March Madness 2024: Ranking All 68 Head Coaches

Mat Mlodzinski ranks all of the head coaches in March Madness, 68-1.

68. Matt Logie (Montana State)

• Record this season: 17-17
• Career record: 17-17
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 1 (0-0)

How about that for your first year as a D-I head coach? Matt Logie is one-for-one, and if anything, you’ve got to give him some good credit for being a good tournament coach. The Bobcats beat the 4, 10, and 3 seeds on their way to a conference tournament title.

67. Donald Copeland (Wagner)

• Record this season: 16-15
• Career record: 31-28 (2 seasons)
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 1 (0-0)

Still early into his college basketball coaching career, Copeland led Wagner on a Cinderella run in the NEC Tournament. It’s still super early in his head coaching career, as Copeland is still just 40 years young, but it’s a great start to get his first appearance this early on.

66. Bashir Mason (Saint Peter’s)

• Record this season: 19-13
• Career record: 198-161
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 1 (0-0)

Mason is coaching in his first March Madness in his 12th season in D-I college hoops. Three regular season titles in the NEC with Wagner never paid off, but in year two in Jersey City, the Saint Peter’s Peacocks are dancing again!

65. Donte Jackson (Grambling)

• Record this season: 20-14
• Career record: 119-101
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 1

Jackson guides Grambling to his first tourney appearance in seven seasons, but don’t let that fool you. They have a 44-23 record over the last two seasons, so some would say Grambling stock is going up!

64. Kenneth Blakeney (Howard)

• Record this season: 18-16
• Career record: 61-75
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 2 (0-1)

It’s Blakeney’s second straight March Madness appearance with the Bisons. Last year, they were the MEAC champions, but this season, Howard unexpectedly went back-to-back. Of course, recruiting journeyman Seth Towns is another notable feat for Blakeney. Howard may not be a dangerous team to face, but Blakeney has strung together three straight winning seasons, which isn’t an easy task in that conference.

63. Donnie Jones (Stetson)

• Record this season: 22-12
• Career record: 233-206
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 1 (0-0)

There’s a first time for everything, and for Jones, it’s his first trip to the madness! Unfortunately, something that’s not a first is the amount of losing seasons he’s had – 7 in 14 years. For me, that’s too much subpar basketball to ignore, but I’m still happy he gets his chance in the tournament and it could be what he needs to turn it around!

62. Dan Monson (Long Beach State)

• Record this season: 21-14
• Career record: 445-395
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 4 (3-3)

The former head coach of Gonzaga before Mark Few turned the program into a national powerhouse, Monson hasn’t had nearly as much success. All three of his career tournament wins came in 1998 as the Zags made a run to the Elite 8. Since then, his Minnesota team had a first-round exit in 2005 and LBST lost to New Mexico in 2012. For someone with that many years of coaching, Monson hasn’t coached in March Madness too much, but you have to respect someone with almost 450 career wins. And maybe he’ll make LBSU regret parting ways with his leadership.

61. Griff Aldrich (Longwood)

• Record this season: 21-13
• Career record: 109-85
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 2 (0-1)

I don’t know much about Griff Aldrich so I won’t pretend that I do, but three straight 20-win seasons and two tourney appearances over that time is worth a nod.

60. Keith Dambrot (Duquesne)

• Record this season: 24-11
• Career record: 440-268
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 4 (0-3)

You’ve got to feel great for Dambrot. It’s just his fourth time leading a team to the NCAA Tournament and it’s his 22nd season as a head coach. Duquesne certainly wasn’t the favorite to win the Atlantic-10, but he helped them go on a run in Brooklyn and now they find themselves in Omaha for a first-round matchup with BYU. For someone with 440 career wins, but somewhat of an unknown, you wonder if Dambrot could be a sneaky pick to pull off an upset or two. It would also be a great story with Dambrot retiring after the season.

59. Greg Kampe (Oakland)

• Record this season: 23-11
• Career record: 436-372
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 4 (1-3)

Kampe goes just ahead of Dambrot for the fact that he does have one all-time win in March Madness. It came in a play-in game against Alabama A&M in 2005, but hey, a win is a win and that’s always something to brag about. Maybe he can add another huge one over Kentucky this year.

