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

Bruce Pearl made headlines last season while coaching Auburn all the way to the Final Four. During the offseason, though, he had to wave goodbye to some of his most valuable contributors. Overcoming the losses of Jared Harper and Bryce Brown (among others) was expected to be very challenging but the Tigers are still undefeated through 13 games and are ranked as a Top 10 team in the nation. As a result, Coach Pearl absolutely belongs on this list. He has been sensational on the sidelines while teaching his team the ability to excel on both ends of the floor.

In terms of leading contributors, Samir Doughty has been the go-to scorer for the Tigers thus far while averaging 16.3 points per game. J’Von McCormick slides in alongside him as one of the best playmakers in the country while Isaac Okoro looks the part of a potential NBA Draft pick. With those three on the perimeter, Auburn’s offense ranks 18th nationally in adjusted efficiency.

On the defensive end of the floor, the Tigers are anchored by Austin Wiley and Anfernee McLemore. These two sensational rim-protectors have pushed the team to ranking 17th in block-rate and 21st in overall adjusted defensive efficiency.

With Florida and Kentucky (among others) stumbling out of the gates for the SEC, Auburn has emerged as one of the favorites moving forward. This was not the expectation coming into the year and Coach Pearl has once again been excellent on the sidelines. He is arguably the most proven leader in these early-season Coach of the Year rankings (although there are definitely other contenders for that claim).