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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 Lon Kruger Oklahoma Sooners (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
NCAA Basketball Lon Kruger Oklahoma Sooners (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

4. Lon Kruger (#7 Oklahoma)

  • 2020-21 record: 14-6 overall, 9-5 Big 12

This may be a stretch of a choice, but it is difficult to not acknowledge the job that Lon Kruger has done with an Oklahoma squad that was predicted to finish in the bottom half of the Big 12 – and, instead, is vying for second place in the conference, and has catapulted into the top ten in the national rankings.

Picked sixth in the Big 12’s preseason poll and unranked in the AP Top 25 entering the season, the Sooners looked a bit unremarkable to begin the year, scraping by TCU, getting blown out by Xavier, and – in a streak of four games against ranked opponents in the Big 12 – went 1-3, edging West Virginia but falling to Texas Tech, Baylor, and Kansas.

But something clicked for Oklahoma after their narrow defeat at Kansas, as the Sooners rallied for five-straight wins – with their last three coming over then-top ten squads in Kansas, Texas, and Alabama.   Since then, the Sooners have suffered heartbreaking losses at Texas Tech and Kansas State – but also picked up an impressive, significant double-overtime win at West Virginia.

Oklahoma’s most recent loss to Kansas State may indicate to some that Oklahoma has overachieved, but the Sooners have proven to be a legitimate top-15 squad.  Their quadruplet of double-digit scorers – headlined by Austin Reaves’ 17.2 points – has been deadly, and – along with West Virginia’s Miles McBride – Reaves may have the biggest stake in being Big 12 Player of the Year, if not for Baylor’s Jared Butler.

For a team that was not even a thought in the Big 12 or on the national level, the Sooners have been quite successful as a team – despite not necessarily maintaining the best statistical marks.  They rank in the top 50 nationally in both offensive and defensive efficiencies, but are sub-225 in 3P% – on both the offensive and defensive ends.

Where Kruger’s squad has taken pride is in playing methodically on both ends of the court, ranking 12th in turnover percentage – turning the ball over on just 15.3% of their possessions – while holding teams to a 17th-best 44.4% inside.  Their resume speaks for itself, as well – the Sooners own a whopping five Quad 1 wins.

Again, this may be a stretch of a choice – but Kruger is more than worthy after bringing a team to the forefront of, arguably, the best conference in college basketball.  Time will tell how the Sooners respond after their loss to Kansas State – but it is hard to ignore just how good Oklahoma’s wins have been, especially considering they were not supposed to be in this situation in the first place.

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