The ACC COY race is coming down to the final weekends of the ACC Basketball season.
My money is on Steven Forbes of Wake Forest, but I’ll list other coaches who should be in the mix.
Let’s start with Forbes.
Steve Forbes, Wake Forest
Wake Forest was picked 13th in the ACC in the pre-season. He has Wake Forest on the cusp of an ACC Tournament Double-Bye, and NCAA tournament bid. Forbes is only in his second year at Wake Forest. He inherited a Wake Forest program from Danny Manning and his predecessor Jeff Bzdelik that hadn’t finished in the top 10 of the ACC since the 2012-2013 ACC season. There were only 12 ACC teams back in 2013. I think this is this award is Forbes to lose.
Jim Larranaga, Miami
If it wasn’t for Steve Forbes, Jim Larranaga would be in great position to win ACC COY. His Miami Hurricanes were pre-season picked 12th in the ACC. Miami shook the college basketball world when they won at Duke on January 4th. The Canes still have a shot at a Double-Bye in the ACC Tournament and a NCAA Tournament berth.
Mike Brey, Notre Dame
We’ve tended to forget about the great job Mike Brey has done at Notre Dame this year. They have basically locked up a bid to the NCAA tournament, and still have an outside shot at an ACC regular season title. They sit 21-8, with 14-4 ACC record. They knocked off Kentucky early in the season too. This was all from a team picked 8th in the ACC in the pre-season. It’s going to take a lot for Brey to overtake Forbes and Larranaga, but if he ends up with a share of the ACC regular season title, he has to be seriously considered.
Mike Krzyzewski, Duke
Mike Krzyzewski hasn’t won the ACC COY award since 2000. Duke was picked 1st in the ACC, and is currently first in the ACC. Should a coach be penalized for producing a team as good as expected? At 26-4 (16-3) Duke is the ACC’s best team. Krzyzewski has navigated injuries, and keep Duke at the top of the ACC. I think Krzyzewski has done a fine job. He should be considered, but it is still a stretch to him win the award.
