As we continue analyzing coaches on the hot seat, we now look at the Big Ten. Many teams in the Big Ten care about basketball… a lot. This means there are heightened expectations for many schools in this conference, which means a shorter leash for underperforming coaches. This results in an interesting hot seat every season.
Big Ten Basketball Hot Seat
Mike Woodson, Indiana
The coach with the hottest seat in all of the Big Ten has to be Mike Woodson of Indiana. You may look at Woodson’s coaching record and question this idea. He made the NCAA Tournament in his first two seasons and has put numerous players into the NBA. Your line of thinking would be correct for most schools, but not Indiana. The Hoosiers expect excellence and just making March Madness is not good enough.
This season, the Hoosiers are looking like legit threats to go on a deep run in March. They bring in one of the best players from the transfer portal in Arizona center Oumar Ballo. They also bring in sharpshooter Luke Goode from Illinois, which fills Indiana’s need for shooting as they were one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the country last year.
Woodson will be an interesting case to see this season. Despite some success, he is not loved by the fans and has not performed to the expectations of Indiana. If the Hoosiers miss March Madness for a second year in a row, don’t be surprised to see Woodson fired at the end of the season.
Hot Seat Status: Hot
Kevin Willard, Maryland
It has been a tale of two seasons for Kevin Willard during his time in College Park. In his first year, the Terps overachieved. They had a few huge wins against Illinois and Purdue. Maryland made the NCAA Tournament and beat West Virginia in the first round. Overall, a solid initial campaign. However, things took a turn in year two. Maryland was one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the entire country and star point guard Jahmir Young could only care the team so far. Fans grew restless due to the poor style of play. This coupled with the NCAA Tournament made the fanbase question Willard’s future in College Park.
This offseason, Willard turned to the portal to rebuild his team. He brought in Belmont point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie and USF shooting guard Selton Miguel. These two look lead the Terps backcourt this season after the departure of Young. They will be joined by 5-star freshman Derik Queen and returning big man Julian Reese. The Terps have infused talent into their roster and hope to make it back to March Madness this season. If they miss the tournament again, it is possible that Willard is out in College Park.
Hot Seat Status: Getting Warm
Steve Pikiell, Rutgers
You may be reading this and thinking “Steve Pikiell? He just signed two of the three best recruits in the country! Are you crazy?” and you may be a bit right. But, Rutgers has missed the NCAA Tournament the last two years in embarrassing fashion. After reaching incredible highs a few years ago, Pikiell will need to right the ship this season. As previously mentioned, Rutgers brings in Ace Baily and Dylan Harper, the two best recruits in the program’s history. But, the Big Ten is getting more difficult with the additions of UCLA and Oregon. It is going to be difficult to rely on freshman in a conference built on veterans. If Pikiell can’t figure things out this season, it may be time for the Scarlet Knights to move on from him.
