Busting Brackets
Fansided

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

By Lukas Harkins

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JANUARY 04: Head coach LaVall Jordan of the Butler Bulldogs reacts in the second half of the game against the Creighton Bluejays at Hinkle Fieldhouse on January 4, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Butler defeated Creighton 71-57. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JANUARY 04: Head coach LaVall Jordan of the Butler Bulldogs reacts in the second half of the game against the Creighton Bluejays at Hinkle Fieldhouse on January 4, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Butler defeated Creighton 71-57. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 11
Next
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 29: Coach Chambers of Penn State reacts. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 29: Coach Chambers of Penn State reacts. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

491. . . . Pat Chambers. 7. player

Pat Chambers has been the head coach at Penn State since the 2011-12 season but is yet to make an NCAA Tournament appearance. Heading into this year, he had only experienced one season with 20+ wins while with the program and many had expressed doubts regarding his abilities on the sideline. Through the first two months of this season, though, Coach Chambers has been superb while guiding his team to a 12-2 (2-1 B10) record.

The Nittany Lions have already picked up wins over Georgetown, Yale, Syracuse, Wake Forest, Maryland, Alabama, and Rutgers en route to this record while jumping to No. 21 on KenPom.

Many expected the Penn State would be able to compete for an NCAA Tournament bid this season. Not many would have predicted that we would be wondering about this team as a dark-horse contender for the Big Ten title by early January. Yet, that is the case. Michigan State, Ohio State, and Maryland might be regarded as the three best teams in the conference right now but Penn State is not all that far behind.

With Lamar Stevens and Mike Watkins leading the way, the Nittany Lions can excel on either end of the floor and dominate the paint. This is a talented team capable of competing with some of the best in the country. There should be no doubt about that. Penn State has already bested a number of high-quality opponents and has shown that it is ready for the big stage.

The Nittany Lions are talented, experienced, and succeeding. Coach Chambers deserves a lot of credit.

Home/NCAA Basketball News