Big Ten Basketball: Ranking all 14 head coaches for 2019-20 season

13. Pat Chambers (Penn State)

Even in some of the deeper power conference leagues in college basketball, not every team can produce winners on a yearly basis. In the eight years since Chambers became head coach of the Nittany Lions, he hasn’t exactly produced championship basketball. At a school where football is king, Chambers has done enough to keep his head above the water, but he’s not exactly about to outduel Tom Izzo in an important game.

Chambers spent time under Jay Wright at Villanova before getting his shot as head coach at Boston University back in 2009. He took the Terriers to the NCAA Tournament in 2011, toppling Pikiell’s Stony Brook squad in the America East title game. Chambers won 21 games in both of his seasons in Boston and did enough to attract the attention of the Nittany Lions. Penn State had just made an NCAA Tournament appearance of their own, though losing coach Ed DeChellis in the process.

In the eight years since there hasn’t exactly been an explosion of talent or success in University Park. Chambers’ 2018 team won 26 games and became NIT champions, but that was his only team even remotely close to an NCAA Tournament. The other seven seasons produced nothing north of 16 wins and a tenth place finish, even when there were two fewer Big Ten schools. Winning 16 Big Ten games in the last two seasons feels like a major step forward in itself for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State finished at 14-18 last season, but how warm is Chambers’ seat this year? The combination of a recent contract extension and the school’s focus on football may ensure his job for another year or two. However, don’t be surprised if a change is made, especially if this team takes another step back. The bottom line is that Chambers has done an okay job at a football school in a tough conference, but an okay job is never enough in the Big Ten.