College Basketball COTY?
 

In my opinion there is really only two choices.

Tony Bennett - WSU

WSU was predicted to finish last in the PAC-10 this year and they are probably going to go to the last weekend to find out who wins the PAC-10. WSU has basically been a doormat in the PAC-10 forever and while Tony inherited this team from his dad, it remains to be seen how deep this squad can go this year.


Billy Gillispie- A&M

The Aggies were 0-16 two years ago in the Big-12 and this year are one of the best defending teams in America. Billy has pretty much turned this team into a winner much like Ben Howland did at Pitt when he was there. (Only Billy has done it faster and better IMO)

Any thoughts? Personally I think Gillispie is a lock to replace Lute Olson in Arizona when that time comes. As for Bennett, no one stays in the Palouse for too long. Bottom line is that both coaches have done a fantastic job this year. I give the nod to Bennett because his preseason starting expectation was so low and look at where the Cougs are

I would put Tim Floyd (shockingly good season in an elite conference after the death of his point guard) and Tom Izzo (has somehow won 20 despite his best player being a short white guy who isn't that great of a shooter) in the mix as well. I would've put Gillispie on the board last year, but if I'm not mistaken, A&M was pretty much expected to do what they're doing. Not that he isn't doing a great job.

It's hard to argue with Bennett as the choice, though.

It's got to be Bennett.

Plus, he's a legendary singer.

A couple of coaches that should be at least mentioned. JT3 at Georgetown, Thad Matta at OSU, Jeff Bzdelik at air force, and Chris Lowery at SIU. That said, right now it should be Bennett.

No surprise that Bug would fail to mention Floyd. He's certainly got to be in consideration, but I wouldn't argue with Bennett either.

I don't even know who coaches most of the teams in America, so I don't have an opinion here, but it's strange to see Tim Floyd's name again. I know most people remember him for his success at Iowa State or his, uh, lack of success with the Bulls, but I think of him as a UNO guy.

Then again, when the other UNO guys from the past 20 years were Tommy Joe Eagles (dropped dead before coaching a game at UNO), Tic Price (ran off to Memphis to bang students), and Monte Towe (great at keeping UNO in consistent mediocrity), I guess we Privateers take what we can get.

Tim Floyd is doing a great job with USC this year. He has coached them to a 19-8 record this year and they are 6-3 against Top 25 teams. They have made great strides and look likely to continue to improve next year with the arrival of OJ Mayo who heads an excellent recruiting class.

I'm afraid you might be able to add on Buzz Williams (6'3" version of Monte Towe) to the mix. Ugh.

Floyd is doing one of his best three coaching jobs, the others being '89 UNO (19-win NIT team with a FIVE guard lineup) and '96 Iowa State (picked last in Big 8, won Big 8). Too bad the Pac 10 is so formidable this season.

Yeah, Buzz Williams isn't giving me any hope at all right now. At least Bo is probably going to finish the season as one of the top 10 scorers in the country, so UNO has that going for them.

Any chance we can get Tim Floyd back??

I'm a little surprised that Mike Shashevsky isn't getting more love for COY.

Given our level of support at home games, the amount of UNO threadjacking that takes place on this board is amazing.

If Bo scores 21 tonight he will become the all-time leading scorer in UNO history, and he's still just a junior. Sadly it looks like we will let him get away without actually winning anything.

Wow, I didn't know that he was so close to being UNO's leading scorer. He's really a special player, and I hope that some NBA teams at least look at him after next season. I don't expect him to get drafted or anything, but I hope he finds his way into a camp or the D-League or something. I love what he's done, despite the mediocre coaching.

Any other college basketball threads for us to take over? :D

Billy Gillispie by default.

I will get my first look at WSU tonight.

Bennett.

*cough*

Cougars are ranked at 21, and I wouldn't have thought with their team, they would even be this close to as good as they have been, especially losing one of their top players to honor code violations...

Floyd has done a good job, but he probably has more NBA players then any PAC-10 squad IMO. He's done a decent job but not better then Johnson, Howland, or Bennett.

I mentioned top two and Floyd is probably 4th in the PAC-10; why would I mention him

How does Bo Ryan's name not come up here? Do people really think Wisconsin is loaded with top recruits? I mean sure the team is just living up to expectations, but the expectation was what it was because he turned a bunch of mediocre players into a wicked good team.

No way should Rick Pitino win Coty.. but he deserves mention..

Honestly i think it should be either John Thompson or Bo Ryan myself

My sentiments exactly. Almost always an overlooked team, even when they have a damn good shot at a #1 seed.

I am thankful everyday for that chick he banged.

The Badgers weren't supposed to be THIS good, were they?

You may have two choices in that state. Tom Crean is also doing a great job.

As a fellow Memphis fan, so am I. :)

UCLA has more talent than USC. However, I guess I can agree that USC likely has the 2nd best talent in the conference. However, part of coaching is to recruit those kids. Floyd deserves consideration. Barring last minute changes of heart, next year's class is going to be USC's best ever and one of the best in the nation.

UCLA has players that buy into the team notion more so then Floyd, but Nic Young is the best NBA talent in the PAC-10. I doubt he's back next year. You guys will be even more talented next season, but you won't be challenging for a PAC-10 title IMO

I disagree. We may not win the PAC-10 Title next year, but I'll be shocked if we aren't challenging for it even with the high probability of Nic Young being gone.

Really? Did anyone think that at the start of the season? I don't recall anybody picking USC as an upper division team in the Pac 10. I could be wrong.

As for next year, though, I maintain that while the Mayo signing is great for public perception of USC basketball, Mayo will make Floyd bald next season.

Personally, I think they are even lower in the talent rankings and therefore Floyd deserves a lot of credit. However, Bug is arguing they have the best talent in the PAC-10 (probably to cover himself when USC beats UCLA in the tourney ;)) I was just saying that 2nd best is the highest I could possibly agree to.

USC's class next year also has 4 very other talented kids (assuming none of them back out.)

Going in to the season, UCLA was considered the top program with Arizona right behind, and then the group of UW, USC and Oregon behind them. Stanford and Cal were question marks, and nobody expected much from OSU, ASU and WSU.

I'll give pub to all three guys from or currently coaching in Wisconsin ... Bo Ryan, Tom Crean, and Tony Bennett. I don't see how Bennett would not be the favorite.