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OU's Lon Kruger named to Coach of the Year Watch List

Picked to finish in the bottom half of the Big 12, Lon Kruger has guided his Sooners to five wins over AP Top-15 opponents, and has Oklahoma primed for another NCAA Tournament run
Ryan Chapman|
OU's Lon Kruger named to Coach of the Year Watch List
OU's Lon Kruger named to Coach of the Year Watch List

Lon Kruger’s coaching efforts this season have not gone unnoticed.

Kruger has been named to the 2021 Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s Coach of the Year Award watchlist, joining 14 other coaches around the country.

After once again being picked to finish in the bottom half of the Big 12 Conference, Kruger has guided the Sooners to a 13-5 record, posting an 8-4 mark in conference play, currently good enough for third in the Big 12.

Oklahoma’s five wins over top 15-ranked teams, tied with Ohio State for the most in the country, has landed the Sooners in the top-10 twice this season, as the Sooners currently sit at No. 9.

The latest NCAA tournament projections have the Sooners at a 3-seed, with Jerry Palm of CBS Sports listing OU as a 2-seed as of Friday morning.

Of the other coaches named to the watch list, Kruger has faced Scott Drew (Baylor), Shaka Smart (Texas), Nate Oats (Alabama) and Bob Huggins (West Virginia). The Sooners are 4-1 in those matchups, no other coach has more than two victories over their colleagues.

The Sooners will have a chance to keep their momentum moving in the right direction when they head to Ames, IA on Saturday to face the Iowa State Cyclones. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2, with tip time slated for 5 p.m.

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Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is co-publisher at Sooners On SI and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK. 

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