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NCAA Basketball: Top 10 National Coach of the Year candidates for 2020-21

By Benjamin Zacher

COLLEGE PARK, MD - DECEMBER 31: Head coach Juwan Howard of the Michigan Wolverines watches the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Xfinity Center on December 31, 2020 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MD - DECEMBER 31: Head coach Juwan Howard of the Michigan Wolverines watches the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Xfinity Center on December 31, 2020 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images) /
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NCAA Basketball Chris Holtmann Ohio State Buckeyes (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images)
NCAA Basketball Chris Holtmann Ohio State Buckeyes (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images) /

3. Chris Holtmann (#4 Ohio State)

  • 2020-21 record: 18-5 overall, 12-5 Big Ten

There are not as many teams that have looked completely different from November and December to now, but the Buckeyes fit the bill – and the job that Chris Holtmann has done in leading that charge cannot be overstated.  After falling out of the polls just over a month ago, Holtmann has cemented his crew as a legitimate national title contender.

The Buckeyes lost over half of their production from last season’s squad that finished 21-10, climbed as high as number two in the national polls, and fell out less than a month later.  Understandably, there were reservations about Ohio State entering this season – they entered the year ranked 23rd in the national polls, and were picked to finish seventh in the preseason Big Ten poll.

For weeks, those concerns seemed reasonable – the Buckeyes scraped past UMass Lowell, Notre Dame, and Cleveland State, owned losses at Purdue, Northwestern, and Minnesota, and carried solid wins over UCLA and Rutgers.  Their January 3rd loss at Minnesota – a 17-point defeat – sent Ohio State out of the polls.  Since then, however, the Buckeyes have been on a tear through the Big Ten.

A double-digit routing of Rutgers propelled Ohio State immediately back into the polls, and – since that loss at Minnesota – the Buckeyes have now won 10 of their last 12 games, including scooping up impressive road victories at Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa, all by a margin of 10.1 points.  Their lone losses have come to Purdue – by two – and Michigan, in what was, arguably, the best college basketball game this season.

Ohio State’s success can be traced to the development and flourishment of Duane Washington Jr. and E.J. Liddell, who – after averaging 11.5 and 6.7 points, respectively, last season – have taken the reigns for the Buckeyes this season, recording averages of 15.6 and 15.9 points, respectively.

The Buckeyes have been fairly solid on the defensive end – but have been carving teams up offensively.  With the third-most efficient offense, the Buckeyes rank in the top 65 in 3P%, 2P%, and FT%, all the while sitting 11th in turnover percentage – turning the ball over on just 15.2% of their offensive possessions.  Ohio State’s averaging 1.02 points per possession this season – and that mark is up to 1.24 in the Buckeyes’ five games this month.  Additionally, Ohio State’s eight Quad 1 wins are the most of any team this season.

Now up to fourth in the national polls after being completely out just a month and a half ago, the Buckeyes – if their showing against Michigan was any indication – are currently in line for a number-one seed in the NCAA Tournament, and are a legitimate national title contender.  The job that Holtmann has done in leading Ohio State’s resurgence is among the best in college basketball this year.

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