ESPN Men's Basketball

1. Mark Fox (Nevada)
In his first year in the big chair, Fox guided his team to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after dispatching Texas in the RCA Dome. Don't let the glasses and loafers fool you. Fox is smart, tough and has a great sense of who he is and how he wants things done. He is not a "players' coach." He is just a winner. Nevada was not a great shooting team, but a very good team nonetheless. Fox is a young star in the business.

2. Darrin Horn (W. Kentucky)
Horn may look young -- partly because he is -- but he is a worker and pays attention to detail. He is bright, attentive and understands the game and how it should be played. This year, Horn has a schedule that will test his team, and he has the savvy to handle it, bumps in the road and all. Horn is a standout.

3. Travis Ford (UMass)
The last two times I have seen Travis Ford outside of the NCAA Tournament has been at other coaches' practices. Ford studies the game and is a great student. He took an exceedingly difficult job at Eastern Kentucky and turned the program into a winner. Now at UMass, expect the Minutemen to play faster and use a lot of ball screens -- and win. Ford is the right guy at the right time in Amherst.

2. Mike Anderson (UAB)
Like up-tempo? Anderson's Blazers run and run … and ran past LSU in the first round last season after sneaking in as a somewhat-unexpected at large. With the new order in C-USA, UAB could become even more of a household name.

3. Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa)
McDermott's Panthers were the other at-large surprise last season, but quality-wise, it shouldn't have been a surprise that they made the NCAAs. Returning all five starters, including sharpshooter Ben Jacobson, McDermott & Co. could be the MVC favorites this season.

2. Scott Sutton (Oral Roberts)
Oral Roberts has better personnel than most of the MVC and even a couple of Big 12 teams -- and considering the limitations on who can cut it at ORU, that says something. Sure, his name has a pedigree, but his teams play fast and they have gone 77-43 over his last four years to back up his plan. ORU expects to be dancing this season after last year's Mid-Con finals heartbreak and AD Mike Carter should expect phone calls inquiring about his head coach.

3. Bob Burton (Cal State Fullerton)
Not a spring chicken but he has rebuilt the Titans from the ashes. Burton was a highly respected JC head coach at West Valley in Northern California (488-158 in 21 seasons) who took the worst job in California and won the second-most games in school history (21) last season. They also won their first postseason games since 1978, went 2-1 on the road in the NIT -- all with an injury-riddled squad. Did I mention they might be even better this year?

2. Tim O'Shea (Ohio)
O'Shea has had a roller coaster run up until last season, when the Bobcats went 8-2 in their final 10 games, including a win over Buffalo in the MAC title game after trailing by 19. O'Shea has the most talent in the MAC this season and should get the Bobcats to their second straight NCAA Tournament.

3. Mick Cronin (Murray State)
The former Rick Pitino and Bob Huggins assistant looks to be primed to get the Racers in the NCAAs for the second time in three years. Murray State has been a jumping-off point in the past (Mark Gottfried) and could be again.