Going into the 2024-25 college basketball season there is a lot to be excited for. New conferences starting new rivalries, new coaches looking to become house hold names at new schools. What about the coaches on the Hot Seat?
On the other side of that fence are the coaches who have been feeling the pressure of under-performing. Coaches for one reason or another are on the hot seat and one bad month away from being fired.
That doesn’t mean this is eminent. We just saw last season what a good month can do for a coach on the hot seat. North Carolina State’s head coach Kevin Keatts go from almost fired to getting a 2-3 year extension.
Kyle Neptune – Villanova
Villanova found success under head coach Jay Wright in the late 20-teens. After his abrupt retirement, he hand chose Neptune for the job.
However going into Neptune’s 3rd season as head coach, Villanova has a record of 35-33 under him and have missed the NCAA Tournament in both seasons.
Going into his third season, things are heating up with every game for Kyle Neptune as the head coach of the Villanova Basketball Program.
Wayne Tinkle – Oregon State
Wayne Tinkle came up as one of the hottest coaches in the nation after building Montana into a NCAA Tournament regular from 2010-2013. Then in 2014 he took the job at Oregon State where he would find success early on. Leading the Oregon State Basketball Program all the way to the Elite 8 in 2021.
Since then things have fallen off of a cliff, and well it feels like a long way from that 2021 Tournament run for Coach Tinkle. Which if you believe in anything, in 2020 there were articles like this calling for him to be fired. Then boom, Elite 8.
Oregon State will need to compete with the top teams on their conference this season to put some ice of Coach’s seat.
Bobby Hurley – Arizona State
This might be one of the more warmer seats in this article, yet Coach Hurley’s chair has some heat on it for two reasons. One of which being his brother’s success at UConn, and the other, being Arizona State tired of playing little brother to Arizona on the hardwood.
It has been a while since the Sun Devils were elite. Under Hurley, they have been good, yet never quite over the hump into great. They have been an up and down team season to season.
This first season in the Big 12 also won’t help. The Big 12 will be possibly be the best and deepest conference in the nation. Look for changes if Arizona State falls to the bottom of the pack.
Mike Woodson – Indiana
Mike Woodson has done two things this off season at Indiana. He has helped his case why he should not get fired, as well as helped the case of why he should get fired. Depending on how the season goes.
By garnering hype with big name transfers, this season can only go one way for the Hoosiers if Mike Woodson wants to keep his job.
Which this being the hottest seat on this list is horrible in my opinion, Woodson has won enough over the last 3 seasons for me to see he is capable of winning and building something.
This season will be the test. He will need to finish way over .500 in Big 10 play and make a run to the second weekend of the Tournament.
Porter Moser – Oklahoma
Oklahoma is thirsting to reach the success they had almost 20 years ago on the basketball court. After hiring Moser who lead the Loyola-Chicago Program to a final four and sweet 16, Oklahoma has not seen the tournament.
It has been three seasons and fans are growing tired of the lack of success on the hardwood passed January.
Oklahoma will have to make the Tournament, and will have to have a solid year in the SEC for coach Moser to stay. This program expects to be in the top 8 every season of the SEC.
Rowan Donaghey, Sports Reporter and Betting Analyst for Stare Down Sports.You can follow him onthe X via @RowanDonaghey
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