NCAA Basketball: Top 12 candidates for 2022-23 Coach of the Year

By Joey Loose | Feb 7, 2023

Dec 10, 2022; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter talks with guard Fletcher Loyer (2) and guard Ethan Morton (25) during a break in the action against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /

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NCAA Basketball Clemson Tigers head coach Brad Brownell Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports /

Brad Brownell (Clemson)

When one thinks about basketball powers in the ACC, Clemson is not a team comes to mind. Brownell hasn’t exactly been hanging banners but is doing some of his best work in his 13th year with the Tigers. While he took Clemson to the Sweet Sixteen back in 2018, he’s taken this program to just three NCAA Tournaments and entered this season potentially on the hot seat.

Voted to finish 11th in the ACC, the Tigers currently lead the conference with a 10-3 mark in league play. It hasn’t always been pretty, but Clemson has racked up solid wins, knocking off Duke, NC State, Pittsburgh, and sweeping Virginia Tech already this season. They won their first 7 conference games and spent a few weeks in the Top 25 rankings, something that was widely unexpected of this team when the season tipped off three weeks ago.

In his first twelve seasons at the helm, Brownell has never finished better than 3rd in the conference, finishing 11-7 during that Sweet Sixteen season five years ago. While Clemson is coming off a rough week and has some tough contests ahead, they’re leading this conference in February and that’s certainly not what anyone could have predicted back in November. Expect great seasons from PJ Hall, Hunter Tyson, and the rest of this rotation to continue as the Tigers jockey for position and a trip back to the Big Dance.

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