58. Eric Henderson (South Dakota State)

• Record this season: 22-12
• Career record: 109-47
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 2 (0-1)

Make no mistake – Henderson has a great track record in five years. He’s never lost a tournament game. There just happens to be a lot of other coaches on here with more experience and consistency, and the Summit League isn’t exactly a top-notch conference. Still, he’s yet to have a losing season and the Jackrabbits have won the regular season title in four of his five years there.

57. Steve Lutz (Western Kentucky)

• Record this season: 22-11
• Career record: 69-34
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 3 (1-2)

Beginners luck or a March Madness wizard? Steve Lutz has never missed the NCAA Tournament, going two-for-two with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and now in his first year with the Hilltoppers. WKU was nowhere near the favorites to represent Conference USA in this year’s tournament, so you could argue Lutz might be the best budding tournament coach in the game.

56. James Jones (Yale)

• Record this season: 22-9
• Career record: 395-310
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 4 (1-3)

Let’s give Jones some credit here. Coaching Yale, or any Ivy League team for that matter, can’t be easy. There are always good players, but not everyone wants to play in that league. There’s nothing wrong with that, but athletes usually prefer to play at a place where sports are the focus and not academics. So the fact that Jones has now led Yale to four appearances in March is saying something. The Ivy is always competitive and Yale is always near the top.

55. Mark Byington (James Madison)

• Record this season: 31-3
• Career record: 212-132
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 1 (0-0)

Byington fits in with most of these mid-major coaches, but one thing stands out, and that’s this year’s 31-win campaign. Call it recency bias, but there are levels to this game. That’s a level few coaches have ever reached.

54. Kevin Keatts (NC State)

• Record this season: 22-14
• Career record: 207-121
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 5 (0-4)

Some may say this is too low for Keatts but don’t forget he came into the season amid some rumors of being on the hot seat two years ago. For me, a 23-win season and a historic run in the ACC Tournament don’t change the entire narrative. It probably saved his job for a bit longer, but the Wolfpack have never won a March Madness game under Keatts since hiring him in 2017.

53. Richard Pitino (New Mexico)

• Record this season: 26-9
• Career record: 220-177
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 3 (1-2)

With Pitino, it’s simple. He had his chance at Minnesota and just wasn’t good enough. It’s not an easy place to coach, but to finish above .500 four times in eight seasons doesn’t cut it for me. Sometimes, a change of scenery is all you need. New Mexico looks to be that place so far.

52. Bryce Drew (Grand Canyon)

• Record this season: 29-4
• Career record: 257-139
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 6 (0-5)

Like Pitino, Drew didn’t fare too well at Vanderbilt, but he’s showing that GCU might be the perfect place for him. The Antelopes went 29-4 and are a popular upset pick this year. The question is – can Drew’s March Madness heroics as a player finally carry over as a coach?

51. Bucky McMillan (Samford)

• Record this season: 29-5
• Career record: 77-40
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 1 (0-0)

Tournament appearance numero uno for McMillan, who easily has the best first name among coaches in this tournament. He also has one of the greatest turnarounds on his resume. Samford went 6-13 in his first year and now they are 29-5 just three years later. Something tells me a big program will take a chance on the 40-year-old, but until then, Samford will look to ride the wave and pull off an upset over Kansas.

50. John Groce (Akron)

• Record this season: 24-10
• Career record: 320-211
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 5 (4-4)

The former head coach of Illinois, John Groce sort of revitalized his coaching career at Akron, leading the Zips to their second tourney appearance in three years. Last time around, 13-seed Akron took UCLA right down to the buzzer. Creighton may look like the better team on paper, but Groce has a respectable tournament record and an Akron team that can’t be taken lightly. With Ohio, Groce’s 14-seeded Bobcats took down Georgetown in the round of 64, so he’s been in this position before. It’s just been a while.

49. Mark Pope (BYU)

• Record this season: 23-10
• Career record: 187-107
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 2 (0-1)

I’m not sure what the verdict is on Pope, who is just in his second-ever NCAA Tournament. One thing that is true – the Cougars sort of came out of nowhere in a stacked Big 12 and kept it up all season to earn a 6 seed. BYU fans should be excited about the future, but college basketball fans are eager to see if Pope can put BYU over the top.

48. Preston Spradlin (Morehead State)

• Record this season: 26-8
• Career record: 140-108
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 2 (0-1)

I’m all in on Spradlin, who has led the Eagles to four straight 20-win seasons. It’s resulted in two OVC regular season championships and two NCAA Tournament automatic bids. He’s 37 years old and should be up for a Power 6 coaching job this offseason. It’s not just about the record. He found Riley Minix from Southeastern (NAIA) and turned him into a mid-major star. Illinois is a tough first-round draw, but Spradlin is someone I wouldn’t want to coach against.

