[Cactus Jack]

According to which poll you are using, there are some really interesting picks if you go through the recent history. If going by AP selection, I might not want Pope to win. A list with Anthony Grant, Juwan Howard, and Tommy Lloyd as three of the last five seems a bit cursed.

Naismith Coach of the Year has Jerome Tang, Ed Cooley, Anthony Grant, and Rick Barnes as selections since 2018.


If I had to guess, T.J. Otzelberger is this year's leader at this point. It probably would be Bruce Pearl if not for his reputation and history.

Pope would certainly be in the discussion, but if he were to win it, I'd think that Kentucky would have to finish really well for him to actually win. If it's a media poll, he's probably the guy who finishes third or fourth and you save the coronation for a bit.