Pressure Index: Coaches, players looking for March Madness legacy

The college basketball season has reached its apex as conference tournaments get underway and the Selection Committee prepares to unveil the NCAA Tournament bracket on Sunday. The added pressure which comes with the homestretch and postseason runs is mounting for coaches, players and teams across the country.

Each postseason there are new storylines which pop up surrounding various teams, coaches and players which will determine how fans view the outcome of the NCAA Tournament. Some will overachieve, others will crash out early.

This article focuses on those who have either underperformed in the past or look dangerously close to underperforming this season. Most playing this late in the season have a reputation to uphold.

Check out everyone across college basketball who is currently under the most pressure to have a big month as the NCAA Tournament begins for some and the season wraps up for others.

Purdue

Purdue was a lock to sit atop this list 12 months ago when they lost a first-round game against Fairleigh Dickinson. They joined Virginia as the only 1-seeds in NCAA Tournament history to fall to a 16-seed and became the team every college basketball fan had their eyes on for a comeback.

To this point, the Boilermakers have done everything they can to right the ship by claiming the Big Ten regular season title and claiming the No. 1 overall seed in the latest edition of bracketology. Now it comes down to how Matt Painter and his players perform in March Madness, starting with point guard Braden Smith alongside center Zach Edey. Like Virginia, they will look to make a deep run with a vengeance.

John Calipari

John Calipari is perhaps the most consistently under pressure coach when March rolls around. The expectations at Kentucky are always high, and discourse around the fanbase reached a fever pitch last season when the Wildcats failed to make a deep NCAA Tournament run. Now, momentum is on their side heading into the most important stretch of the season.

After a few rough patches throughout the season, Kentucky has surged up the board and looks like a real threat to make a run beyond the first weekend. However, with those high expectations comes even more pressure on John Calipari to bring the best out of his young team and ensure the defense does not relapse.

Hunter Dickinson, Kevin McCullar

Hunter Dickinson came to Kansas to help win a national championship, joining forces with Kevin McCullar who decided to run it back. So far the Jayhawks have not looked the part of recent teams and must get things back on track to make the Final Four run expected entering the season. Right or wrong, the fingers will be pointed at the star players if the outcome is not favorable.

Adding to the pressure on Dickinson and McCullar in particular is the decision by Bill Self to sit them out for the Big 12 conference tournament this week, providing them extra rest to recover from injuries. The perception of a fresh Kansas lineup will create more pressure to make the NCAA Tournament run expected.

RJ Davis, Armando Bacot, Caleb Love

Last season was disappointing for North Carolina, not only because of the Final Four run of the previous season, but because they returned three star players in RJ Davis, Armando Bacot and Caleb Love. Afterward, Love ended up entering the transfer portal and landing at Arizona. All have had great seasons so far, with both teams claiming regular season conference titles and looking likely to land a 2-seed with potential to earn a 1-seed by Selection Sunday.

Like with Dickinson and McCullar, any conversation surrounding these three is likely unfair, but will undoubtedly happen amongst college basketball fans. There is no question some will compare the results of Arizona and North Carolina to measure the success of the offseason decisions despite both Davis and Love winning conference player of the year honors.

Rick Barnes, Dalton Knecht

Tennessee looks likely to claim a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament under Rick Barnes, creating an inherent pressure to perform. However, it raises to another level given his postseason struggles over recent seasons, especially when compared to expectations from the regular season.

That is where Dalton Knecht comes into the conversation. Tennessee has often been criticized for a lack of offensive firepower, something that he brings to the table. The ability for Knecht to get hot in the postseason will likely be tied to how fans view Barnes this season.

Mid-major coaches

The pressure is on for mid-major coaches every March as they look to secure an automatic bid in the conference tournament and avoid falling into the hands of the Selection Committee on Sunday. Any conversation going head-to-head with high-major resumes would make fans sweat.

Those mid-major coaches who make the NCAA Tournament are also under pressure. With several high-major jobs already open, the opportunity to coach against bigger teams on a national stage serves as a de facto job interview whether it ends with a new contract or a new job by April.

1-seeds

Purdue and Tennessee have already made this list of teams under pressure based on their own unique situation. However, all 1-seed teams are always under the most pressure of any team to make a Final Four run given their regular season success. Houston and UConn must make deep runs to keep the fanbase happy despite showcasing their strength for months already.

Houston has already proved itself making the jump from the AAC to the Big 12 but needs a deep NCAA Tournament run to make people view them as one of the top programs in the country. UConn is looking to go back-to-back with another national championship, creating another layer of pressure there.

Selection Committee

The NCAA Tournament is the most high-profile reveal, alongside the CFP reveal, in sports. Therefore, the Selection Committee members will be critiqued for days and weeks after Sunday based on how they treated different teams from different conferences. It is in fact almost impossible to keep everyone happy with a 68-team field.