47. Greg Gard (Wisconsin)

• Record this season: 22-13
• Career record: 186-106
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 6 (6-5)

This may be somewhat of a surprise, as Wisconsin got a 5 seed, but for those who follow college basketball closely, a great coach would not have let this experienced and talented Badgers team go just 22-13. I believe Gard is a good coach, but it was not the season they hoped for to this point. Of course, that can all go out the window in this tournament.

46. Dusty May (FAU)

• Record this season: 25-8
• Career record: 126-68
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 2 (4-1)

May’s first trip to March Madness was sure one to remember, as the Owls went all the way to the Final Four. This year, they brought back virtually the same core, but went 25-8, a tad underwhelming if you ask me. Still, May’s career record is outstanding and he’s never had a losing season in six years at Florida Atlantic. Time will tell if that’s enough for a bigger program *cough cough Louisville* to give him a ring.

45. Todd Golden (Florida)

• Record this season: 24-11
• Career record: 97-64
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 2 (0-1)

Golden is both up-and-coming and also trying to cement himself among the current greats. To me, it’s as if he got hyped up a bit too much after leaving San Francisco for Florida and taking a Power 6 job at 37 years old. Still, there’s a lot to like about a guy who improved the Gators by eight wins from last year to this season.

44. Danny Sprinkle (Utah State)

• Record this season: 27-6
• Career record: 108-49
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 3 (0-2)

Sprinkle is one of the top up-and-coming coaches, even if he is already 47 years old (sorry to make you feel old if you’re reading this). He’s won 25 or more games in three straight seasons – two with Montana State which is unbelievable and now in his first year with the Aggies. Could it translate to his first-ever NCAA Tournament victory? If it doesn’t he might get an easier shot with a Power Conference team next year.

43. Anthony Grant (Dayton)

• Record this season: 24-7
• Career record: 341-181
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 4 (1-3)

The Flyers will always look to that 29-2 season where COVID canceled dreams of a Final Four. However, when it comes down to it, this is Grant’s seventh year in Dayton and he still doesn’t have a single win in the NCAA Tournament. In fact, this is his first chance. The Atlantic 10 hasn’t been the two-to-three-bid league it once was, so I’ll cut him some slack there, but for winning well over 300 games, Dayton needs to see that winning carry over where it matters.

42. Matt Langel (Colgate)

• Record this season: 25-9
• Career record: 227-183
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 5 (0-4)

Am I crazy to put the Colgate coach this high? Take this into consideration: only Michigan State, Gonzaga, Purdue, Houston, Kansas, and Tennessee have longer active streaks of making the tournament. That’s right, Matt Langel’s Colgate Raiders have been dancing for five straight tourneys. Round of applause, sir.

41. Darian DeVries (Drake)

• Record this season: 28-6
• Career record: 150-54
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 3 (1-2)

Some may say DeVries has benefitted from his son Tucker, but I’m not that petty. This isn’t a Belichick and Brady conversation. Drake won 24, 20, and 26 games before Tucker DeVries even stepped foot on campus. When it comes down to it, they’re both equally good at what they do and I hope (if he wants to leave Drake for a bigger job) DeVries gets treated as such.

40. Pat Kelsey (Charleston)

• Record this season: 27-7
• Career record: 261-121
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 4 (0-3)

Kelsey’s name has been tossed around for a major job over the last few years. In my opinion, it better be the perfect situation, because I wouldn’t want to leave Charleston on a whim. That place is too beautiful. You know what else is beautiful? Kelsey’s winning ways. He’s won nearly 70% of his games coached. Other than a losing season in year one with Winthrop, it’s been just winning. That’s what I want in a coach.

39. John Becker (Vermont)

• Record this season: 28-6
• Career record: 308-119
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 6 (1-5)

Becker has one of the coolest coaching streaks in college basketball. In 13 years at UVM, he’s never had a season below 20 wins. Well, once he did, but it was the 2020-21 season when games were being canceled left and right for COVID. The Catamounts still went 10-5 in a shortened season. They don’t make the Big Dance as much as you’d think but it’s not easy to do what Matt Langel’s done and just run through the conference tourney every year.

