in the manner they have lost. At times the effort level has come into question by the fanbase, leading to loud boos and calls for change. Further complicating this storyline is the Big Ten success of Dusty May – a coach with plenty Hoosier connections who many wanted to hire last offseason.

Currently on the wrong side of bubble, a successful season is still within reach for Woodson’s group. However, a quick turnaround and new consistency is needed.

Kyle Neptune

In the three years since taking over for Hall of Fame head coach Jay Wright, Kyle Neptune has struggled to put all the pieces together for a successful season. From the low head-scratching non-conference losses to the high upset wins, consistency has been absent.

Now under as much pressure as ever, Villanova has players performing at an All-Big East level but struggles to climb onto the right side of the bubble. Putting the pieces together in time for a run could make the difference for Neptune.

John Calipari

Departing Kentucky for conference rival Arkansas? What could go wrong for John Calipari? To this point, just about ever roadblock the Hall of Fame coach could hit has made an appearance.

While he searches for his first SEC win this late in the calendar, Arkansas fans are starting to fear that his struggles at Kentucky have followed him despite a new method of roster construction. Complicating things for Calipari, Kentucky is flying with an even more difficult rebuild by Mark Pope paying big dividends.

There is no hot seat question here, but leaks from opposing coaches about his perceived fall-off do no good for his program moving forward, even after getting on the board with a conference win.

Jerome Tang

What happened to Year One under Jerome Tang? That question rings in the minds of Kansas State fans as they watch another team slowly fall out of NCAA Tournament contention despite the numbers looking good on paper.

After receiving big NIL backing, the results simply are not good enough the past two seasons. However, as far as hot seat concerns go, a contract extension resulting from the highs Tang is clearly capable of reaching should provide him time to right the ship.

Mike Young

Virginia Tech appears stuck in a downswing, emblematic of the ACC’s struggles over the past several seasons. Head coach Mike Young is caught in those results as pressure builds to turn things around at a program used to constant NCAA Tournament appearances throughout recent history.

While Young is not known as one of college basketball’s most fiery coaches, he has shown signs the results bother him. Recently, he chose to directly call out players for in-game mistakes, a move which does not hurt when it works but comes with big risk too.

Rutgers

The mystery of college basketball this season, Rutgers is far gone from NCAA Tournament contention despite enrolling two Top Five NBA Draft prospects who have put up solid stats through most of the season.

The NIL resources committed to the rest of the roster failed to produce shooting – and more importantly, left the team without a true center capable of matching up with Big Ten competition on a nightly basis. The oversight is not only confusing, it is inexcusable given the talent Rutgers previously featured at the position.

Whether this ends with pressure on head coach Steve Pikiell remains to be seen, but is certainly an eyebrow raiser.

Virginia

After watching Tony Bennett walk away just before the season, expectations for the rapidly falling Virginia program were surely low. However, as Tony Sanchez does nothing to show he is the future leader of the program, pressure is on the administration.

With a long head start – similar in length but different in cause – to West Virginia last season, the Cavaliers must nail the hire. A quick bounce-back is critical to one of college basketball’s most proud programs of recent history in an era where change is needed.

UCLA

Mick Cronin ramped up the pressure on UCLA players, assistants and administration this month, with a serious of scathing press conferences which questioned why he cares more than anyone else in the program. Of course, this also puts pressure squarely on him.

A relationship which has often featured strain, UCLA and Cronin are now firmly in the spotlight as they look to turn around a season with so much promise. Of course, complicating all this is a tragic situation unfolding close to so many of their homes, making concentration a difficult task.