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Three B1G head coaches named Naismith Coach of the Year candidates
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Three B1G coaches have been named candidates for the Naismith Coach of the Year award, presented to the top coach in college basketball for the year. A list was released on Wednesday.
John Beilein (Michigan), Tom Izzo (Michigan State) and Matt Painter (Purdue) were all listed as candidates for the prestigious award. All three programs sit in the top three spots in the B1G currently.
Michigan State currently sits atop the standings with a 14-3 record in league play. The Spartans are ranked No. 6 in the country and recently recorded a huge victory over in-state rival Michigan in Ann Arbor. Izzo’s squad is currently 23-5 on the season.
Purdue occupies the No. 2 spot in the conference, currently at 13-3. Painter’s bunch has exceeded expectations this year. After losing four seniors from a season ago, the Boilers were expected to finish in the middle of the B1G. After a 6-5 start, Purdue has won 14 of its last 16 contests and is ranked No. 14 nationally.
Michigan has spent much of the year in the top 10, and currently owns a 24-4 mark on the year. The Wolverines are third in the B1G with a 13-4 conference record. Beilein and Co. are currently ranked ninth in the nation.
The full list of candidates for the Naismith Coach of the Year are listed below:
- Rick Barnes, Tennessee
- Chris Beard, Texas Tech
- John Beilein, Michigan
- Tony Bennett, Virginia
- Mark Few, Gonzaga
- Tom Izzo, Michigan State
- Mike Krzyewski, Duke
- Chris Mack, Louisville
- Eric Musselman, Nevada
- Nate Oats, Buffalo
- Matt Painter, Purdue
- Kelvin Sampson, Houston
- Roy Williams, North Carolina
- Steve Wojciechowski, Marquette
- Mike Young, Wofford
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB