NCAA Basketball: Butler, SDSU headline National Coach of the Year rankings

Utah State was the overwhelming favorite to win the Mountain West heading into this season but that is no longer the case. While leaping out to a 15-0 start with several high-quality wins (five in Q1), San Diego State has usurped that spot at the top of the league. Additionally, the Aztecs now sit in the AP Top 10 and deservedly so. This team has been exceedingly impressive at every single turn thanks to the superb coaching of Brian Dutcher.

Now in his third season with the program, Coach Dutcher now has a roster that fits his scheme and it is working beautifully. On the offensive end, Malachi Flynn is the leading the way as SDSU’s “do-it-all” star. The Washington State transfer is averaging 15.9 points and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 43.0% from three. He is just one of the deadly snipers on this roster, though, as the Aztecs rank 26th nationally at 37.8% from three to begin this season.

On the defensive end of the floor, sophomore big man Nathan Mensah has been a revelation. The Aztecs needed a strong interior anchor and he is filling that role tremendously well. He has started every game for the team and is averaging 6.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. It is impossible to ignore his contributions in the paint as a major reason for this team’s success.

Coach Dutcher deserves to be easily ranked among the Top 5 contenders for this award through the first half of the season. He has guided this roster to an undefeated start with victories over Creighton, Iowa, BYU, Utah, and Fresno State. SDSU has a legitimate argument to be projected as a No. 1 seed moving forward and that is something that nobody would have expected in the preseason.

Winning the MWC was a fairly lofty goal heading into the campaign, but the Aztecs are now a national title threat.