Purdue coach Matt Painter is one of 15 candidates for the Naismith Trophy Coach of the Year award. He was last year's Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Greg Gard has steered the Badgers to nearly as many wins as they had all last season with five regular-season games still remaining.

On Friday, February 21, the Naismith Awards announced the 2025 Werner Ladder Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year Watch List. Each year, the award is presented to an outstanding coach who has achieved great on-court success. Here are the coaches named to this year's watch list: