On the latest March Madness 365 podcast (#MM365), March Madness correspondent Andy Katz was joined by Seth Davis of CBS Sports and The Athletic, Baylor coach Scott Drew and Minnesota coach Ben Johnson.
You can listen to the latest #MM365 episode below.
Here are Katz's top 10 men's basketball coach of the year candidates so far.
1. Tommy Lloyd, Arizona
In his first season as a DI head coach, Lloyd, a longtime assistant at Gonzaga, has Arizona off to a 12-1 start to the season and ranked No. 8 in the AP poll at the time the calendar turned over to 2022. The Wildcats' only loss this season came on the road to Tennessee by four points and they're 2-0 in Pac-12 play.
2. Scott Drew, Baylor
Drew led Baylor to its first-ever men's basketball national championship last April and now the Bears are once again ranked No. 1, despite losing four starters and their top three scorers from last season. Baylor has the best record in the country at 13-0 and the Bears recently went on the road to defeat another then-undefeated team, Iowa State, in Big 12 play.
3. Ben Johnson, Minnesota
Johnson, another first-time head coach on this list, has his alma mater off to a 10-1 start to the 2021-22 season, which includes road wins at Michigan and Mississippi State.
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4. T.J. Otzelberger, Iowa State
Otzelberger, a former Iowa State assistant, is now running the show in Ames and after the Cyclones lost their final 18 games during their two-win campaign in the 2020-21 season, Otzelberger was hired and they won their first 12 games of this season, before falling to No. 1 Baylor. He has remade the team's roster, which is headlined by a pair of Big Ten transfers in Izaiah Brockington (Penn State) and Gabe Kalscheur (Minnesota).
5. Ed Cooley, Providence
The Friars were ranked No. 16 in the AP poll at the start of the year and their 13 wins are tied for the most in the country. Their only loss this season came to Virginia on a neutral court.
6. Tom Izzo, Michigan State
Through Jan. 3, Michigan State is one of two teams in the Big Ten to be 3-0 in conference play, as the Spartans followed up a non-conference slate that included wins over UConn, Loyola Chicago and Butler with conference wins over Minnesota, Penn State and Northwestern.
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7. Andy Enfield, Southern California
Despite Southern California losing Evan Mobley, who swept the Pac-12's Freshman of the Year, Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards last season, the Trojans are one of the three remaining undefeated teams in the country. They're 12-0 with a 2-0 record in Pac-12 play.
8. Chris Holtmann, Ohio State
Ohio State has won five in a row, including three wins over Big Ten opponents, as it sits at 9-2, with its only losses coming at Xavier by six and to Florida by three.
9. Bruce Pearl, Auburn
Auburn is a legitimate contender to win the SEC and the Tigers are nearly undefeated, with their only loss coming in double overtime to UConn, 115-109, in November. They're coming off of a 15-point dismantling of LSU in SEC play.
10. Steve Forbes, Wake Forest
Wake Forest's 11 wins so far are tied for the most of any team in the ACC and they have a 19-point road win over Virginia Tech on their resume, as well as a home win over Northwestern and a neutral-site victory over Oregon State.
