As we fast approach the halfway point of the conference season, let's look at some of the programs who deserve scrutiny. While these P5 coaches tend to pad their OOC with easy wins to give the illusion that their team is really successful, their lack of success for consecutive years in conference, deserves to have light shed upon their resume.
ACC really only shows 1 team that annually seems to appear-Pitt who is 7-10 and 0-6 and during Lance White's 5 yr run is 8-71 in ACC play. I think his contract expires this April, he does not deserve an extension.
Big East has two teams definitely under scrutiny and a 3rd team on watch.
- Georgetown-Despite the Hoyas effort on Sunday against us, James Howard has not been good. He enters year 6 with 27-70 Conference record but 18 of those wins were in his 1st two years, he's 9-52 in the last 4.
- Xavier-Melanie Moore is now in her 4th year as Xavier Head Coach and is sporting an 0-10 this year and 8-50 record in conference play. She probably has 1 year left on her contract which should NOT be renewed. The team has not even made any incremental strides.
- Providence College-this team should be "on watch" as Jim Crowley really has not achieved much in his now 7th year as Friars HC. He is 30-84 overall in conference play and 83-115. He's proven he can't elevate the Friars and his 2-6 record this year is not great but he has mildly signature win over Creighton in 202
Big Ten really has no teams on the "hotseat" but definitely 3 teams "on watch". What focuses the light even moore on these teams is the success that Shauna Green is having her first year, taking over a roster that was pathetic.
Teams on watch are:
- Minnesota-to say Lindsay Whelan has been underwhelming is definitely understating it. She's 29-50 in year 5 in Big Ten play but 9 came her first season when she took over a decent team-it was not a rebuild. However at 1-6 this year, the next coach will have a full rebuild to do. Her contract expires in 2 more years, April 2025-yikes....
- Michigan State-Suzy Merchant has been HC for 16 years and her career is really bifurcated into her first 7 and her last 9. Her first 7, she was phenomenal, going 82-36 and 163-72 finishing 1st or 2nd-5 times with a 3rd and 5th. Now in the last 9 years, she's gone 72-71, 158-108 with a 3rd place finish way back in 2016. She has a 5th place in 2017 but one 7th, three 8th and three 9th place finishes. With the Big Ten now being way more competitive, MSU has to think about "retiring" their coach who made the program before she burns it down. Similar to Purdue..
- Penn State-Carolyn Kieger was hired with much fanfare from Marquette but in her 4th year, the team has not really improved plus Kieger is known to have less than cordial coaching manner towards her team. She has one more year left but I suspect her poor results (14-48, 38-63) and the player complaints/transfers will doom her from getting an extension.
PAC-12 has one program under scrutiny
- California-While this is only year 4 under Charmin Smith, it's not looking great, she's 7-42 and 34-55 and she's finished last twice, 11th once and currently is 11th this year. The future does not look bright. Her contract expires April 2024 so do not expect an extension.
SEC has one program that should be under watch
- Kentucky-Kyra Elzy, who was promoted from interim in 2020-21 season, after starting 8-1 with Matthew Mitchell's veteran squad (22-8 in 2020) with a star player in Rhyne Howard has underachieved but due to the Wildcats SEC tourney upset over SC to win the Auto-bid, the Kentucky AD rewarded Elzy with an extension in April until 2027 at $750 per year, escalating by $25k per year. Now fast forward to over the summer and this fall, where many players transferred out and we are witnessing the Dre'una Edwards controversy adding to the 1-6 conference record and not much help on the horizon, you have to wonder if she will survive the next 4 years. If you can't win 20 games with Howard, Massengill, Edwards, Owens, Hunt and others, not sure how you warrant any type of extension.
Big 12 has one program on the Hot seat
- TCU-Raegan Pebley has been at the helm for 9 years and while her first 6 showed great improvement culminating with a 2nd place conference with a Senior laden squad (13-5; 22-7) finish in 2020 before Covid cancelled the NCAAT, it has been quite the opposite in the 3 years since. Her 6-35 Conference record and 22-47 overall record plus the ugly fight in Dec against GW with her 0-6 record and the fact her contract expires at the end of this year spells doom to me.
While there are few other programs across the P5 spectrum that on the surface should warrant scrutiny, they either have newer coaches who are still figuring it out (Wisc, Wash, Vandy, Butler as examples) or have a long- term coach who has had a down year or two (Northwestern, Oregon State).
What say you my fine and knowledgeable brethren?
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