The Wooden Award race is open -- and so is the race for the national coach of the year award. We handicap the race and also give you a handful of mid-major coaches who deserve some pub.
1. Scott Drew, Baylor
The Bears were considered a fringe NCAA tournament team by most entering the season, but now Drew has Baylor in position to earn a No. 1 seed. He has done so with a bunch of fairly unheralded players instead of highly touted recruits, as has been the case in the past.
2. Sean Miller, Arizona
First Miller lost arguably his most talented freshman, Terrance Ferguson, who opted to play overseas in Australia. Then Ray Smith, projected to be the team's starting small forward, tore his ACL just prior to the start of the season. Then Allonzo Trier didn't play the first 19 games due to an NCAA suspension. The Wildcats are somehow 22-3 and fighting for first place in the Pac-12.
3. Jay Wright, Villanova
The coach of the defending national champions had to deal with the fact that incoming freshman big man Omari Spellman was ruled ineligible for the season by the NCAA. Wright hasn't had Phil Booth all season, either. He is playing just seven guys and still has the Wildcats (25-2) in line for a No. 1 overall seed, another Big East regular-season crown and maybe even back-to-back national titles.
4. Mark Few, Gonzaga
The Zags are undefeated, at 26-0, and have run the table thus far in the WCC, with 14 straight wins. That's enough to put Few in the equation. Gonzaga has swept Saint Mary's and has knocked off Arizona, Florida and Iowa State on neutral courts. You can't do more than what Few has done thus far with this group.
5. Bill Self, Kansas
Once again, Self has the Jayhawks in position to win the Big 12 regular-season title -- but this time, it hasn't been easy. He lost starting big man Udoka Azubuike for the season, has seen Carlton Bragg Jr. come in and out of the lineup and still has KU at 23-3 and 11-2 in league play.
6. Mike White, Florida
The Gators didn't make the NCAA tourney last season, White's first in Gainesville after he replaced a legend in Billy Donovan. But this season White has Florida nationally relevant again and tied for first place in the SEC with Kentucky and South Carolina. White has done it with mediocre point guards and without a true star.
7. Leonard Hamilton, Florida State
Who had the Noles as a top-10 team? No one. Florida State is 21-5 and 9-4 in ACC play -- just a half-game out of first place. FSU has beaten Duke, Louisville, Florida and Notre Dame, and while it has a pair of talented players in Jonathan Isaac and Dwayne Bacon, Hamilton has gotten the most from the rest of the team.
8. Josh Pastner, Georgia Tech
The Yellow Jackets were picked to finish 14th in the ACC, ahead of only a Boston College team that didn't win a single league game a season ago. Instead, new coach Josh Pastner has Tech at 15-10 and 6-6 in the ACC -- arguably the best league in America. He has wins over North Carolina, Florida State and Notre Dame, a trio of ranked teams.
9. Tim Jankovich, SMU
A year ago, the Mustangs weren't eligible for the NCAA tourney. Then Larry Brown abruptly resigned in the offseason, and Jankovich was promoted to the head job. The team is woefully thin, often playing just six players, yet SMU has won eight straight and 18 of their past 19 and is a half-game ahead of Cincinnati for the American lead.
10. Chris Collins, Northwestern
After the win in Madison against Wisconsin, the Wildcats look as though they are well on their way to getting to the NCAA tourney for the first time in program history. Collins has done a terrific job this season, despite once again dealing with multiple injuries to key players. Northwestern is one win shy of 20, and the Wildcats are fourth in the Big Ten with an 8-4 mark.
Best mid-major coaching jobs
1. Mitch Henderson, Princeton
The former Princeton star was a key cog on the teams in the mid- to late-'90s and is trying to return Princeton to Ivy league supremacy. The Tigers (15-6, 8-0) have a two-game lead over Harvard and Yale and have done that without two projected starters, Hans Brase and Henry Caruso, who both suffered season-ending injuries. Caruso was an all-first-team guy a year ago, and Brase averaged 11.5 points and 7.5 boards two years ago.
2. Nick McDevitt, UNC Asheville
The 37-year-old McDevitt has the Bulldogs (20-7, 12-2) in the hunt for the Big South regular-season title, which is nearly miraculous considering what he has lost the past two offseasons. First it was leading scorer Andrew Rowsey, who transferred to Marquette, then this past offseason McDevitt's two top players -- both freshmen -- transferred. Dylan Smith went to Arizona, and Dwayne Sutton to Louisville. Despite all the defections (Keith Hornsby also left for LSU after McDevitt was elevated from his assistant spot in 2013), McDevitt has the Bulldogs a half game out of first place with four games left.
3. Niko Medved, Furman
He inherited a program that won just seven games in 2012-13, and no one thought the Paladins would have a shot to win the SoCon this season, with the likes of Chattanooga and East Tennessee State being the heavy preseason favorites. Furman was actually picked fifth but now leads the SoCon with an 12-2 mark and is a game in front of ETSU with five left (including a Feb. 22 matchup at ETSU).
4. Mark Slessinger, New Orleans
The Privateers were picked ninth in the Southland in the preseason. Right now, UNO is in first place, a game in front of Sam Houston State. In 2011, Slessinger took over a program that was set to leave the Division I ranks but then reversed course.
5. John Becker, Vermont
He has won at least 20 games in each of his first five seasons, but this has been his best coaching job. Just three wins stand between the Catamounts and a perfect regular season in the America East. Becker & Co. are 23-5 overall and 13-0 in league play.