ATLANTA -- Baylor men's basketball head coach Scott Drew has been named a semifinalist for the 2015 Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year, as announced Wednesday by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
Drew, who is Baylor's all-time lead with 226 victories at the school, had led the Bears to a 22-8 record and No. 14 national ranking in 2014-15. It's the seventh time in the last eight seasons Drew has led the Bears to 20 wins, more than doubling the three 20-win seasons BU had prior to his arrival.
Baylor entered the year unheralded, receiving just one vote in the AP preseason Top 25 and picked to finish tied for sixth in the Big 12 Conference preseason poll. The Bears are 10-7 with one game remaining in Big 12 play and have been ranked for 11 consecutive weeks. Baylor can still finish as high as second place in the nation's top conference, and the team's lowest possible finish is fifth.
The Bears are also one of only two teams nationally to lead by at least six points in every game this season, joining undefeated and No. 1-ranked Kentucky as the only teams to make that claim. Baylor has led for at least eight minutes in every game this season, and the Bears are one of five teams nationally to hold every opponent under 75 points.
Baylor's defense is ranked No. 29 nationally in KenPom.com's adjusted defensive efficiency, the best of the Drew era. Even with the improved defense, the Bears' offense has remained one of the nation's best. Baylor is No. 12 nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency, placing the Bears with Duke as the only teams to be ranked in the top 15 nationally in seven of the last eight seasons.
This year's Baylor squad is expected to receive an NCAA Tournament bid, which would mark the first time BU has ever gone to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments. Drew has led Baylor to three Sweet 16 appearances in the last five seasons, making him the youngest of 11 coaches nationally to lead his current team to at least three Sweet 16s since 2010. The Bears' 17-4 postseason record since 2009 is the nation's second-best, trailing only Connecticut at 17-3.
Drew is one of 15 semifinalists, joining Virginia's Tony Bennett, Notre Dame's Mike Brey, Kentucky's John Calipari, Gonzaga's Mark Few, Butler's Chris Holtmann, Northern Iowa's Ben Jacobson, Utah's Larry Krystkowiak, Dayton's Archie Miller, Murray State's Steve Prohm, Wisconsin's Bo Ryan, Kansas' Bill Self, Oregon State's Wayne Tinkle, Maryland's Mark Turgeon and Villanova's Jay Wright.
Baylor closes the regular season with senior night against Texas Tech on Friday. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2 in what will be the Bears' first-ever Big 12 Conference game played on a Friday. Baylor has earned a first-round bye in next week's Big 12 Championship and will begin play on Thursday seeded anywhere from No. 2 through No. 5.
2015 Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year Semifinalists
Tony Bennett - Virginia
Mike Brey - Notre Dame
John Calipari - Kentucky
Scott Drew - Baylor
Mark Few - Gonzaga
Chris Holtmann - Butler
Ben Jacobson - Northern Iowa
Larry Krystkowiak - Utah
Archie Miller - Dayton
Steve Prohm - Murray State
Bo Ryan - Wisconsin
Bill Self - Kansas
Wayne Tinkle - Oregon State
Mark Turgeon - Maryland
Jay Wright - Villanova
Drew, who is Baylor's all-time lead with 226 victories at the school, had led the Bears to a 22-8 record and No. 14 national ranking in 2014-15. It's the seventh time in the last eight seasons Drew has led the Bears to 20 wins, more than doubling the three 20-win seasons BU had prior to his arrival.
Baylor entered the year unheralded, receiving just one vote in the AP preseason Top 25 and picked to finish tied for sixth in the Big 12 Conference preseason poll. The Bears are 10-7 with one game remaining in Big 12 play and have been ranked for 11 consecutive weeks. Baylor can still finish as high as second place in the nation's top conference, and the team's lowest possible finish is fifth.
The Bears are also one of only two teams nationally to lead by at least six points in every game this season, joining undefeated and No. 1-ranked Kentucky as the only teams to make that claim. Baylor has led for at least eight minutes in every game this season, and the Bears are one of five teams nationally to hold every opponent under 75 points.
Baylor's defense is ranked No. 29 nationally in KenPom.com's adjusted defensive efficiency, the best of the Drew era. Even with the improved defense, the Bears' offense has remained one of the nation's best. Baylor is No. 12 nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency, placing the Bears with Duke as the only teams to be ranked in the top 15 nationally in seven of the last eight seasons.
This year's Baylor squad is expected to receive an NCAA Tournament bid, which would mark the first time BU has ever gone to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments. Drew has led Baylor to three Sweet 16 appearances in the last five seasons, making him the youngest of 11 coaches nationally to lead his current team to at least three Sweet 16s since 2010. The Bears' 17-4 postseason record since 2009 is the nation's second-best, trailing only Connecticut at 17-3.
Drew is one of 15 semifinalists, joining Virginia's Tony Bennett, Notre Dame's Mike Brey, Kentucky's John Calipari, Gonzaga's Mark Few, Butler's Chris Holtmann, Northern Iowa's Ben Jacobson, Utah's Larry Krystkowiak, Dayton's Archie Miller, Murray State's Steve Prohm, Wisconsin's Bo Ryan, Kansas' Bill Self, Oregon State's Wayne Tinkle, Maryland's Mark Turgeon and Villanova's Jay Wright.
Baylor closes the regular season with senior night against Texas Tech on Friday. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2 in what will be the Bears' first-ever Big 12 Conference game played on a Friday. Baylor has earned a first-round bye in next week's Big 12 Championship and will begin play on Thursday seeded anywhere from No. 2 through No. 5.
2015 Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year Semifinalists
Tony Bennett - Virginia
Mike Brey - Notre Dame
John Calipari - Kentucky
Scott Drew - Baylor
Mark Few - Gonzaga
Chris Holtmann - Butler
Ben Jacobson - Northern Iowa
Larry Krystkowiak - Utah
Archie Miller - Dayton
Steve Prohm - Murray State
Bo Ryan - Wisconsin
Bill Self - Kansas
Wayne Tinkle - Oregon State
Mark Turgeon - Maryland
Jay Wright - Villanova
