Kelvin Sampson Headlines 2023 Men's College Coach of the Year Late-Season Contenders

Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson is among the 15 candidates being considered for the Werner Ladder Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year award.

Sampson has had Houston ranked in the top five of the Associated Press Top 25 poll all season. His team spent four weeks atop the poll earlier this season and currently sits at No. 2 amid a six-game winning streak.

Nate Oats' Alabama squad moved to the top spot in the AP poll this week. He is also on the watch list for the award with the Crimson Tide on pace for one of the best seasons in school history.

Here are all 15 coaches cited by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on the late-season watch list for the Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year:

• Kelvin Sampson, Houston
• Nate Oats, Alabama
• Randy Bennett, Saint Mary's
• Jeff Capel, Pittsburgh
• Chris Collins, Northwestern
• Mick Cronin, UCLA
• Dennis Gates, Missouri
• Pat Kelsey, College of Charleston
• Dusty May, Florida Atlantic
• Sean Miller, Xavier
• T.J. Otzelberger, Iowa State
• Matt Painter, Purdue
• Shaka Smart, Marquette
• Jerome Tang, Kansas State
• Rodney Terry, Texas

One thing that stands out about the watch list is the near-certainty that there will be a first-time winner of the Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year award.

None of the candidates cited by the Atlanta Tipoff Club has ever won previously. The head coaches for each of the top four teams in the current AP Top 25 are on the watch list (Sampson; Oats; Matt Painter, Purdue; Mick Cronin, UCLA).

In his fourth season at Alabama, Oats has turned the program into a powerhouse and a top contender for the national title. This is the first season the Crimson Tide has been ranked No. 1 in the AP poll since January 2003.

Alabama will likely lose that spot in the poll next week coming off a 68-59 loss at No. 10 Tennessee on Wednesday.

The Cougars are the most-likely team to move into the No. 1 spot. They have rebounded nicely since their Jan. 22 loss to Temple. This is their third winning streak of at least six games this season.

Sampson has Houston six wins away from its second consecutive 30-win season. The last time that happened was during the 1982-83 and 1983-84 seasons when Hakeem Olajuwon played for the team.

The Boilermakers' recent struggles could cost Painter a shot at the award. They have dropped three of their last four games after starting the season 23-1, though they still sit atop the Big Ten standings.

Purdue plays three of its final four regular-season games at home, including a showdown against No. 14 Indiana on Feb. 25.

Cronin has UCLA trending in the right direction since back-to-back road losses at Arizona and USC last month. The Bruins have won five straight and don't play a ranked opponent until No. 8 Arizona in the regular-season finale on March 4.

One potential spoiler in this group is Northwestern's Chris Collins. The Wildcats will almost certainly make the AP Top 25 next week for the first time this season. They are 19-7 overall and are coming off back-to-back wins over No. 1 Purdue and No. 14 Indiana.

Collins has Northwestern one victory away from its first 20-win season since 2016-17. That was also the last time the program made the NCAA tournament.

The Atlanta Tipoff Club will announce the 10 semifinalists on March 9. The group will be whittled down to four on March 20, with the winner being announced on April 2 at the Naismith Awards Brunch during the Final Four in Houston.