John Scheyer, Duke Blue Devils: A-
It’s always hard to be the guy who replaces the guy. Replacing the all-time great Mike Krzyzewski? The pressure is on. For the most part, the Blue Devils haven’t skipped a beat under Scheyer, compiling a 54-18 overall record, and finishing near the top of the ACC in both years. There have been some regular-season struggles, however, Scheyer put the whispers to bed after an Elite Eight appearance last season. The recruiting in Durham remains top-notch. The Blue Devils look the part of a Final Four contender this season. It hasn’t been perfect but given the difficulty of replacing Coach K, it’s been a rather painless transition.
Todd Golden, Florida Gators: B
The hiring of Todd Golden -- the up-and-coming coach with an analytics-driven mind -- from San Francisco was one of the more surprising, out-of-the-box hires of the 2022 college basketball coaching carousel. Yes, Golden did lead San Francisco to an at-large bid in 2022, though fans were concerned about his lack of experience as a head coach. More specifically, his readiness to lead a program like Florida. In year one, the Gators struggled to find consistency.
In year two, Florida got off to a slow start, but the pieces started to fall in place in the second half of the season. They made the SEC Tournament Championship game and earned a 7-seed in the NCAA Tournament -- a signifcant step forward. This season, the Gators have a top-25-worthy roster and have their sights set even higher. Golden has made his mark on the program and year three may be his best team in Gainesville yet.