38. Leon Rice (Boise State)

• Record this season: 22-10
• Career record: 290-165
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 5 (0-4)

I’m a fan of what Rice has done at Boise State, coaching them to a fifth tournament appearance in a dozen years. That’s not easy for a program with little to no history before he got there. Next up: win a game in March Madness. It’s yet to be done and Bronco Nation has been impatient and vocal about it on Twitter/X.

37. Fred Hoiberg (Nebraska)

• Record this season: 23-10
• Career record: 178-149
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 5 (4-4)

Hoiberg might take some flack for some pretty awful years when he first took this job, but who’s laughing now? He did it at Iowa State and now he’s looking to do it with the Cornhuskers. I’m just wondering what his ceiling is. We never got to see it with the Cyclones, so I wonder if he’ll stay long enough in Lincoln.

36. Brad Brownell (Clemson)

• Record this season: 21-11
• Career record: 429-273
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 7 (3-6)

Brownell can coach at the Power 6 level and he has turned Clemson into a top-half team more often than not. That’s why he’s ahead of most of the mid-major guys on here. Not everyone can make that transition seamless. But the Tigers have had some talent at times – this year especially – and haven’t backed it up, whether in the regular season or in March. We’ll see if this is the year.

35. Steve Alford (Nevada)

• Record this season: 26-7
• Career record: 605-327
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 13 (11-12)

Steve Alford is no stranger to making the NCAA Tournament or winning games in March. However, his last Big Dance victory was in 2017 with UCLA. His Bruins and current Wolfpack both saw first-round exits the last two times he coached in the tournament. With a matchup against Dayton, Nevada has a chance to end that streak for a West Coast college hoops coaching legend.

34. Andy Kennedy (UAB)

• Record this season: 23-11
• Career record: 367-205
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 4 (2-3)

Kennedy has found his most success at UAB, where he’s led the Blazers to four straight seasons of at least 22 wins. Even if they’re not always the conference favorites, it seems like he always gets them ready to perform in March.

33. Niko Medved (Colorado State)

• Record this season: 24-10
• Career record: 195-162
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 2 (0-1)

Medved could be a name to watch in the coaching carousel this offseason, having led Colorado State to four 20-win seasons in the last five tries. 24 wins this year earned CSU a 10-seed, which some may say was a bit underwhelming. One thing worth mentioning – retaining a player like Isaiah Stevens in today’s world of the transfer portal is an accomplishment on its own.

32. Tad Boyle (Colorado)

• Record this season: 24-10
• Career record: 296-182
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 6 (2-5)

Boyle is aging like fine wine. He’s won 23 or more games 7 times in 17 years. Three of those have come in the past six seasons and the Buffaloes are two wins away from setting a new career-best for Boyle. Of course, in the NCAA Tournament, Colorado’s yet to go on a big run, so that should be Boyle’s next goal. Colorado starts in a play-in with Boise State with the winner getting a Florida team who just lost their center. The path is carved out.

31. Chris Collins (Northwestern)

• Record this season: 21-11
• Career record: 177-173
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 3 (2-2)

In 2017, Collins did something that was never done before – lead Northwestern to the NCAA Tournament. This is now his third appearance in the Big Dance with the Wildcats and he has a 2-2 all-time record. Coaching Boo Buie can’t be a bad way to get that done, but the passion Collins brings and the fact he’s done this with a program that had NOTHING is remarkable.

30. Kyle Smith (Washington State)

• Record this season: 24-9
• Career record: 257-192
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 0 (0-0)

Smith finally gets to coach in March Madness, which is wild, considering he wins everywhere he goes. Smith went 101-82 at Columbia, 63-40 at San Francisco, and is 93-70 since taking over at Washington State. Who knows where that will take him next, but one thing is true – if you want a coach who will build your program up and win games – pick Kyle Smith.

29. Grant McCasland (Texas Tech)

• Record this season: 23-10
• Career record: 178-87
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 2 (1-1)

Year one with the Red Raiders has been very positive. Texas Tech wasn’t on my radar heading into the season, so a 23-10 record heading into the postseason is a huge step in the right direction for this program. I shouldn’t be surprised after what he did at North Texas and even at Arkansas State for one short year. Don’t forget, he’s still just 47 years old, so Texas Tech could be set up well for the long term.

