🏀 Coaching Hot Seat Watch - SI

[Bama News]

The calendar flipping to February means the coaching carousel in men’s college basketball is coming into focus. It was a fairly quiet cycle in football as schools gear up to spend big on player acquisition through revenue-sharing, but that trend may not continue into basketball season. Three jobs (all in the ACC) are already open, and a handful of high-profile gigs could open in the coming weeks.

Here’s an early look at which coaches’ seats are heating up:

Matt McMahon, LSU Tigers ​

McMahon inherited a difficult situation at LSU, dealing with the specter of potential NCAA sanctions from Wade’s tenure and a bare cupboard roster-wise. Now, he’s the victim of a loaded SEC, starting 1–7 in league play with all seven losses to top-50 KenPom opponents. McMahon got a seven-year deal in 2022 and some patience after losing two projected key pieces in Jalen Reed (injury) and Tyrell Ward (mental health) should be shown.

Rodney Terry, Texas Longhorns ​

Terry got the full-time gig just two years ago after a strong season as interim following Chris Beard’s dismissal, but a 1–4 start in SEC play drove plenty of buzz that AD Chris Del Conte could deliver a quick hook. The Longhorns bounced back well with recent victories over the Missouri Tigers and Texas A&M Aggies and right now find themselves squarely on the bubble for the NCAA tournament. Finding a way into the Big Dance could quiet some of the noise.

 

[TerryP]

It's been 709 days since IU beat a ranked opponent?!?

Mike Woodson, Indiana Hoosiers ​

It’s never easy to part with a program legend, but Woodson returning for another year in Bloomington, Ind., looks increasingly untenable as the Hoosiers’ tailspin continues. Losses in five of its last six has taken IU out of the projected NCAA tournament field. After being given near-limitless resources to rebuild the roster last spring from a disappointing 19–14 campaign, failing to go dancing would likely spell the end of the road. ​

​

The more interesting question remains who the ideal candidate to replace him would be, a question very few in the industry have a good answer to. The natural fit is former IU manager Dusty May, now the Michigan Wolverines coach, but coaxing him to Bloomington from a lower-stress gig in the same league looks like a serious uphill battle. Logically, the Hoosiers need a sitting high-major coach with a long résumé, but several of those who might pique their interest come with serious baggage. In a world where the Kentucky Wildcats and Louisville Cardinals each hired coaches with zero career NCAA tournament wins, are we sure the Hoosiers don’t just target an elite basketball mind from the mid-major ranks and arm him with a war chest for talent acquisition? ​

 

[mando]

It's been 709 days since IU beat a ranked opponent?!?

Mike Woodson, Indiana Hoosiers ​

It’s never easy to part with a program legend, but Woodson returning for another year in Bloomington, Ind., looks increasingly untenable as the Hoosiers’ tailspin continues. Losses in five of its last six has taken IU out of the projected NCAA tournament field. After being given near-limitless resources to rebuild the roster last spring from a disappointing 19–14 campaign, failing to go dancing would likely spell the end of the road. ​

​

The more interesting question remains who the ideal candidate to replace him would be, a question very few in the industry have a good answer to. The natural fit is former IU manager Dusty May, now the Michigan Wolverines coach, but coaxing him to Bloomington from a lower-stress gig in the same league looks like a serious uphill battle. Logically, the Hoosiers need a sitting high-major coach with a long résumé, but several of those who might pique their interest come with serious baggage. In a world where the Kentucky Wildcats and Louisville Cardinals each hired coaches with zero career NCAA tournament wins, are we sure the Hoosiers don’t just target an elite basketball mind from the mid-major ranks and arm him with a war chest for talent acquisition? ​

That is a crazy stat considering how basketball crazy Indiana is.

 

[RTB X Bot]

 

[Bammerboy321]

Throw in Indiana as a fan base that says Oats will come crawling too. Amazing how he wouldn't go to UK, but apparently will go to UNC or Indiana.

 

[TerryP]

McMahon

Up by double digits last night and lost in about as much time as your average commercial break.

I think that's the sixth in a row.

 

[50+yeartidefan]

Throw in Indiana as a fan base that says Oats will come crawling too. Amazing how he wouldn't go to UK, but apparently will go to UNC or Indiana.

Build him the house. He might just stay