Rick Barnes named a Naismith Coach of the Year candidate, other SEC coaches snubbed
On Wednesday, the Naismith Trophy Coach of the Year candidates were announced, and there were 15 coaches named.
Despite recent struggles, Tennessee coach Rick Barnes was named a finalist for leading the Vols to a 24-3 season so far (with their three losses all coming to top-15 teams).
Below, you can see the 15 finalists, which have a noticeable lack of other SEC coaches:
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The noticeable SEC omissions are Kentucky’s John Calipari and LSU’s Will Wade, both of whom have their teams tied for the lead in the SEC regular-season standings and have wins over Tennessee.
The ACC leads the way with four coaches named — Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, Louisville’s Chris Mack, North Carolina’s Roy Williams and Virginia’s Tony Bennett.