28. Rodney Terry (Texas)

• Record this season: 20-12
• Career record: 205-176
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 3 (3-2)

Terry became a meme after yelling at UCF players in the handshake line following a game, but make no mistake, that doesn’t define him as a coach. What does, is his 3-2 record in March Madness. It’s not much, but any time to have more wins than losses in March, it’s a big deal. Of course, all three came last season as Texas went to the Elite 8 and I know Longhorns fans aren’t complaining about that.

27. Lamont Paris (South Carolina)

• Record this season: 26-7
• Career record: 124-100
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 2 (0-1)

Paris is just heading to his second March Madness and first with South Carolina, but should be heading in feeling great, fresh off winning the SEC Coach of the Year Award. In year one to year two, he improved the Gamecocks from 11 wins to 26. Now it’s about getting a win in the tournament over Oregon.

26. Chris Jans (Mississippi State)

• Record this season: 21-13
• Career record: 185-70
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 5 (1-4)

Jans does one thing and one thing only – make the NCAA Tournament. He’s coached three teams in just eight seasons but has made the Big Dance six times. The latest is with a Bulldogs team that overcame some early season injuries and a tough SEC schedule to slide in as an 8 seed. Of course, that 1-4 tournament record needs to improve, but step number one is getting his teams to March Madness, and Jans seems to have that down to a science.

25. TJ Otzelberger (Iowa State)

• Record this season: 27-7
• Career record: 167-97
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 5 (2-4)

Getting his teams to March Madness – it’s what Otzelberger does, and has done, all three seasons in Ames, Iowa. I wonder if Cyclones fans were hating the hire after he led UNLV to a 12-15 finish in 2021? Well, I’m sure whoever was doubting his abilities is pretty quiet right now.

24. Brad Underwood (Illinois)

• Record this season: 26-8
• Career record: 249-114
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 8 (4-7)

Underwood is a postseason machine, making the NCAA Tournament in 8 of the 11 seasons he’s been a head coach. 26-8 set a new career-high for wins at Illinois and with a fourth straight appearance, the Illini have become a team you kind of expect to be playing in March. You can thank Brad Underwood for that.

23. Jon Schyer (Duke)

• Record this season: 24-8
• Career record: 51-17
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 2 (1-1)

It’s impossible to tell how good of a coach someone is when they take over for a Blue Blood program and the coach they’re replacing happens to be Mike Krzyzewski. So here’s what I’ll say with Scheyer: some coaches have still messed things up badly at Blue Blood programs. It’s only year two, and Scheyer has won 75% of the games he’s coached in. And really, would the Blue Devils replace him with any of the coaches behind him?

22. Randy Bennett (Saint Mary’s)

• Record this season: 26-7
• Career record: 533-215
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 10 (6-9)

I don’t care what anyone says. Randy Bennett is a top 25 coach in this tournament and arguably top 25-30 in the country. People act like he’s supposed to be rattling off 20+ wins at Saint Mary’s every year. Do those people even know where Saint Mary’s is? Didn’t think so. He needs to add some tournament wins to his resume, but everything else is there.

21. Nate Oats (Alabama)

• Record this season: 21-11
• Career record: 209-96
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 7 (6-6)

I guess this is the point in the show where all the SEC coaches just come flooding in, huh? Oats may be lower than expected, but I look at the pure fact that he’s never won more than two games in the tournament. Alabama was a 1 seed and the most-picked team to win it all last year, people. Win a few games this year and we’ll see if this changes, but the guys ahead of Oats (minus two outliers) have all had at least one long run in March Madness. Isn’t that the whole point anyway?

20. Brian Dutcher (San Diego State)

• Record this season: 24-10
• Career record: 175-57
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 5 (5-4)

Aztecs fans love their basketball, but maybe a bit too much. I heard some chatter on if Dutcher was the right guy when SDSU had some midseason struggles. My comment? Look at that record. A proud program is turning into the Gonzaga of the Mountain West. They run this conference and you can thank Dutcher for that consistency. Plus, who below him are you willing to take instead?

19. Buzz Williams (Texas A&M)

• Record this season: 20-14
• Career record: 349-216
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 10 (10-9)

I’ve never been entirely sure what I feel about Buzz and I’m not sure I ever will. He’s never stayed at a place long enough for an accurate assessment and despite some really good seasons, but always seems to fluctuate a bit too much. Still, he’s 10-9 all-time in March Madness and usually gets his teams in contention to at least play meaningful basketball at this time of the year.

