BOSTON, Mass. - Rhode Island's Tyler Cochran is one of 25 players nationally to be named as a finalist for the 2025-26 Lefty Driesell Award, CollegeInsider.com announced Tuesday. The award is presented annually to the top defensive player in division I college basketball.

In his first season with the Rams, Cochran has 85 steals, which currently ranks third in the country. He is just three shy of Rhode Island's single-season record of 88, set by Tom Garrick in 1987-88.

In addition to his defensive work, Cochran has averaged 14.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.7 steals and 1.9 assists per game. In conference play, he ranks fourth with 16.7 points per game and is tied for fifth in A-10 play with 6.8 rebounds per game.

The Lefty Driesell award is named in honor of the legendary coach who spent over four decades as a head coach. Driesell won 786 games in 41 years at Davidson, Maryland, James Madison, and Georgia State. He ranks eighth on the NCAA career Division I coaches victories list and his teams at each stop were known for playing tenacious defense. From 1969-1986 at Maryland, his teams posted a 348-159 record, won two Atlantic Coast Conference regular season titles and one tournament title.

Driesell also led Davidson, Georgia State and James Madison to the NCAA tournament, making him one of three coaches to reach the NCAAs with four different programs. His teams won a total of 16 regular season championships and six tournament championships. Charles "Lefty" Driesell passed away on Feb. 17, 2024. He was 92.

The recipient of the annual award is determined by a 10-member voting committee, which consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of collegeinsider.com.

The 2026 award will be announced in Indianapolis, IN, site of the men's Division I Basketball Championship.

2025-26 LEFTY DRIESELL AWARD FINALISTS
Flory Bidunga - Kansas
Jaden Bradley - Arizona
Maliq Brown - Duke
Javontae Campbell - Bowling Green
Rafael Castro - George Washington
Tyler Cochran - Rhode Island
Jerald Colonel - Stephen F. Austin
CJ Cox - Purdue
Rueben Chinyelu - Florida
Silas Demary - UConn
Zuby Ejiofor - St. John's
Kyle Evans - UC Irvine
JJ Harper- Liberty
Motiejus Krivas - Arizona
Yaxel Lendeborg - Michigan
Tamin Lipsey - Iowa State
Chol Machot - Charleston
Aday Mara - Michigan
Ugonna Onyenso - Virginia
Dame Sarr - Duke
Emanuel Sharp - Houston
Casey Simmons - Yale
JaMichael Stillwell - UCF
Tyler Tanner - Vanderbilt
Joseph Tugler - Houston

PREVIOUS AWARD WINNERS
Jo Jo Tugler, Houston (2025); Boo Buie, Northwestern (2024); Caleb McConnell, Rutgers (2023); KC Ndefo, Saint Peter's (2022); Davion Mitchell: Baylor (2021); Juvaris Hayes, Merrimack (2020); Matisse Thybulle, Washington (2019); Jevon Carter, West Virginia (2018); Jevon Carter, West Virginia (2017): Vashil Fernandez, Valparaiso (2016); Darion Atkins, Virginia (2015); Elfrid Payton, UL-Lafayette (2014); Tommy Brenton, Stony Brook (2013); Anthony Davis, Kentucky (2012); Kent Bazemore, Old Dominion (2011); Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State (2010)
 
ABOUT COLLEGEINSIDER.COM
Established in 1996, CollegeInsider.com has been at the forefront of promoting college basketball online. In the July 27, 1998, issue of ESPN the Magazine, College Insider was ranked No. 24 on the magazine's list of 99 Things to do Before you Die. College Insider created the Mid-Major Top 25®, the measuring stick for men's and women's programs outside of the proverbial power leagues, and has 18 national awards presented annually, including the Lute Olson Award, Lou Henson Award, and the John McLendon Award. The CollegeInsider.com All-Access series has been nominated for 5 Emmy Awards and won 2013 Emmy, for its' feature on New York City Basketball (Iona, LIU-Brooklyn and Manhattan). CI also created This Game No Secret, which debuted during the 2016 CIT and now has become an annual event, which has included programs like Duke, Houston, Miami, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Texas and Virginia.