Ranking the Top Ten Candidates for Men’s College Basketball Coach of the Year

From Bruce Pearl’s strong Auburn squad to Tom Izzo’s resurgence year at Michigan State, these are the greatest coaches this season.

With only a month remaining in the men’s college basketball regular season, now is a good moment to assess the national coach of the year contest. There are several excellent contenders, ranging from coaches who have completed near-miraculous rebuilds to those who have brilliantly constructed and maintained great teams. It’s a tough prize to hand out, in part because everyone judges it differently. The Sports Illustrated requirements focus on managing all aspects of the program at a high level, from recruiting and roster management to in-game coaching choices, rather than exceeding preseason expectations or “doing more with less”. Here are our top ten picks, as well as a couple top names that barely missed the cut.

1. Bruce Pearl, Auburn Tigers.

A year after being eliminated from the NCAA tournament in the first round by Yale, Pearl has assembled the finest squad in college basketball. Much of this team’s success has been due to retention, with national player of the year candidate Johni Broome leading a strong core of players that returned for another season following the Yale catastrophe. Nonetheless, Pearl has made wise decisions, like as shifting Broome to power forward at times, and has gotten a lot of mileage from rookie point guard Tahaad Pettiford.

2. Patrick Kelsey, Louisville Cardinals

Kelsey inherited an all-time skip fire from Kenny Payne and has a very proud Louisville team on its way to the Big Dance in his debut season. That alone would put him in contention for NCOY, but when you consider that Louisville has faced with season-ending injuries to two key players in Kasean Pryor and Koren Johnson, this year appears even more spectacular.

3. Rick Pitino of St. John’s Red Storm

Pitino has quickly revitalised St. John’s basketball program, leading the Big East with a record of 21-3 and 12-1 in conference games. They did it in the typical Pitino style, with tremendously disruptive defence and outstanding rebounding. RJ Luis Jr. and Zuby Ejiofor have developed into All-Big East players in their second years in the system.

4. Todd Golden, Florida Gators.

Golden has the Gators on a strong upward track, looking like a viable national title candidate in only his third year on the job. Saturday’s victory against Auburn was likely the finest of the season for any team, and the Gators accomplished it without standout wing Alijah Martin, who was rated as a top portal player by Golden’s staff. He has made the most of underappreciated additions like as Martin, Alex Condon, and Thomas Haugh, all while assisting star player Walter Clayton Jr. in his flawless transition from off-ball to point guard a year ago.

5. Dennis Gates, Missouri Tigers.

No one in the country has done a better job of turning things around than Gates, who has Mizzou on track to make the NCAA tournament a year after a terrible 8-24 season that included a winless SEC record. Portal additions Mark Mitchell and Tony Perkins have helped, but the Tigers’ revival has been mostly driven by returners. Sophomore point guard Anthony Robinson II definitely benefited from a lot of game experience last year, while veteran Caleb Grill has been one of the most effective shooters in the NCAA. Wins against Kansas, Florida, and Ole Miss have positioned the Tigers for a solid seed on Selection Sunday.

6. Matt Painter, Purdue Boilermakers.

That Purdue is top in the Big Ten a year after losing a legendary talent in Zach Edey (and with six rookies on the roster, no less) is remarkable. The cupboard wasn’t barren owing to the return of standout point guard Braden Smith, but Painter has undoubtedly gotten the most out of this squad. Midseason defensive adjustments have enabled a squad with average-at-best athletic talent to be the Big Ten’s second-best defence in conference play. A No. 1 seed is within sight, something few, if any, projected before the season.

7. Jon Scheyer, Duke Blue Devils.

Coaching a freshmen-centric team in the portal age is a difficult undertaking, and Scheyer has done an excellent job hitting the proper buttons. Having a guy like Cooper Flagg widens the margin of error significantly, but Scheyer did an excellent job early on instilling confidence in his star and providing him on-ball reps, which have paid off as the season progresses. Furthermore, the addition of Tulane transfer Sion James (who was inserted into the starting lineup midseason) has transformed this defence into one of the most feared in the sport.

8. Rick Barnes, Tennessee Volunteers.

Barnes has become somewhat of an expert at navigating the transfer portal. Last year, Dalton Knecht converted the Volunteers into one of the finest teams in the league. Barnes’ additions of Chaz Lanier, Igor Milicic Jr., and Felix Okpara helped the Vols maintain their top ranking despite losing four players from the previous season.

9. Tom Izzo, Michigan State Spartans.

Many expected Michigan State to have a transition year with a younger group after losing four players from the previous year. Instead, the Spartans are in the midst of the Big Ten title race, with only two defeats since Thanksgiving. Izzo has expertly handled a lack of traditional star power, relying on his team’s outstanding depth to wear opponents down and win with domination on the glass and in transition. Furthermore, the team he has assembled includes a number of crucial players who should return next season, implying that this might be just the beginning of a championship window in East Lansing, Michigan.

10. Greg Gard, Wisconsin Badgers.

Consider this your yearly warning not to underestimate Wisconsin during the preseason, regardless of how the roster seems on paper. The Badgers were ranked 12th in the Big Ten after losing Chucky Hepburn and AJ Storr to the portal. Instead, Gard’s club is probably a top-12 team nationally, thanks to a breakout year from John Blackwell and an outstanding portal recruit in John Tonje, who arrived quietly following an injury-plagued season at Missouri in 2023-24. The Badgers have modernised their offence and gotten plenty of use out of experienced role players like Kamari McGee and Carter Gilmore.

Other Candidates

• Ben McCollum, Drake Bulldogs
• Jerrod Calhoun, Utah State Aggies
• Mark Byington, Vanderbilt Commodores
• Darian DeVries, West Virginia Mountaineers
• Mark Pope, Kentucky Wildcats
• Dustin May, Michigan Wolverines
• Grant McCasland of Texas Tech Red Raiders

1. Penny Hardaway, Memphis Tigers

• Eric Olen, UC San Diego Tritons
• Greg McDermott, Creighton Bluejays

Kevin Sweeney.

Kevin Sweeney is a staff writer at Sports Illustrated who covers college basketball and the NBA draft. He joined SI in July 2021 and also hosts and analyses The Field of 68. Sweeney is a Naismith Trophy voter and a member of the United States Basketball Writers Association. He graduated from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.