18. Jamie Dixon (TCU)

• Record this season: 21-12
• Career record: 488-232
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 15 (14-14)

Maybe it’s my Big East bias showing, but Dixon is one of the most underrated coaches in the game. Sure, his tournament coaching hasn’t been outstanding, but let’s not act like Pitt was being handed a 1 or a 2 seed every year. And winning at TCU is anything but easy. He’s done that, no problem.

17. Hubert Davis (UNC)

• Record this season: 27-7
• Career record: 76-30
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 2 (5-1)

Davis’s first two seasons at UNC couldn’t be as different. In year one, he took the Tar Heels to the Final Four. Last year, with most of the same roster back, they missed the tournament. This year, it’s still a lot of the same group, and UNC is a one-seed. In my opinion, we can’t form a true opinion on Davis’s coaching abilities until Armando Bacot and RJ Davis leave Chapel Hill. But until then, we also can’t ignore a 76-30 career record that includes a Final Four trip. The ceiling is high, but we need a larger sample size.

16. Dana Altman (Oregon)

• Record this season: 23-11
• Career record: 754-394
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 16 (16-15)

With Altman, the question is if he can adapt to the current state of college basketball. I think winning the Pac-12 Tournament may have answered that. It’s clear that although he’s one of the most seasoned coaches around, he’s still got what it takes to win games when it matters most. However, Altman’s last NCAA Tournament win came in 2021, so there is something to be said there.

15. Will Wade (McNeese)

• Record this season: 30-3
• Career record: 226-99
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 6 (4-5)

Wade was the toughest coach to rank on this entire list, but I came to this conclusion: would you want Will Wade as your head coach? Most programs would say yes in a heartbeat. He’s coached three separate schools to March Madness since 2016, including a one-year hiatus after the LSU scandal. He took McNeese from 11 wins to 30 wins in one season. And he has four tournament wins all time, still at just 41 years young. Some Power 6 school will come calling soon and you better watch out, because Wade is going to turn them into a competitor right away.

14. Shaka Smart (Marquette)

• Record this season: 25-9
• Career record: 345-171
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 11 (8-10)

All three Big East coaches in this year’s tournament are within the top 15 and I don’t think there’s any debate about it. Smart has had some people question his ability to win in the tournament. Take VCU’s miracle run to the Final Four out of the equation, and he’s just 3-9 in March Madness. In fairness, he had mostly average-seeded teams at Texas. This is the year to prove the critics wrong, Shaka! The national championship is on his 47th birthday after all…

13. Rick Barnes (Tennessee)

• Record this season: 24-8
• Career record: 803-414
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 28 (27-27)

Is Rick Barnes the greatest coach without a championship? I’ll say it’s Mark Few, who we’ll talk about in a little bit, but with over career wins, Barnes is in the conversation. It’s crazy to think he’s only made one Final Four. But it also says a bit about his March Madness history. A 27-27 record is an average of losing in the round of 32. With how loaded the Vols are this season, anything short of the second weekend is unacceptable. It will be an important tournament for Barnes.

12. Tommy Lloyd (Arizona)

• Record this season: 25-8
• Career record: 86-19
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 3 (2-2)

Lloyd is still new to this March Madness thing and after last year’s first-round exit to Princeton, I know why some may be cautious to say he’s one of the best coaches in this tournament. For me, it’s about how he responds. If Arizona makes it to the second weekend, it’s safe to say that was just one slip-up early on in his career. If it happens again, then we can have that discussion. But for now, Lloyd should be viewed as a winner.

11. Greg McDermott (Creighton)

• Record this season: 23-9
• Career record: 472-290
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 12 (9-11)

Still searching for his first Final Four appearances, Greg McDermott can be counted on to win NCAA Tournament games. Since taking over the Creighton job in 2010, the Bluejays have found themselves in March Madness nine times. They’ve won at least one game six times and have made it to the second weekend in two of the last three appearances. Last year, it ended in the elite eight, but with so many key returners on this year’s team, McDermott could be headed to Phoenix.

10. Matt Painter (Purdue)

• Record this season: 29-4
• Career record: 467-207
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 16 (17-15)

Painter, as expected, continues to be at the brunt of the jokes about not being able to sustain runs in March Madness. Of course, losing to a 16 seed last year made it even worse. But he and Purdue didn’t flinch and went 29-4, earning another 1 seed. Can they do what Virginia did a few years back and go from utter shock to the top of the CBB world one year later? That would be an ideal situation for Painter. But regardless, he’s still one of the best out there.

