Honorable Mention
Bobby Hurley, Arizona State (160-120, 3 NCAA Tournament
appearances)—previous: HM
Anthony Grant, Dayton (295-162, 3 NCAA Tournament
appearances)—previous: HM
Kevin Willard, Maryland (270-210, 5 NCAA Tournament
appearances)—previous: 20
Ben Jacobsen, Northern Iowa (321-201, 4 NCAA Tournament
appearances)—previous: 19
Steve Alford, Nevada (557-309, 11 NCAA Tournament
appearances, 4 Sweet 16s)—previous: 18
Todd Golden, Florida (57-36, 1 NCAA Tournament appearance)—previous:
N/A
Fran McCaffery, Iowa (493-339, 11 NCAA Tournament
appearances)—previous: N/A
Dan Hurley, UConn (224-152, 3 NCAA Tournament appearances)—previous:
N/A
Leon Rice, Boise State (244-144, 3 NCAA Tournament
appearances)—previous: N/A
Penny Hardaway, Memphis (85-43, 1 NCAA Tournament
appearance)—previous: N/A
20. Matt McMahon, LSU (154-67, 3 NCAA Tournament
appearances)—previous: N/A
Matt McMahon is in his first year with LSU after coming over
from a successful stint at Murray State where he led the Racers to a 154-67
record with three trips to the NCAA Tournament, including twice making it to
the second round. He took over for Steve Prohm, who left for Iowa State, and
elevated the program even further. He is coming off a season in which he led
Murray State to 31 wins before being upset by giant killers St. Peter’s in the
second round. It will be interesting to see how he does down on the bayou. The
Tigers are coming off a season where they were a No. 6 seed in the NCAA
Tournament.
19. Steve Pikiell, Rutgers (290-247, three NCAA
Tournament appearances)—previous: 17
Perhaps it is a bit unfair to actually move Pikiell down
on this list since he led Rutgers to another really good season. After leading
Stony Brook to at least 20 wins in six of his last seven seasons and an NCAA
Tournament appearance, he came to a program that hadn’t been to the NCAA
Tournament since 1991. He had three below .500 seasons with Rutgers to start
his career, but then it all came together. Pikiell would have led the Knights
to three consecutive tournament berths if COVID hadn’t halted play in 2020,
which has not happened in program history. As a matter of fact, Rutgers had
only once made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances (1975-76) before making
it the past two seasons.
18. Jamie Dixon, TCU (445-207, 13 NCAA Tournament
appearances, two Sweet 16s, one Elite 8)—previous: 15
It was tough moving Dixon as well, as he led TCU to a second-round
appearance, where the Horned Frogs nearly, and perhaps should have, upset
top-seeded Arizona. The dominant 69-42 win over Seton Hall in the first round
was the first victory in the Big Dance since 1987. He took over a dormant
program after Trent Johnson couldn’t win in his four years with the program. TCU
only had one winning season and was a combined 8-64 in conference play, never
finishing higher than ninth in the conference under Johnson. Prior to Dixon,
TCU had not made either the NCAA Tournament or NIT since 2005, and not made the
Big Dance this millennium. He has led his alma mater to four 20-win seasons
with two trips to the NCAA Tournament. One thing he does need to do, though, is
finish above .500 in the Big 12, something he has not done quite yet.
17. Mike Brey, Notre Dame (571-311, 15 NCAA Tournament
appearances, one Sweet 16, two Elite 8s)—previous: 12
Another coach who was moved down despite a very successful
season. Brey’s Fighting Irish won 24 games, the most the program has won since
winning 26 in 2016-17. They also won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time
since that season as well, defeating Rutgers in double overtime in the First
Four and upsetting Alabama in the first round before falling to Texas Tech. Unfortunately,
in his 22 seasons in South Bend, he has advanced past the first weekend just
three times and time may be running out for him to get that elusive Final Four
appearance.
