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Ranking the leading contenders for national coach of the year

Ranking the leading contenders for national coach of the year

The list of midseason national coach of the year contenders is remarkably diverse.

One coach was still an assistant when the school year began. Another was a fixture on every "hot seat" list this past summer. A third inherited a roster without a single player who averaged more than four points per game last season.

There's a coach who's unbeaten with nine McDonald's All-Americans and a coach who's unbeaten without any. There's also a coach who's contending in his league despite only six scholarship players and nobody taller than 6-foot-6.

Below is a look at my list of midseason coach of the year candidates. Feel free to quibble with my order in the comments section or let me know who I missed.

1. Tony Bennett, Virginia

With Joe Harris and Akil Mitchell graduating from a team that came from nowhere to win the ACC and earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, Virginia entered the season facing skepticism over whether it could be as good as last year. All the Cavaliers have done since then is reel off 19 straight victories and emerge as an even better team this season. Defensively, the formula has been the same as always under Bennett as Virginia has used its packline defense to wall off the paint, force contested jump shots and limit opponents to meager 34.1 percent shooting. What's different about the Cavs this season is that while they're still very structured and slow-paced, they have an offense that is among the more efficient nationally. Four of Virginia's top five scorers shoot 50 percent or higher from the field including forward Justin Anderson, who is enjoying a breakout junior season.

2. Larry Krystkowiak, Utah

To fully appreciate Utah's success this season, one first has to look back at how far the program has come. The undermanned Utes were so overmatched during Krystkowiak's 6-25 debut season that he had to schedule the likes of NAIA foes Willamette and Evergreen State the following year just to have games he could be sure his team would win. What Krystkowiak has done to turn things around is upgrade the program's talent level and implement a defense-first culture. Utah is 16-3 overall and tied for first place in the Pac-12 with Arizona because of an efficient offense fueled by national player of the year candidate Delon Wright, a stifling defense that holds opponents to 37.7 percent shooting and a deep bench bolstered by a strong freshman class.

3. Archie Miller, Dayton 

For Dayton to be 16-3 overall and just a half game out of first place in the Atlantic 10 is remarkable because of the adversity the Flyers have endured this season. Injuries and off-court issues have left them with only six scholarship players and nobody 6-foot-6 or taller. The secret to Dayton's success is the no excuses mentality Miller has instilled and his ability to exploit his team's quickness advantage on offense without getting pummeled in the paint or on the glass defensively. When opponents have played man-to-man, Miller has spread the floor and had his team attack a favorable matchup off the dribble. When opponents have gone zone to prevent those mismatches, Miller has played through one of his skilled wings in the high post. The result is a team that has become much more efficient offensively since losing its only two big men without surrendering a whole lot at the defensive end.

4. Wayne Tinkle, Oregon State

Sandwiched in between the end of Craig Robinson's disappointing tenure and the arrival of Wayne Tinkle's heralded first recruiting class, this season was supposed to be a hopeless transition year at Oregon State. The top five scorers from last season had each left, nobody who averaged more than four points per game returned and the lack of depth on the roster was so glaring Tinkle and his staff scouted campus pick-up games for potential walk-ons all summer. All those factors make it all the more astonishing that Tinkle has Oregon State 14-5 overall, 5-2 in the Pac-12 and, gasp, perhaps even on the cusp of contending for the NCAA tournament. The formula for the Beavers has been structured offense, relentless defense and good fundamentals. They've limited opponents to 36 percent shooting from the field — sixth lowest in the nation — primarily with a two-three zone defense that has protected the paint and prevented foul trouble from exposing their lack of depth.

5. John Calipari, Kentucky

If the common complaint about including Calipari as a coach of the year candidate is that he has more talent to work with than any of his peers, allow me to poke holes in that. First, one of the primary responsibilities of a college coach is to stockpile talent via recruiting, so Calipari should get credit for having nine McDonald's All-Americans at his disposal rather than being penalized for it. Second, it's a challenge to keep that many guys with NBA aspirations happy but so far Calipari seems to be successfully managing the egos on his team. Top-ranked Kentucky is 19-0 and has shown no signs of animosity between the players either on or off the floor. The Wildcats are winning because their impressive collection of long, athletic big men has gobbled up offensive boards and made it very tough on opposing teams to score in the paint.

6. Mark Turgeon, Maryland

Turgeon was a fixture on most offseason "Hot Seat" lists since Maryland hadn't made the NCAA tournament during his first three seasons and had endured a discouraging rash of transfers during the offseason. Turns out those defections weren't as damaging as expected because the Terrapins (18-3, 6-2) have already exceeded their win total from last year and are in contention for the Big Ten crown in their first season in the league. The biggest reason for Maryland's success is that other players have emerged to pick up the slack for those who are gone. Point guard Melo Trimble has solidified Maryland's weakest position, emerged as one of the nation's elite freshman and gotten to the foul line at will. Stretch forward Jake Layman has blossomed into an NBA prospect with a breakout junior season and do-it-all senior Dez Wells has done a little bit of everything, from outside shooting, to rebounding, to distributing.

7. Chris Holtmann, Butler

When Chris Holtmann inherited the heading coaching position from Brandon Miller on the eve of fall practice in October, Butler was a program at a crossroads. The Bulldogs had endured two coaching changes in two years and endured a rocky debut season in the Big East, resulting in only their second losing season in two decades. All Holtmann has done since October is stabilize the program, shed the interim label and lead Butler back to NCAA tournament contention. The Bulldogs are 15-6 overall and just a game out of first place in the balanced Big East. They also own a non-conference victory over North Carolina that could be valuable in March. Butler probably won't be playing for the national title this spring the way it did twice under Stevens, but this season is still a huge step in the right direction after last year's struggles. Plus, Butler should be good again next year since its two leading scorers, Kellen Dunham and Roosevelt Jones, are both juniors.

8. Ben Jacobson, Northern Iowa

Flush with unusual talent and depth entering last season, Jacobson spent more time in practice working on transition offense and playing at tempo than he usually does. The outcome wasn't what he hoped as the Panthers lost their hardscrabble defensive identity and finished with the least wins in Jacobson's first eight years at the school. A renewed commitment to defense and the return of last season's six leading scorers has helped Northern Iowa bounce back from last season's disappointment, crack the AP Top 25 and roll to an 18-2 start that includes a win over Iowa. The Panthers sit only a game back of Wichita State in the Valley with two more meetings with the Shockers left this season. Northern Iowa has done it by getting back to the style that has worked in the past. The Panthers play at the fourth slowest tempo of any team in the nation and they limit teams to 37.8 percent shooting.

Eight others worthy of consideration: Mike Brey, Notre Dame; Tom Crean, Indiana; Bo Ryan, Wisconsin; Bob McKilliop, Davidson; Mark Few, Gonzaga; Frank Haith, Tulsa; Bob Huggins, West Virginia; Gregg Marshall, Wichita State.

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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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