The hire of Robin Pingeton by Wisconsin Badgers athletic director Chris McIntosh has been controversial. While Pingeton brings a 250-218 record from her tenure at Missouri, she failed to reach the NCAA Tournament in the last six seasons. In her previous two seasons in Columbia, the Tigers finished in the cellar of the SEC standings, which contributed to Pingeton resigning after this season. One fan compared this hire to the New York Jets hiring Adam Gase, a notoriously poor NFL head coach.
Wisconsin State Journal columnist gives hire a thumbs down
One writer who criticized the hire is Jim Polzin of the Wisconsin State Journal. In his latest article (subscription required), he had this to say:
"She must have wowed University of Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh with her vision for the Badgers women's basketball program. Pingeton must have been able to convince him that she can get it headed in an upward trajectory even though her own career arrow is pointing down at the moment."
While Polzin notes Pingeton's successful win-loss record as a reason she landed the job, he also questions how a program such as Wisconsin's, with 14 consecutive losing seasons, hires a coach with two straight poor records on her watch. Polzin points out that the Tigers' downturn in wins coincided with the departure of WNBA draft pick Sophie Cunningham after the 2018-19 season.
"Pingeton's SEC record in the post-Cunningham era was 28-66, a ghastly .298 winning percentage. The Tigers went 3-13 in conference play in 2024-25, slightly better than their 2-14 mark the previous campaign."
Two options that Polzin mentions should have gotten more serious looks were Brad Fischer and Tamara Moore. Fischer is a successful coach at UW-Oshkosh at the Division III level and has positive connections with high school girls' basketball programs across Wisconsin. Moore, a Badger women's basketball icon, serves as a scout with the Dallas Mavericks and coached a junior college men's basketball team in Minnesota.
Polzin concludes his article with this: "A source familiar with the Missouri program was stunned to learn Pingeton landed at Wisconsin. They weren't alone."
Hard to argue with that.