16. Mike White, Georgia (243-128, four NCAA Tournament
appearances, one Elite 8)—previous: 9
I think Mike White saw the writing on the wall that he was
in a do-or-die season at Florida, so he bolted to Georgia, a place where there
is no pressure because nobody really cares about basketball there. I mean,
their football team is the national champs and is off to a great start in 2022
as well, so that is understandable. After starting out his career with the
Gators with four consecutive seasons with at least 20 wins, he has yet to crack
that mark in his last three. He came from Louisiana Tech, where he found plenty
of success. In his final three years with Louisiana Tech, he led the Bulldogs
to 83 wins and a conference title all three years. However, he could not get
his team over the hump and into the Big Dance and had to settle for the NIT all
three seasons.
15. Randy Bennett, St. Mary’s (480-200, nine NCAA
Tournament appearances, one Sweet 16)—previous: 16
Bennett is kind of in an uphill climb to reach the Final
Four being at a school like St. Mary’s. He led the Gaels to a tremendous 26-8
season, reaching the second round of the tournament for the fourth time in his
tenure after destroying Indiana. He also led them to an upset of Gonzaga to
finish the regular season. Bennett took over a woeful St. Mary’s program and
has turned it into a powerful program, but I have a hard time seeing him take
St. Mary’s to the Final Four, so unless he goes to another program, I think he
may be on this list for awhile.
14. Ed Cooley, Providence (313-210, 6 NCAA Tournament
appearances, 1 Sweet 16)—previous: N/A
A new entrance to the list, Ed Cooley has done a masterful
job at Providence. After having a number of seasons of around 20 wins, Cooley
had his breakout season this past year, leading the Friars to a 27-8 record and
14-3 mark in conference play. In his first five tournament appearances, his
team only advanced past the first round once, but made it to the second weekend
in 2022 and put a scare into eventual national champion Kansas and actually had
the lead with under six minutes to play. Only time will tell if this was a
one-year wonder for Cooley or if he has something brewing.
13. Brian Dutcher, San Diego State (119-40, three NCAA
Tournament appearances)—previous: 13
Dutcher took over for Steve Fisher in 2017 and has not
skipped a beat. He has averaged nearly 24 wins a season in his five years but
has not yet made it past the first round. Granted, his team finished 30-2 with
Malachi Flynn in 2019-20, but the tournament was cancelled. But still, the team
was a No. 6 seed twice and a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament and has still not
won a game in the Big Dance. You can never say never, but his at his age (62)
after being an assistant under Fisher for so many years at Michigan and SDSU,
it may be tough to reach the Final Four without taking another job. He was
rumored to be in the running for a job at his alma mater (Minnesota), but
ultimately Ben Johnson got that job.
12. Nate Oats, Alabama (157-79, five NCAA Tournament
appearances, one Sweet 16)—previous: 14
After a fantastic second season at Alabama, his third season
saw his team go just 19-14 and get bounced in the first round of the tournament
by Notre Dame. After leading Buffalo to 59 wins and two NCAA Tournament
appearances his final two seasons there, the Watertown, Wis., native, left for
Alabama, where he guided the Tide to the Sweet 16 in 2021 for the first time
since 2004. Still just 47 years old, he has a chance to make his way off this
list in the next several years.
11. Andy Enfeld, USC (224-146, 5 NCAA Tournament
appearances, one Sweet 16, one Elite 8)—previous: N/A
I admit, I did not like USC’s hire of Enfeld when he was
brought in by the Trojans in 2013. I thought he was just a product of one great,
lucky, run by Florida Gulf Coast. But he took over a program that had just 20
wins in the previous two seasons, but he got to work and turned the program around.
After two subpar seasons to begin his tenure, he has won at least 20 games in
six of his last seven seasons, including a combined 51 his past two seasons. He
led the Trojans to the Elite 8 in 2021, losing to UCLA. As a No. 10 seed this
past season, his team was bounced by Miami by two. His program was close in
2021, so I wouldn’t put it past him to take a step further sometime.
