We are now down to just 16 teams in March Madness, and at this point in the tournament, head coaches can make all the difference. Mat Mlodzinski ranks them all, from 16 to 1.
1. Dan Hurley, UConn Huskies
When you win two National Championships in a row, and they both happened within the last handful of years, you can’t really argue anything other than the top spot. And love him or hate him, Hurley has UConn playing like they could win a third title in four years. The guy just wins, and he’s the pinnacle of college basketball coaches in our current day.
2. Kelvin Sampson, Houston Cougars
We’re talking overall coaching success, with an emphasis on current, and that’s why Sampson is above Izzo in these rankings. March Madness has been very kind to him once he got to Houston, now making the Sweet 16 in each of the last seven tournaments. Will this be the year coach Sampson finally gets his title?
3. Rick Pitino, St. John’s Red Storm
Rick Pitino has aged like fine wine, back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2015 at Louisville. But this may be one of his best coaching jobs. Sure, they’ve got Big East Player of the Year, Zuby Ejiofor. But it’s not a great three-point shooting team, and in 2026, when finesse seems to be the style a lot of teams go with, St. John’s is content to slow down and overpower teams inside. And guess what? He makes it work like no other.
4. Tom Izzo, Michigan State Spartans
The saying goes ‘January, February, Izzo…’ for a reason. And while Izzo’s last National Championship came in 2000, and his last Final Four in 2019, he’s got Michigan State back to the Sweet 16 for the second straight year. The Spartans are stuck in the impossible East Region, but with Izzo, they can definitely get out of it and move on to Indianapolis.
5. Dusty May, Michigan Wolverines
May is clearly one of the best coaches in the country, but with this year’s roster, anything other than a Sweet 16 appearance would have been a major disappointment. Still, there are some coaches out there with extremely talented and well-paid rosters that didn’t pan out as expected. May is doing the most, with the most.
6. Nate Oats, Alabama Crimson Tide
Say what you want about Nate Oats, but I think most of us would long for a coach with his style of play and ability to carry it out year after year. He’s now led the Crimson Tide to the Sweet 16 in five of the last six seasons, totally revamping this program to what Wimp Sanderson had in the late 80s and early 90s. Could a trip to Indianapolis be in store?
7. John Calipari, Arkansas Razorbacks
Coach Cal has always been known as a recruiter instead of an X’s and O’s coach, but after taking the Razorbacks to the Sweet 16 in back-to-back years, we’re being reminded of his overall greatness. And honestly, you take Darius Acuff Jr. off this team and replace him with any average Power Five starter, and I’m not sure if they win a game in this tournament. But that also should tell you how well Calipari has coached up the surrounding pieces to get them ready to win some games here in March.
8. Matt Painter, Purdue Boilermakers
Painter’s always a tough one to rank, because of some past failures in the NCAA Tournament. But when it gets down to it, he’s also had some deep runs and has built the Boilermakers into a well-oiled machine. Year in, and year out, the team from West Lafayette is a Final Four contender, and it’s no different in March Madness 2026. Plus, they’re really playing some great ball here in March.
9. Tommy Lloyd, Arizona Wildcats
I sense that Tommy Lloyd doesn’t get nearly enough credit for what he’s doing at Arizona. All he’s done is win games – 24 or more every year since he took over in 2021. He’s never guiding Arizona past the Sweet 16, and as a 1-seed with National Championship aspirations, the next game against Alabama feels like a must-win. But now with some tournament experience under his belt, Lloyd seems ready for the challenge.
10. Jon Scheyer, Duke Blue Devils
While Scheyer hasn’t won a National Championship yet, he’s certainly proved he’s the right coach for the Duke Blue Devils. And after taking over for Mike Krzyzewski, there were some initial questions, but that’s nearly an impossible situation to be in. Yet here he is, into the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the third straight postseason. He’s still young in his career, but so far, so good. Yet, as the top overall seed, the expectation remains a Final Four appearance at the very least.
11. Rick Barnes, Tennessee Volunteers
One of the best college basketball coaches to never win a title, Barnes has another shot at it, but a long shot with Iowa State standing in Tennessee’s way. Still, the 6-seed Vols weren’t supposed to make it this far, but Barnes worked his coaching magic and led them to the Sweet 16 again. That’s now four straight trips to the second weekend for this UT program led by Barnes.
12. Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska Cornhuskers
First of all, Fred Hoiberg deserves a statue, delivering Nebraska not only their first-ever NCAA Tournament win, but also coming out on top in the round of 32 in an instant classic against Vanderbilt. Hoiberg is in serious consideration for National Coach of the Year, and seeing this postseason run confirms how great of a job he’s done with the Cornhuskers.
13. TJ Otzelberger, Iowa State Cyclones
Don’t let Otzelberger’s ranking here fool you – he’s an outstanding coach and has done an excellent job with Iowa State this season. There are just so many great coaches left in March Madness to this point, despite it being a third Sweet 16 in five years, he’s never led them past this round. Obviously, if they don’t move on, it’s more on the potential of star forward Joshua Jefferson being out again, but after watching ISU dominate Kentucky, it might not even matter. They’re playing like potential champs right now.
14. Sean Miller, Texas Longhorns
We’re really seeing some peak Sean Miller here, who at one point in time was one of the best in the game at Arizona. But at Xavier, it could have been better, and let’s be real – Texas just squeaked into March Madness. But they’ve won three games to get from the First Four to the Sweet 16 and it’s showing what Miller can do as a head coach. And again, with so many great teams and coaches left, this ranking doesn’t do him justice.
15. Brad Underwood, Illinois Fighting Illini
Brad Underwood has been a great fit at Illinois, but that hasn’t always equaled great postseasons. In fact, despite making six straight appearances in the big dance, this is just the second time Underwood has led the Illini to the second weekend. With Houston up next, Underwood will need to coach a masterclass to lead Illinois to the Elite 8.
16. Ben McCollum, Iowa Hawkeyes
The only reason McCollum gets ranked here is that almost everyone else on here is a long-tenured head coach whose been doing it at a high level in Division I for years. McCollum may not fit that mold, but clearly, you’ve got to be pretty darn good to coach your team to an upset of a 1-seed and defending champion, the Florida Gators. And with Big Ten rival Nebraska up next, who’s stopping Iowa from going even further?