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Which College Basketball Head Coaches Are on the Hottest Seats?

Lorenzo Romar, Washington
We have now reached February, and are deep enough into the college basketball season that we know what we have in each team. While some have asserted themselves as clear-cut contenders, others are merely attempting to take some positives away from the season. With each season ends, the perennial discussion of head coaches on the hot seat takes center stage? Which coaches' seats may be burning up and what does their future hold? I break down the hottest seats in the sport, and what they need to do to save their jobs.

Kim Anderson, Missouri 
Since taking over for Frank Haith once he left for Tulsa, Anderson has struggled mightily in Columbia, Missouri. Anderson led Central Missouri to tremendous success over a lengthy tenure there, and many assumed his recruiting abilities would translate well to a higher level. That has not been the close, at all. The Tigers are 24-59 under his leadership, including a 5-15 mark so far this season. Even more concerning is the 6-38 mark inside an SEC not known for their basketball pedigree, and two last place finishes.
What He Needs To Do: It would take a miracle to save Anderson's job at this point. Missouri has never been a basketball power, but they were very competitive for years in the Big 12, so this program has to know they can win. A few big wins may be enough for the athletic department to think about keeping Anderson for a fourth year, but it is unlikely.

Lorenzo Romar, Washington
It has been five years since Washington last made the NCAA Tournament, and as of now, it looks like it will be six (the Huskies are 9-12, 2-7 in conference). Yet, Lorenzo Romar still finds himself roaming the sidelines in Seattle, and there isn't much of a secret why. Romar has consistently been able to reel in big-name recruits, despite the team's struggles. Marquese Chriss, Dejounte Murray and Markelle Fultz are some of the wonderful NBA prospects he has led under his watch, and more appear on the horizon. Despite the talent he has coached, there is no denying UW has underachieved under Romar in a big way and his seat just keeps burning.
What He Needs To Do: Keep on recruiting. It isn't much of a secret Romar would be gone by now if he wasn't bringing in superstar recruits, so he simply has to keep doing it and hope some day it will translate to a tourney appearance. Romar is already proving he can do this, landing one of the best players in the 2017 Class, Michael Porter Jr. With Porter coming in next season and a massive buyout, it isn't unreasonable to believe Romar could keep the job, even with the team's immense struggles.

Johnny Jones, LSU
When Ben Simmons opted to head to LSU over other basketball bluebloods, many were surprised. Why would Simmons head to Baton Rouge to play for Jones, when he could have his choice of future Hall of Famers such as John Calipari, Coach K or Tom Izzo? It was Jones' chance to prove he could coach the highest talent and keep on winning. Things were far from a perfect fit. Simmons played well, but the Tigers struggled, and despite some great moments missed the NCAA Tournament. Simmons is gone, and the pressure has only grown for Jones. The Tigers are 9-9 this season, and have one conference victory. Overall, Jones is 89-60 with LSU, but has made just one NCAA Tournament appearance in four years to this point.
What He Needs To Do: The Tigers are not completely devoid of talent, and the future could still be bright for this team. Jones must continue to recruit the talent-rich areas of the Southeast, while also showing the program is still making progress. A tourney appearance this season may be out of the question but beating a few rivals and finishing close to .500 in conference would be a major improvement.

John Thompson III, Georgetown
Would Georgetown really fire the son of the program's patriarch? There is a chance, especially with the way the Hoyas are trending. In 12 seasons, John Thompson III has made eight NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Final Four berth in 2007 behind the play of Roy Hibbert. However, the Hoyas have slipped significantly since then. They went 15-18 last season, and are 13-10 this season, with a sub-.500 Big East record. Not helping JT3's case is the fact the Hoyas have consistently choked when they do get to the Tournament. They haven't advanced to the Sweet 16 since that 2007 season, and have consistently underperformed.
What He Needs To Do: Georgetown has been playing much better as of late, with three straight victories, including two against ranked teams. If they can continue that type of play, a postseason berth is a real possibility. However, that doesn't change the questions that surround the program. Recruiting isn't what it used to be, they haven't been a serious contender for awhile, and the great program has definitely taken a step back. Thompson will get time to show he can turn things around, but the target on his back will keep growing if he doesn't quickly develop some of the youthful talent on their roster.

John Groce, Illinois
New Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman assured Groce's job was safe after his interesting move to fire head football coach Bill Cubit and swing for the fences with former Bears and Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith. While he may be openly saying that, one has to question his Groce's future. Groce arrived from Ohio with a Tournament appearance in 2012-2013, but has gone downhill since. After two consecutive NIT bids, Illinois missed the postseason altogether last season, and is in danger of doing the same in '16-'17. Groce is 90-69 in his tenure, which isn't terrible, but he hasn't had a winning season in the conference since he arrived. Unless that changes, it is hard to believe he has much of a future in Champaign.
What He Needs To Do: The Big Ten is the weakest it has been in years, which obviously bodes well for the Illini. Sitting at 3-5 in the conference at the moment, Illinois could still string together a couple wins and push themselves to the top-half of the position. If they do that, they could be a bubble NCAA Tournament team or land themselves in the NIT, which would not be a terrible consolation.


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