NCAA Basketball: 5 coaches on the hot seat entering conference play

By Brian Rauf | Dec 29, 2018

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 22: Head coach Steve Alford of the UCLA Bruins looks on during his team's game against the Michigan State Spartans during the 2018 Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on November 22, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images) /

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WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – DECEMBER 06: Head coach Mark Turgeon of the Maryland Terrapins and bench protest after a call during the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena on December 6, 2018 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Some NCAA Basketball coaches know they might be coaching for their jobs in 2019. As conference play starts, here are the five coaches most on the hot seat.

NCAA Basketball coaches usually don’t find themselves on the proverbial hot seat until the later months of the season, but several coaches started the year with questions about their job status and have done nothing to turn those conversations around.

In fact, some have put themselves in even more trouble with the play of their respective teams.

Most of the hot seat talk around the country centers on UCLA’s Steve Alford, as the Bruins have been one of the year’s most disappointing teams. They have only beaten one team ranked in the KenPom top 125, lost to Belmont, and suffered blowout losses at the hands of Michigan State, North Carolina, and Cincinnati.

Many think Alford may be too far gone to save his job at this point, but there is still time for these coaches to play their way off the hot seat. Minnesota’s Richard Pitino and St. John’s’ Chris Mullin have largely quelled any talk about their jobs with strong seasons to this point, but a lot can change before the end of March.

As we head into conference play, here are the five coaches that are most on the hot seat.

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