Busting Brackets
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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 /
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Mar 5, 2016; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Louisville Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino gestures from he bench against the Virginia Cavaliers in the first half at John Paul Jones Arena. The Cavaliers won 68-46. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2016; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Louisville Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino gestures from he bench against the Virginia Cavaliers in the first half at John Paul Jones Arena. The Cavaliers won 68-46. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Rick Pitino (Louisville)

Career record: 743-258 (74.2%)
Record at Louisville: 391-134 (74.5%)
NCAA Tournament appearances: 20
Final Fours: 7
National Championships: 2

Rick Pitino has led four different schools to the NCAA Tournament in his Hall of Fame career that spans back to the mid-70s.

He’s the only coach in NCAA history to win a National Championship with multiple schools and take three different programs to the Final Four (unless you count John Calipari’s Final Four at Massachusetts that was later vacated).

Over the course of his 30-year head coaching career, he’s averaged nearly 25 wins per season. His 743 career wins rank fourth among active coaches. If not for the eight years he spent in the NBA, he’d be near the top of the wins list.

Regardless, he doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.

He won a national title at Louisville in 2013 and continually brings in top-shelf talent that keeps his program nationally relevant every season.

This season, he welcomes in McDonald’s All-American V.J. King and Penn transfer Tony Hicks, both of which should play important roles for the Cardinals this year.

And although the rest of Louisville’s roster is largely unrecognizable outside of the KFC Yum Center, Pitino has a special way of utilizing talent and getting the most out of his teams.

Don’t expect a down year in Louisville.