9. Bruce Pearl (Auburn)

• Record this season: 27-7
• Career record: 445-217
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 13 (17-12)

Funny that Barnes and Pearl make it that close to each other, isn’t it? I promise it wasn’t on purpose. Pearl is just that good of a coach. And for me, that tournament record speaks strongly of what he can do with a team. Bruce doesn’t just win. He wins in the non-conference. He wins in January and February. And he wins in March.

8. Kelvin Sampson

• Record this season: 30-4
• Career record: 687-305
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 20 (24-19)

Sampson is a tournament veteran and lately seems to always take Houston to great lengths. The Cougars are banged up heading into this year’s tourney, so it could be a real testament to Sampson’s coaching if they make a run, even as a 1 seed. But I don’t think he needs to prove much more. It’d be nice to see him get that long awaited championship though.

7. Tony Bennett (Virginia)

• Record this season: 23-10
• Career record: 433-168
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 12 (16-10)

A national championship in 2019 will forever keep Bennett near the top of the active college basketball coaching rankings. However, recency bias will point to his failure to lead good UVA teams out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Still, with a 16-10 NCAA Tournament record, Bennett has a good enough track record to keep him near the top. It’ll be interesting to see how he does with Virginia as an underdog instead of one of the March Madness favorites.

6. John Calipari (Kentucky)

• Record this season: 23-9
• Career record: 855-262
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 23 (57-21)

I don’t care what anyone says about Kentucky not winning a national championship since 2012. The man has 57 wins in the NCAA Tournament. How many other coaches can say that? That’s right – no one. Of course, I’ve got to take into consideration some early losses and the fact that coach Cal hasn’t exactly been a great tournament coach over the last decade. Since their last Final Four in 2015, the Wildcats have only made it to the second weekend three times. Most coaches and programs would take that situation any day of the week. Not Kentucky.

5. Mark Few (Gonzaga)

• Record this season: 25-7
• Career record: 714-142
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 24 (41-23)

Few is still waiting patiently on that first national championship, but I’d still take him over some of the coaches on here who already have rings. The last time Gonzaga DIDN’T make it to the Sweet 16? 2014. The Zags lost in the round of 32 to 1-seed Arizona. Think about that consistency. A DECADE of not getting upset early and putting your program in the last 16 teams remaining, or further. It will be one heck of a coaching matchup with Will Wade.

4. Tom Izzo (Michigan State)

• Record this season: 19-14
• Career record: 706-294
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 26 (55-24)

March is Izzo, we all know that. I’m fully expecting at least one tournament win from Michigan State, even if the Spartans arguably didn’t deserve to be playing in March Madness. When it comes down to it, they have a quality team and handled enough business to make it to the madness. Now, they can let Izzo work his magic, starting with Mississippi State.

3. Dan Hurley (UConn)

• Record this season: 31-3
• Career record: 286-163
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 6 (8-4)

You could make the argument for Hurley to be number one because I think most UConn fans wouldn’t trade him in for the world – even Scott Drew or Bill Self. I have Hurley at three based on the fact that among national championship-winning coaches, he’s still the earliest into his career. Seniority rules. But once that’s no longer a factor, I’ll say this – Dan Hurley won’t just be in consideration for a top-three coach in March Madness on any given year. He could be a top-three college basketball coach of all time. Period.

2. Scott Drew (Baylor)

• Record this season: 23-10
• Career record: 465-254
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 12 (19-10)

If you win the national championship, and do it recently, you automatically get put into the top five. Drew also did it at Baylor – a program with not much of a basketball history before he got to Waco. Now, the Bears are perennial NCAA Tournament teams and are often on the shortlist of favorites to cut down the nets. Will they this year? I’m not so sure, but I’d never count someone out whose done it before.

1. Bill Self (Kansas)

• Record this season: 22-10
• Career record: 809-247
• NCAA Tournament appearances: 25 (56-22)

The only active college basketball coach with multiple championships, Bill Self is the clear choice for this list. His most recent chip came in 2022, so there’s no reason to think he’s fallen off. Sure, it’s been a down year for the Jayhawks, but injuries have played a part. All I know is that the man has two rings and four Final Fours since 2008. That’s a Final Four every four years or so. Call me when anyone else can match that.