NCAA Basketball: Picking each league’s Coach of the Year for 2023-24 season

Big South: Alan Huss (High Point)

Unless there’s a drastic change in the next two weeks, the Big South is a league where there’s no discussion about the coach of the year. Huss in his first season as High Point’s head coach and his first as a collegiate head coach at any level, having previously been a high school coach in Indiana and longtime assistant at Creighton. He’s clearly putting in the work with these Panthers.

High Point was picked 7th in the Big South and instead lead the league with their 11-2 mark in conference play. The Panthers already have 22 games, which is several more than they won in any of those seasons under Tubby Smith. They won their first nine Big South games and have led this league from the beginning, looking like the clear favorite to get to the NCAA Tournament from the conference.

Big Ten: Fred Hoiberg (Nebraska)

The Big Ten could look in many directions, starting with Matt Painter and the incredible work Purdue has done already. There’s also Minnesota’s Ben Johnson, who has greatly exceeded expectations, or the steady work from Chris Collins and a Northwestern squad in the thick of things. In lieu of those great reasons, we’re focusing on Hoiberg, who has Nebraska playing winning basketball for the first time in several years.

The Cornhuskers were picked 12th in the Big Ten and instead sit in a tie for 5th with their 9-7 mark. They’ve accumulated some nice wins in league play, knocking off Illinois, Michigan State, and Purdue at home, and are fresh off a blowout win at Indiana this week. Nebraska might just claw their way into the Big Dance for the first time in a decade and it’s clear that the fruits of Hoiberg’s labor are starting to pay off.