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NCAA Basketball: Ranking the Top 25 Active Head Coaches in 2018

By Tristan Freeman

SYRACUSE, NY - FEBRUARY 22: Head coach Jim Boeheim of the Syracuse Orange and head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils embrace after the game on February 22, 2017 at The Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. Syracuse upsets Duke 78-75. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NY - FEBRUARY 22: Head coach Jim Boeheim of the Syracuse Orange and head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils embrace after the game on February 22, 2017 at The Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. Syracuse upsets Duke 78-75. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /
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DURHAM, NC – MARCH 03: (L-R) Head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils talks to head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels before their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 3, 2018 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC – MARCH 03: (L-R) Head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils talks to head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels before their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 3, 2018 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

2. Roy Williams – North Carolina Tar Heels

Career wins: 842 – NCAA Tournament appearances: 28

Best result: National Championships with North Carolina in 2005, 2009, and 2017

The tenure alone at Kansas would be good enough to get Williams on this list, as he started the great era of basketball at Allen Fieldhouse before Self arrived. But it was his next move that solidified him as an all-time great.

He moved to North Carolina and became arguably to the only coach who could go toe-to-toe with the man No. 1 on his list. Only six men all-time can say that they have three national titles in their careers, and Williams is one of them. And he’s done it for the most part without having “one-and-done” players on the roster.

The Tar Heels are consistently one of the best teams in the nation under Williams whose great success with two different programs can’t be matched by any living coach.

1. Mike Krzyzewski – Duke Blue Devils

Career wins: 1100 – NCAA Tournament appearances: 33

Best result: National Championships with Duke in 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015

The active titles leader with four, Krzyzewski was nearly fired after a few difficult seasons at Duke in the early 80’s. Good thing they stood by him, as 1000 wins later the Blue Devils have become the premier program in NCAA Basketball.

The cool thing about Coach K has been how he’s changed his philosophy when it comes to recruiting. He’s embraced the “one-and-done”  era, and have brought in historical recruiting classes. And likely Calipari, it’s gone very successful when it comes to meshing in big talents and egos.

Next: 10 graduating seniors that will be missed the most

Having singlehandedly built a program from the ground up, Coach K has made Duke what it is today. Based on the preseason polls of the last few years, the question isn’t “if” but “when” he’ll get his sixth elusive ring, putting him in the conversation for greatest of all time.

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