Ranking the NCAA Basketball Coach of the Year Candidates at Week 10

As the NCAA basketball season turns to the conference schedule, many head coaches in college basketball have positioned their clubs for high seeds in the NCAA Tournament.  Others have exceeded expectations and have maneuvered their teams through treacherous nonconference schedules, positioning their squads as contenders within their respective conferences.

Now is as good a time as ever to see how college basketball's coaches stack up and to take a look at who should be in the NCAA college basketball Coach of the Year discussion.

Factoring in preseason expectations, including returning starters, along with performance to date, here is a ranking of the leading candidates to win the NCAA College Basketball Coach of the Year award after Week 10.

10. Bill Self: Kansas Jayhawks

Record: 12-1

AP Poll Ranking: No. 6

Preseason AP Poll Ranking: No. 7

RPI:  No. 2

Strength of Schedule: No. 4

Returning starters: Jeff Withy

Despite losing stars Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor, Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self has his team positioned for yet another Big 12 Conference title and a deep run into March. 

The Jayhawks' lone blemish came early in the season against a high quality Michigan State team and have since scored quality wins against the likes of Ohio State, Saint Louis and Temple.

The Jayhawks' No. 2 RPI and No. 4 strength of schedule reflect what Self has been able to accomplish with a new roster. Self has done an outstanding job once again this season in keeping the Jayhawks prominent and could very well rise up the rankings for Coach of the Year with another Big 12 title.

9. Mark Few: Gonzaga Zags

Record: 15-1

AP Poll Ranking: No. 9

Preseason AP Poll Ranking: No. 21

RPI:  No. 5

Strength of Schedule: No. 7

Returning starters: Four

Mark Few is the single reason why Gonzaga is no longer truly considered a mid-major by college basketball experts. Few's teams are always among the best in the country, and this year is no different.

Few was blessed with four returning starters to begin the season, but the Zags did lose their star center Robert Sacre but have not missed a beat.

Few deserves all the credit and accolades he receives, and with key victories already this season over Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Baylor of the Big 12, look for the Zags to be a force come March.

8. Tubby Smith: Minnesota Golden Golphers

Record: 14-1

AP Poll Ranking: No. 8

Preseason AP Poll Ranking: NR

RPI:  No. 7

Strength of Schedule: No. 10

Returning starters: Four

Tubby Smith's Minnesota Golden Gophers have managed to slide under the radar all season despite posting a 14-1 record against the 10th best schedule in the country.  Minnesota's lone loss on the season came against the top-ranked Duke Blue Devils in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.

One of those victories came at the start of Big Ten play with a perceived upset of Michigan State.

Smith has done an outstanding job this season, molding four returning starters from an unranked team at the start of the season into a legitimate Big Ten title contender. If Minnesota continues its solid play in the dangerous Big Ten, Tubby Smith could win the Coach of the Year award.

7. Frank Haith: Missouri Tigers

Record: 11-2

AP Poll Ranking: No. 10

Preseason AP Poll Ranking: No. 15

RPI:  No. 26

Strength of Schedule: No. 66

Returning starters: Phil Pressey

Frank Haith entered the season facing the monumental challenge of repeating last season's 30-win success with just one player, Phil Pressey, returning from last year's roster.  

Thus far, Haith has done an outstanding job in getting the new-look Missouri Tigers roster to gel, and the results have been favorable.  Mizzou has beaten the likes of Illinois, VCU and Bucknell and has yet to post a bad loss, falling to only Louisville in the Battle 4 Atlantis and on the road to a talented UCLA team.

As the Tigers begin SEC conference play, it will be interesting to see if Haith can continue the progression and push the Tigers to a possible conference championship. If he can, Haith will certainly deserve consideration to win a Coach of the Year award.

6. John Beilein: Michigan Wolverines

Record: 14-0

AP Poll Ranking: No. 2

Preseason AP Poll Ranking: No. 5

RPI:  No. 3

Strength of Schedule: No. 12

Returning starters: Three

Michigan Wolverines head coach John Beilein is blessed with possibly the best backcourt combination in the nation with standout guards Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr., but that should not diminish what he has been able to accomplish up to this point.

