NCAA Basketball: Kobe King, best title matchup and other key questions

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 27: Myles Powell #13 of the Seton Hall Pirates dribbles the ball against Jermaine Samuels #23 of the Villanova Wildcats in the first half at the Wells Fargo Center on January 27, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

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2. Who is your frontrunner for National Coach of the Year?

Burgess

It has to be Scott Drew, doesn’t it? I mean given where this program was when he took over to now have his best team and the No.1 team in the country, he has to be the frontrunner. I think we all thought Baylor would be very good, but not sure many of us thought this is where they’d be.

Belt

My current frontrunner for National Coach of the Year would be Illinois’ Brad Underwood. As I’m sure the rest of the country has noticed, Illinois is one of the hottest teams in the country (16-6, 8-3), and is a team that no other program should want to face in March. After many losing seasons and disappointment, the Fighting Illini have made tremendous strides this season, becoming one of the teams to beat in the Big Ten and country in general.

If they get a good bracket come March, I wouldn’t be surprised seeing them in the Elite Eight or even the Final Four. They are that good. Underwood has so many weapons at his disposal, something we haven’t been able to say in a long time. Ayo Dosunmu has made leaps this season, and freshman big man Kofi Cockburn is becoming one of the more imposing forces in the Big Ten each and every game. I attest that to Underwood’s recruiting and desire, forgetting the past and making each game the most important game they will play.

Kennedy

At this point in the season, I have to look at the undisputed toughest conference in the nation, the Big Ten. The program turnaround that Brad Underwood has achieved in his third year at the helm of Illinois is worthy of that type of consideration.

Miller

It has to be Brian Dutcher at this point in time. San Diego State wasn’t even looked at as a likely NCAA Tournament team in the preseason. So to be 23-0 in February with a chance to be the overall #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament (should the Aztecs win out in Mountain West play) is pretty remarkable.

Dieckhoff

Let’s be honest: he’s probably not even the best coach in his own conference (since there’s a coach that hasn’t lost a game yet) but I’m going to give a nod to Niko Medved for the job he is doing at Colorado State. This Rams team was picked to finish ninth in the conference, but they currently sit tied for second in the Mountain West.

Sure, they’ve got a seasoned veteran in Nico Carvacho, but the play of young guys like Isaiah Stevens, David Roddy, Adam Thistlewood, and Kendle Moore has shown that Medved is making a huge positive impact on this squad in just his second year in Fort Collins. Don’t be surprised to see his name start surfacing if some major conference schools come calling. (I’m also biased since I cover the Mountain West.)

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