Three Big 12 Coaches on 2024 Naismith Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List
The Big 12 has been the best and deepest basketball conference in the country this season, leading the way for multiple weeks in the AP Poll, NET, and RPI ratings this year.
It’s not just the talent on the court that makes the league so transcendent, though, as the Big 12’s coaches are also the best collection of sideline talent that college basketball has to offer.
The Naismith Coach of the Year Award, presented annually to the most outstanding college basketball coach in the nation, released its late-season watch list on Friday, and three of the 15 names listed are from the Big 12.
Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger is the first name found on the list and has led the Cyclones to a 20-6 (9-4 Big 12) mark to this point in the season. Iowa State is currently the No. 6 team in the country and projects as a No. 3 seed in the latest bracketology update.
BYU head coach Mark Pope is the next Big 12 coach on the list, having his Cougars at 19-7 (7-6 Big 12) in their first season with the league. Ranked No. 25 in the AP and projected as a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, it hasn’t been a bad first year in this conference, especially when BYU was picked to finish 13th in the league.
Houston’s Kelvin Sampson wraps up the Big 12 names on the list with a resume that speaks for itself. The Cougars are currently in first place in the Big 12 standings with a 23-3 (10-3 Big 12) record and project as a No. 1 seed in March Madness. Being a first-year program in the Big 12 and looking to dethrone Kansas would be a big statement for Sampson’s group, and they’re on track to do so at this time.
All three coaches will be in action this weekend, as Iowa State is set to host West Virginia, BYU will play at Kansas State, and Houston will visit No. 11 Baylor on Saturday.
