120. Nathan Davis (Bucknell)
- Overall record 72-36
A very successful D-III head coach at Randolph-Macon, Davis has done great things for Bucknell since being hired in 2015. He’s 45-9 in Patriot League play, and has led the Bison into the last two NCAA Tournaments. They haven’t pulled off an opening round upset, but perhaps that could be in the near future, unless another program gobbles Davis up.
119. Brian Dutcher (San Diego State)
- Overall record 27-13
A longtime assistant under Steve Fisher, Dutcher was promoted to head coach of San Diego State in 2017. After finishing fourth in the Mountain West, his Aztecs won the conference tournament, an impressive first year for Dutcher. They might not compete with Nevada this year, but Dutcher’s a solid coach and this program should continue to be a contender for NCAA bids.
118. Bob Marlin (Louisiana)
- Overall record 385-245
Marlin spent 12 years as head coach of Sam Houston State before being hired by Louisiana-Lafayette in 2010. Despite making just three NCAA Tournaments, his career record is very solid, and his Ragin’ Cajuns should have made the Dance last season, falling in the Sun Belt tournament to Georgia State.
117. Mark Schmidt (St. Bonaventure)
- Overall record 277-247
A former assistant under Skip Prosser, Schmidt also spent six years leading Robert Morris before his hiring by St. Bonaventure in 2007. He has two NCAA Tournament appearances under his belt and he’s had the Bonnies very competitive in recent years, 68-29 the last three seasons. His team won’t be quite as potent this season, but Schmidt is a solid coach.
116. Dan Majerle (Grand Canyon)
- Overall record 108-61
After fourteen years playing in the NBA and five as an assistant, Majerle made his coaching debut when hired to lead Grand Canyon in 2013. He’s turned the new D-I program into a yearly contender in the WAC, though they’ve yet to break through and make the NCAA Tournament. Whichever way you look at it, 103 wins in a team’s first five years in D-I is solid and Majerle should make that break through with the Antelopes very soon.
115. Kyle Keller (Stephen F. Austin)
- Overall record 51-24
Keller took the Stephen F. Austin job in 2016 and has continued Brad Underwood’s momentum with the program in his first head coaching position. After a struggle in his first year, the Lumberjacks were back in the NCAA Tournament last season and are the heavy favorites to do so again. If this keeps up, Keller will have an opportunity to jump to a more prestigious job within the next few years.
114. Jim Christian (Boston College)
- Overall record 296-239
Christian was hired at Boston College in 2014 and already has 16 years of D-I head coaching experience under his belt. After a successful six seasons with Kent State, Christian spent four years at TCU and two more at Ohio before the Eagles hired him. After struggling initially, Christian actually led the Eagles to an NIT bid an above .500 season in 2018. Time will tell if he can turn Boston College back into a competitive program, but they’ve been dwelling in the ACC basement for almost a decade.
113. Scott Nagy (Wright State)
- Overall record 216-124
Following 21 successful years as head coach of South Dakota State, Nagy took the Wright State job in 2016. He led the Jackrabbits to a hoard of D-II success before transitioning to D-I and making three NCAA Tournaments at that level. Even more impressively, it took him just two seasons to lead Wright State to the Tourney and has them competitive already in the Horizon League. Next up for Nagy could be knocking someone off in the NCAA Tournament.
112. Nate Oats (Buffalo)
- Overall record 71-39
After a long stint at Romulus HS in Detroit, Oats took an assistant coaching position under Bobby Hurley at Buffalo. He was promoted to head coach in 2015 following Hurley’s exodus, and he has the Bulls blossoming. Two NCAA Tournament appearances already on the resume, his 13-seed Bulls knocked off Arizona in last year’s Tournament. His team could definitely win the MAC again and Oats could be highly sought after when the offseason comes around.
111. Ryan Odom (UMBC)
- Overall record 59-39
Odom was interim head coach of Charlotte in 2015, spent a year at D-II Lenoir-Rhyme before being hired by UMBC in 2016. His record is impressive, but we all know what his biggest accomplish has been. 16-seed UMBC’s upset over #1 Virginia in the 2018 NCAA Tournament was as improbably a win as we’ve ever seen. Odom stayed at UMBC for a third year, but he’ll yearly be in the talks for bigger jobs.