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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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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 10: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers reacts after defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels 71-63 during the championship game of the 2018 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 10, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 10: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers reacts after defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels 71-63 during the championship game of the 2018 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 10, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

10. Tony Bennett – Virginia Cavaliers

Career wins: 288 – NCAA Tournament appearances 8

Best result: Elite Eight with Virginia in 2016

A multiple time National Coach of the Year winner, Bennett has risen to the point where there have been conversations about whether he’s the best in the ACC? Even with Duke and North Carolina still around. He’s currently considered the best defensive coach in all of college basketball, putting up historical numbers on that end with the Cavaliers.

Even back to his days at Washington State, Bennett has shown an ability to maximize a talent-deficient team and make them into a tournament contender. For a non-Duke and UNC team to dominate the ACC in the way Virginia has done is one of the best accomplishments outside of March Madness. Imagine what happens when he gets even better offensive talent to come to him.

9. Bob Huggins – West Virginia Mountaineers

Career wins: 773 – NCAA Tournament appearances: 24

Best result: Final Four with Cincinnati in 1992 and West Virginia in 2010

In over 30 seasons of work with three programs (Akron, Cincinnati, and West Virginia), teams coached by Huggins finished with less than 20 wins just five times. And although Bennett may have passed him up in terms of defensive reputation, Huggins’ teams have been nothing to sneeze at.

Everywhere he’s gone those programs have had their most successful seasons, including most recently taking the Mountaineers to four straight Sweet Sixteen appearances for the first time. Might not be the friendliest man on TV, but Huggins knows what he’s doing.

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