SAN DIEGO – San Diego State's Brian Dutcher, head coach of the last undefeated team in the Division I men's college basketball and the No. 4-ranked team in the nation, has been included on the Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year Late 2020 Season Watch List. The announcement came from the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Friday morning.
Dutcher, in his third season guiding the Aztecs, is one of 15 head coaches included on the list and the only coach in the Mountain West to be considered for the award. The 15 on today's list will be narrowed to 10 semifinalist and then four finalists, with the winner announced at the Naismith Awards Brunch at the Final Four in Atlanta.
San Diego State is 26-0 overall, 15-0 in Mountain West action, and has been the last undefeated team in the nation since January 15. The Aztecs 26-straight victories is the longest active streak in Division I this year and the best start to a DI season since Gonzaga got off to a 29-0 record in 2016-17. In addition, the team's 15 consecutive wins to open Mountain West action is the best start to league play by any team in Mountain West history and it's currently the second-longest conference win streak in the nation (New Mexico State, 30).
Dutcher and the Aztecs host UNLV on Saturday, Feb. 22 and Colorado State on Feb. 25 before wrapping up its regular season schedule at Nevada on Feb. 29. Tipoff for the games are 4:30 p.m., 8 p.m. and 5 p.m. PT, respectively.
Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year Late 2020 Season Watch List
Patrick Chambers, Penn State
Scott Drew, Baylor
Brian Dutcher, San Diego State
Mark Few, Gonzaga
Anthony Grant, Dayton
Leonard Hamilton, Florida State
Bob Huggins, West Virginia
Ben Jacobson, Northern Iowa
LaVall Jordan, Butler
Chris Mack, Louisville
Greg McDermott, Creighton
Bruce Pearl, Auburn
Steve Pikiell, Rutgers
Brad Underwood, Illinois
Kevin Willard, Seton Hall
-SDSU-