KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The drastic turnarounds of Kansas State and Missouri men’s basketball have their head coaches up for a coveted award.

K-State’s Jerome Tang and Mizzou’s Dennis Gates have both been selected for the 2023 Werner Ladder Naismith Men’s Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List.

Tang has helped 12th-ranked Kansas State (19-7, 7-6 Big 12) to one of the best starts in the last 50 seasons. The Wildcats’ current 19-7 record ties two other teams for the seventh-best in that time span and the best since 2018-19.

KSU also has five wins against AP Top 25 opponents. They look to gain another one when they face 19th-ranked Iowa State on Saturday.

Gates has led the Tigers to a 19-7 record after going 12-21 under Cuonzo Martin last season.

Picked 11th in the SEC preseason poll, the first-year coach has directed a team with just three returning student-athletes and 12 new players to a 7-6 mark in conference play and is currently tied for sixth in the league standings.

Mizzou faces Texas A&M on Saturday.

10 semifinalists will be announced on Thursday, March 9 before being narrowed to four finalists on Monday, March 20. The final round includes an opportunity for fans to vote, which accounts for 5% of the total vote and runs from March 21-28. 

The winner will be announced on Sunday, April 2, at the Naismith Awards Brunch at the Final Four in Houston.