Entering the season with expectations unforeseen in Ann Arbor since the days of the Fab Five, Beilein has the Wolverines sitting perfectly at 14-0, and Michigan may be playing the best basketball in the country right now.

The Wolverines have opened Big Ten play with a pair of blowout wins against Northwestern and Iowa. Michigan should be considered a Final Four contender the rest of the way thanks to Beilein's leadership.

5. John Groce: Illinois Fighting Illini

Record: 14-2

AP Poll Ranking: No. 12

Preseason AP Poll Ranking: NR

RPI:  No. 10

Strength of Schedule: No. 15

Returning starters: Four

New Illinois head coach John Groce inherited a roster with four returning starters, but that was from a team that was just 17-15 a year ago.

Groce has transformed the Illini into one of the nation's premier teams. After leading them to a Maui Invitational Championship, Groce's Illini have the No.10 overall RPI in the nation.

Coming off a big win over Big Ten conference foe Ohio State, the Illini will have a huge challenge in front of them this Wednesday as they host No. 8 Minnesota. A win over the Golden Gophers could propel Groce even further up the rankings for Coach of the Year.

4. Rick Pitino: Louisville Cardinals

Record: 13-1

AP Poll Ranking: No. 3

Preseason AP Poll Ranking: No. 2

RPI:  No. 9

Strength of Schedule: No. 17

Returning starters: Four

After appearing in the Final Four a year ago, expectations were coming into the season for the Louisville Cardinals and head coach Rick Pitino. In fact, expectations are always high for the Cardinals and their legendary coach.

Pitino's Cardinals have taken care of business thus far, falling only to Duke in the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game and have beaten the likes of Missouri and Kentucky. Pitino also gets credit for winning without his best defensive player, Gorgui Dieng, who has missed most of the year with an injured wrist.

Things should get interesting very quickly for the Cardinals as they enter the always treacherous Big East conference schedule.  If the Cardinals survive, Pitino could find his way to the top of the Coach of the Year rankings.  

3. Sean Miller: Arizona Wildcats

Record: 14-0

AP Poll Ranking: No. 4

Preseason AP Poll Ranking: No. 12

RPI:  No. 4

Strength of Schedule: No. 14

Returning starters: Two

After a down season, left from the hangover from the departure of star Derrick Williams, Arizona head coach Sean Miller has his Wildcats among the nation's elite once again.

With just two returning starters from last year's squad, Miller has rebuilt the Wildcats through recruiting and has Arizona sitting with a perfect record, notching high quality wins over the Florida Gators and San Diego State Aztecs.

Arizona is the proverbial favorite in the Pac-12, and if Miller can continue down the same path, Arizona will find itself with a high seed come NCAA Tournament time, and Miller may find himself holding some Coach of the Year hardware.

2. Brad Stevens: Butler Bulldogs

Record: 12-2

AP Poll Ranking: No. 14

Preseason AP Poll Ranking: NR

RPI:  No. 18

Strength of Schedule: No. 33

Returning starters: Three

Brad Stevens is simply a magician. There is no other coach in the country better at maximizing his players' potential than Stevens, who once again has his Butler Bulldogs prominent and in the picture as contenders come March.

That status was cemented a few weeks ago when Stevens led his Bulldogs over the mighty Indiana Hoosiers, who were the top-ranked team in the nation at the time.

Butler will be competing in the Atlantic 10 conference for the first time this season, and if Stevens can lead his Bulldogs to a strong conference-play showing, the Bulldogs will be primed for another deep NCAA Tournament run.

1. Mike Krzyzewski: Duke Blue Devils

Record: 14-0

AP Poll Ranking: No. 1

Preseason AP Poll Ranking: No. 8

RPI:  No. 1

Strength of Schedule: No. 1

Returning starters: Three

Once again, Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski is showing that he is at the top of the class among college basketball head coaches.

Despite playing the nation's toughest schedule to date, Coach K has led the Blue Devils to an undefeated record and the No. 1 ranking in the land.

If Krzyzewski can continue to lead Duke down the winning path, there will be no question that he will take home the hardware as the Coach of the Year in college basketball.