10. Juwan Howard, Michigan (61-32, two NCAA Tournament
appearances, one Sweet 16, one Elite 8)—previous: 7
Mike Tyson…..errrr…..Juwan Howard led his team to the Sweet
16 as a No. 11 seed. He led the Wolverines a conference championship and trip
to the Elite 8 in 2021, but that is the only season in his three coached that his
team finished higher than seventh in the Big Ten standings. Taking over for a
legend in Jon Beilein is no easy task. Hunter Dickinson comes back, which will
help him. It will be interesting to see if he has another season like he had in
2020-21 if he decides to stay at his alma mater or if he takes his talent to
the NBA.
9. Buzz Williams, Texas A&M (300-192, eight NCAA
Tournament appearances, three Sweet 16s, one Elite 8)—previous: 6
Following two subpar seasons in his first two years in
College Station, his team finally broke out last year. While his team didn’t
make the tournament, his team did finish 27-13 and probably should have made
the dance. With Virginia Tech, he led the Hokies to the Sweet 16 for the first
time since 1966-67 and nearly knocked off Duke. Before Virginia Tech, he
averaged more than 23 wins per season with Marquette and made the Sweet 16
twice and an Elite 8. The former Mike McConathy assistant certainly has the
Aggies on the right track and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him reach the
Final Four at some point.
8. Tommy Lloyd, Arizona (33-4, one NCAA Tournament
appearance, one Sweet 16)—previous: N/A
I put Tommy this high since he led Arizona to a No. 1 seed
and a Sweet 16 appearance in his first season. I “only” put him at No. 8
because it is his first season and he’ll need a few more good seasons to show
this was not a fluke. With that being said, the program was in a bit of turmoil
when Sean Miller was fired. All Tommy Lloyd did was lead the Wildcats to a conference
regular season and tournament title and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. He
was looked at as a rising star in the coaching profession at Gonzaga and the
possible heir apparent once Mark Few retired. It just seems like it is a matter
of time before he reaches the Final Four. I will say, though, I said that about
Sean Miller a number of times, so we’ll see.
7. Greg Gard, Wisconsin (144-78, five NCAA Tournament
appearances, two Sweet 16s)—previous: 10
For the second time in three seasons, Greg Gard led the
Wisconsin Badgers to a regular season Big Ten championship. This time, it was
on an incredible banked in 3-pointer from Chucky Hepburn. Unfortunately, the
NCAA Tournament success hasn’t followed. After Hepburn got hurt against Iowa
State, Wisconsin lost in the second round of the tournament. However, if he
keeps having regular season success, the postseason success will eventually
come. I mean, his predecessor Bo Ryan didn’t go to the Final Four until 2014
and he had been coaching at UW since 2001-02. Most of the time, the Badgers
didn’t even advance to the second weekend. It will be interesting to see how
the Badgers perform without First Team All-American and Big Ten Player of the
Year Johnny Davis.
6. Brad Underwood, Illinois (203-93, six NCAA Tournament
appearances)—previous: 8
It was another successful regular season for Underwood, leading
Illinois to a conference regular season title, tying with Wisconsin, after
earning the conference tournament crown in 2021. But unfortunately, like most
of his buddies from the Big Ten, fell short in the NCAA Tournament, as Illinois
lost in the second round for the second consecutive season. After an incredible
run at Stephen F. Austin in which he led the Lumberjacks to an 89-14 record and
an incredible 53-1 conference record, he led the Oklahoma State Cowboys to the
tournament in 2017. It feels like just a matter of time for Underwood to break
through, although I say it with a lot of the coaches on this list. It will be a
bit more difficult without All-American Kofi Cockburn.
5. Chris Holtmann, Ohio State (221-141, seven NCAA
Tournament appearances, one Sweet 16)—previous: 4
Holtmann makes it three straight from the Big Ten. Holtmann
has always had good seasons with the Buckeyes, but not many standout seasons.
