We are starting to get an idea of ACC men’s basketball coaches who are starting to feel the hot seat and which ones are in good shape. We just did coaches 9-18.
What does that look light two-thirds of the way into the season?
We go from the coldest to the hottest.
0 – Ice Cold
1 – Still cool
2 – There’s smoke
3 – Getting Warm
4 – On Fire
5 – Start working on the resume
Pat Kelsey, Louisville = 0
Pat Kelsey has only been the architect of the best single-season turnarounds we’ve ever seen. Inheriting a trainwreck from Kenny Payne and injuries early in the year, Kelsey has Louisville (16-6, 9-2) and headed to the NCAA tournament.
Andy Enfield, SMU = 0
SMU is (17-5, 8-3) and if it weren’t for Pat Kelsey, Andy Enfield would be in line for ACC COY. Enfield had a good run at USC with 5 NCAA tournament appearances in 10 years not counting the COVID year. SMU could be an emerging force in ACC basketball.
Kyle Smith, Stanford = 0
Are you seeing a trend here? Kyle Smith is another first-year coach in the ACC who is doing a fine job. Stanford was picked near the bottom of the ACC, Smith has them (15-7, 7-4). The ACC might be down overall, but these 1st year coaches are making some waves and that’s good for the future.
Jon Scheyer, Duke = 0.1
Following a legend like Coach K is never easy, but Jon Scheyer in his third season has Duke as one of the top 2 teams in the country at (19-2, 11-0). Scheyer has yet to make a Final 4 or win a National Title and that’s the standard at Duke, but you can’t argue with the results this season so far.
Brad Brownell, Clemson = 1.5
Brad Brownell went from perennial hot seat to the longest-tenured coach in the ACC. Last year he went to the Elite 8 and this year, Clemson is (18-4, 10-1) and will be back in the Big Dance with another chance at a deep run.
Mike Young, Virginia Tech = 1.75
Virginia Tech’s Mike Young seat is actually relatively cool. He’s won an ACC Title and has 4 postseason appearances. This year Virginia Tech will likely miss the NCAA tournament which would make 3 straight years without the NCAAs. Young can coach but some Hokie fans think he’s been handcuffed by his athletics department.
Kevin Keatts, NC State = 2
How can a coach that just went to the Final 4, already have a bit of heat? Keatts before that ACC and NCAA Tournament run was in massive trouble. He’d been at NC State 6 years without a NCAA win, and this year he has one of the worst teams in the ACC. Was last year a fluke? We’ll find out next season.
Jeff Capel, Pittsburgh = 3
Pittsburgh is in total collapse. They’ve lost 6 of their last 8 games and went from NCAA lock to off the bubble. That would be just 1 NCAA appearance in 7 years for Capel and Pitt. This is falling apart really fast Capel who I didn’t even have on the hotseat a couple of weeks ago.
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