Dancing or not: Give Pat Chambers another year.

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Six seasons. Zero NCAA Tournament appearances.

Penn State head men's basketball coach Pat Chambers hasn't reminded anybody of Bobby Knight in his time in Happy Valley. Along with never making it to the Big Dance, the Nittany Lions haven't even reached the NIT under Chambers, and their only postseason appearance was a CBI quarterfinal five years ago. Penn State has had just one winning season in Chambers's tenure--a hardly memorable 18-16 season in 2014-15.

This year's team is by far the best Chambers has had at Penn State, and is probably the most talented one since the days of Joe Crispin, with all five regular starters averaging double figures in scoring. Nonetheless, the squad has been inconsistent, and it's fair to say that it has underachieved. Despite three wins over Ohio State, losses to the likes of Rider, Minnesota and Indiana have put the Nittany Lions squarely on the bubble. If the team had won more of the games they were supposed to win,  Selection Sunday might not be a day of uncertainty, and if the Lions are forced to settle for the Not Important Tournament, Chambers's job status will be called into question by fans and media alike. But if Penn State doesn't go dancing, would getting rid of Chambers solve any problems?

If the Nittany Lions miss the tournament, this season should go down as a missed opportunity. Of course, Chambers will deserve some heat for that. But the future of this team is bright.
Aside from senior guard Shep Garner, the Nittany Lions return the bulk of their production - most importantly Tony Carr, who could turn into the best player in the Big Ten. So with Penn State on the cusp of becoming one of the top teams in the Big 10, would it be wise to do something as drastic as making a coaching change?

Sure, there could be somebody in Penn State's ballpark that might be a better option. But there are plenty of others who wouldn't be, and a transition like this could well be damaging, and hard to justify to Nittany Nation if it doesn't go as planned.
Perhaps the thing that would be the most puzzling about letting Chambers walk would be; why the hell would they fire the guy after what was far and away his best season in State College? Sure, stranger things have happened. But that doesn't mean that getting rid of Chambers would be a wise move.

Penn State basketball is in a good spot right now. Should they have won a few more games this season? Absolutely. But with Tony Carr, Mike Watkins, Josh Reaves and Lamar Stevens back in the picture, there is no reason that Penn State can't be in the tournament- without any speculation-- next season. Although Chambers will never be Dean Smith, he's been in Happy Valley long enough and has endured enough bad basketball to see that happen.