College basketball’s hot seat: 13 coaches who could be in trouble
Jerome Tang called his Kansas State basketball team “embarrassing.” No discussion on this point. K-State fans wore paper bags over their heads. Embarrassed by all this, the university fired Tang.
Tang won’t be the last college basketball coach fired in the coming weeks. The hot spot runs from Syracuse to LSU to Oklahoma and lands in the middle.
Announcement
Adrian Autry, Syracuse
Why it’s hot: Syracuse is mired in a years-long collapse. Regardless of the glory days, is it too much to ask for the Orange to make the NCAA Tournament? No, that shouldn’t be too much to ask. It may be time for Syracuse to break away from Jim Boeheim’s coaching tree.
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Jeff Capel, Pittsburgh
Why it’s hot: This is Capel’s eighth season. He’s been to the NCAA tournament once. This season has been a disaster, including losses to Hofstra and Quinnipiac. If Pitt keeps Capel, take it as a sign that they are too poor to pay for his acquisition. There is no other case for conservation.
Announcement
Jake Diebler, Ohio State
Ohio State coach Jake Diebler reacts during the first half of the 2025 Cleveland Hoops Showdown against West Virginia at Rocket Arena on Dec. 13, 2025 in Cleveland.
Why it’s hot: On the one hand, the acquisition of Diebler would be a de minimis cleanup costs for a revenue giant like the state of Ohio. On the other hand, the Buckeyes are on the bubble for the Big Dance. If they go dancing, there’s probably nothing to see here. If not, stay tuned.
Kim English, Providence
Why it’s hot: Providence became an NCAA Tournament regular under Ed Cooley, English’s predecessor. With English the Friars are a doormat to the Grand Orient. A recent loss to St. John’s included a brawl, the latest embarrassing moment of a bad season.
Steve Forbes, Wake Forest
Why it’s hot: Forbes won 25 games in his second season. An affable manager, he had decent years and good at-bats. Ultimately, though, every coach needs an NCAA offer. Forbes, now in his sixth year, failed to reach Wake Forest.
Announcement
Earl Grant, Boston College
Because it’s hot: Grant isn’t the only problem at Boston College. This program was lost almost 15 years ago and has never come back. But Grant wasn’t the solution either. This dismal season includes a loss to Central Connecticut. This is the definition of a call to action.
Penny Hardaway, Memphis
Memphis coach Penny Hardaway reacts when a foul is called on Memphis during the Memphis-Tulane game at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee on Feb. 1, 2026.
Why it’s hot: Hardaway is coming off a good year (he won 29 games last season) with one of his worst. Memphis would probably hesitate before firing one, but Hardaway knows better than anyone that this program has standards. He won’t meet them.
Bobby Hurley, Arizona State
Why it’s hot: It’s never a good sign when a coach admits to “failing”. Hurley offered that brutal assessment after the January loss. Well, you said it, coach. Ready the cannon for the takeover, but hold back from firing after ASU’s upset of Texas Tech.
Announcement
Matt McMahon, LSU
Why it’s hot: McMahon was great at Murray State. He fell apart at LSU. If LSU wants to be an “everything school,” it needs to fix its basketball program. What better time than with a new athletic director, a new president and a new chairman of the board of supervisors? Would Will Wade listen to a “strong offer”?
Why it’s hot: Bob Huggins and Mick Cronin set a high bar for Cincinnati. Miller doesn’t meet the standard for five seasons. Cincinnati isn’t the type of program that does well with 0-for-5 in NCAA bids under the same coach.
Porter Moser, Oklahoma
Why it’s hot: Like his SEC counterpart McMahon, Moser thrived in the mid-majors but failed in the Power Four ranks. A story as old as peach baskets. Oklahoma suffered a nine-game losing streak earlier this winter. This is the basis for a dismissal.
Announcement
Lamont Paris, South Carolina
Why it’s hot: Paris has a meaty buyout and South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer will enter this season on the hot seat. How many buyouts do the Gamecocks want to stomach this year? Yet two consecutive seasons of disasters leave Paris in trouble.
Damon Stoudamire, Georgia Tech
Why it’s hot: Within an ACC with a handful of bad teams, Georgia Tech might be the worst. The decision here will be a test of how hard (and how fast) first-year Georgia Tech athletic director Ryan Alpert wants to tackle this program.
Blake Toppmeyer is a columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College basketball coaching hot seat includes Penny Hardaway, Porter Moser