Busting Brackets
Fansided

ACC Basketball: Ranking the coaches in NCAA’s top conference

By Blake Cockrum

Apr 4, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams looks on during the second half against the Villanova Wildcats in the championship game of the 2016 NCAA Men's Final Four at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 4, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams looks on during the second half against the Villanova Wildcats in the championship game of the 2016 NCAA Men's Final Four at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
10 of 16
Next
Mar 27, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Mike Brey reacts during the first half in the championship game in the East regional of the NCAA Tournament against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 27, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Mike Brey reacts during the first half in the championship game in the East regional of the NCAA Tournament against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

7. Mike Brey (Notre Dame)

Career record: 455-229 (66.5%)
Record at Notre Dame: 356-177 (66.8%)
NCAA Tournament appearances: 13
Final Fours: 0
National Championships: 0

Mike Brey has led his teams to 13 NCAA Tournaments, but his success in the Big Dance has been limited for the majority of his career.

More from ACC

That hasn’t been the case the last two years, advancing to the Elite Eight in both 2015 and 2016. Unfortunately for the Irish, their bids for Final Four appearances were cut short by Kentucky and North Carolina, respectively.

And although Brey hasn’t been able to capture the elusive Final Four that he’s been looking for, his team’s have been competitive at the conference level and more recently on a national stage.

One also has to consider the fact that competition in the ACC is stiff and margin for error is slim – particularly when teams like Duke and North Carolina continue to bring in top-ranked recruiting classes each year.

That’s not to say that Brey hasn’t brought in some very nice players, because he has. But rather than relying on star power, he’s had to utilize the personnel he’s had and focus on their individual skill sets. He’s very good at optimizing talent and never afraid to play his style of basketball, despite who the opponent is.

Speaking of star power, Notre Dame loses some of theirs this season with the graduation of big man Zach Auguste. Expectations will understandably be down from last year, but the Irish will still finish in the top half of the ACC.