His OSU team was a No. 2 seed, despite going just 21-10, in 2021 and lost to
Oral Roberts in the first round. Under his watch, the Buckeyes have only won
more than 21 games once, and that was his first season (he has coached five at
OSU). He came to the Buckeyes from Butler, where he was hired to take over for
a Butler legend in Brad Stevens. Holtmann was 70-31 in three seasons and
reached the Sweet 16 in 2017. His overall record is a little deceiving, as he
turned around a Gardner-Webb program that had not had a winning record since
2005-06. In his first two seasons with the Runnin’ Bulldogs, they went 23-41
and did not finish higher than ninth in the Big South. However, in his third
season, he led them to a 21-13 record and a berth in the CIT.
4. Leonard Hamilton, Florida State (617-452, 11 NCAA
Tournament appearances, four Sweet 16s, one Elite 8)—previous: 3
After five really good seasons at Florida State, he had a
bit of a down year, one in which the Seminoles were just 17-14 and came in
eighth place in the ACC. But this doesn’t take away from what he has
accomplished in the past five years. The
Seminoles made it to the second weekend the three NCAA Tournaments prior to 2021-22.
At 74, he is the oldest coach on the list and it seems like he is getting
better with age. His head coaching career began in 1986 with Oklahoma State,
and he lasted four seasons with a 47 percent winning percentage. He went to
Miami for 10 years, turning around the program, and making the NCAA Tournament
his final three seasons with the Hurricanes. In 2002-03, he went to Tallahassee
and turned things around. In 2018, he led them to their first Elite 8 in 25
years. One must wonder how many years he has left in him.
3. Eric Musselman, Arkansas (183-62, five NCAA Tournament
appearances, one Sweet 16, two Elite 8s)—previous: 5
Musselman has improved every year he has been Arkansas. This
past season, he led the Razorbacks to a 28-9 record and trip to the Elite 8 for
the second straight season, falling to top-seeded Duke. Musselman came to
Fayetteville after beginning his collegiate head coaching career at Nevada. In
his first season there, he rebuilt the Wolfpack after a 9-22 season. He led
Nevada to a 15-win increase in 2015-16 and a CBI championship. In his next
three seasons, he led them to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and
a berth in the Sweet 16 in 2018. Musselman has proven he is worthy of this job
and may exit this list sooner rather than later.
2. Matt Painter, Purdue (409-197, 14 NCAA Tournament
appearances, five Sweet 16s, one Elite 8)—previous: 2
At some point Matt Painter will lead his Boilermakers to a
Final Four, right? In 2022, everything seemed to be rolling his way. In his
bracket, No. 2 Kentucky lost in the first round, No. 1 Baylor lost in the
second round and No. 4 UCLA lost in the Sweet 16. The Boilers had to beat No.
15 St. Peter’s and No. 8 North Carolina to reach the elusive Final Four. But
Purdue was upset by three against St. Peter’s. Everything seemed to be there
for them and the Boilers blew it. But on the bright side, people thought the
same about Tony Bennett after his Cavaliers lost blowing a double-digit lead to
Syracuse in the Elite 8 in 2016. Three years later, the Cavs won it all. People
were saying the same stuff about Bennett that they’re saying about Painter
right now. His time will eventually come.
1. 1. Sean Miller, Xavier (278-133, nine NCAA Tournament appearances, three Sweet 16s, one Elite 8)—previous: N/A
From 2017-20, Sean Miller took home the top spot on this
list. After not coaching last year, he relinquished the top spot. Now, after he
is back with Xavier, he re-claims the dubious top spot on this list. Before being
fired by Arizona, he was a monster there, going 302-109 in 12 seasons, winning
at least 30 games four times. It seems like he is snake bit, however. Going to
four Elite 8s and not winning one will make it seem that way. It does not help
that two of the best teams Miller has had ran into Frank Kaminsky in the Elite
8. At some point, though, Miller will break through, you’d think. It is a
mystery how he has yet to reach the Final Four. I know I have been saying this
for awhile, but it is just a matter of time for him, but it became tougher at a
program like Xavier than it was at Arizona.
