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
14 of 16
Next
Mar 24, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Bennett at a press conference during practice the day before the semifinals of the Midwest regional of the NCAA Tournament at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 24, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Bennett at a press conference during practice the day before the semifinals of the Midwest regional of the NCAA Tournament at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Tony Bennett (Virginia)

Career record: 234-105 (69.0%)
Record at Virginia: 165-72 (69.5%)
NCAA Tournament appearances: 6
Final Fours: 0
National Championships: 0

Tony Bennett doesn’t have the overall resume that some of the other coaches in the conference have, but give him some time.

Bennett has become known as one of the best defensive coaches in the nation. Combine that with his ability to recruit top-end talent to Virginia, and you’ve got the makings of another future Hall of Fame ACC coach.

Bennett’s Cavaliers have appeared in three straight NCAA Tournaments, earning two one-seeds and a two-seed. They’ve won 30, 30 and 29 games the last three seasons, respectively. They’ve also finished atop the ACC standings twice in the last three years.

Bennett has yet to reach a Final Four though, coming up just one game short last season. Once he reaches that plateau, he’ll be one step closer to solidifying himself as one of the top coaches in the game today.

Going into the 2016-2017 season, Virginia loses All-American Malcolm Brogdon, but returns the nucleus of a team built to go deep into March. Bennett also brings in his first top-10 recruiting class and elite Memphis transfer Austin Nichols.

It’s conceivable that UVA could be better this year than any other season under Bennett. And that’s scary for the rest of the ACC.