NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 353 D-I head coaches for 2018-19

Joey Loose

LAWRENCE, KS - JANUARY 30: Head coach John Calipari of the Kentucky Wildcats and head coach Bill Self of the Kansas Jayhawks greet each other prior to the game at Allen Fieldhouse on January 30, 2016 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Villanova Basketball wins the 2018 NCAA Basketball championship — (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images)

There are 353 D-I NCAA Basketball programs, each of them with a head coach leading their program. How would we rank all of these head coaches and which coaches stand out more than others?

Each and every NCAA Basketball season brings new headlines and new stars into the fold. We remember names like Adam Morrison, Tyler Hansbrough, and Kris Jenkins, but they all eventually graduate and move on. Every program features a completely new set of players every four years, but there’s one constant for some programs: the coaches.

There are all sorts of head coaches in today’s game, a combination of living legends and young guys just getting their careers started. There have been many attempts to rank some of the greatest (or worst) coaches in college basketball, though most of these lists just focus on a few select coaches. This article will examine and attempt to rank every single one of those 353 head coaches.

Devising a methodology to rank all of them is virtually impossible, so the following was used as a baseline. Certain statistics such as career winning percentage, NCAA Tournament success, conference championships, and expectations for the 2018-19 season were all taken into account. There may be some coaches who seem too high or too low, but any coach can see a drastic change in the ranking with one good or bad season. Most information was gathered from Sports Reference and future projections were taken from KenPom’s ratings.

Without further ado, let’s dive into the rankings, understanding that there is a lot of ground to cover.

*Overall records are up through Dec. 4, 2018

353. Lance Irvin (Chicago State)

Overall record: 2-8

The first year head coach enters a troubling situation all around at Chicago State with no head coaching experience, though he has nearly two decades of experience as a D-I assistant, most recently with Southern Illinois in 2012. Having spent the last six seasons as a high school assistant, this is quite the jump for Irvin, but there’s nowhere to go but up for the Cougars.

352. Richard Barron (Maine)

Overall record 0-8

One of the strangest coaching hires of 2018, Richard Barron recently spent six seasons as the women’s basketball coach at Maine. He can boast 15 years as a women’s assistant coach but he’s never worked in D-I men’s basketball. Maine isn’t a great program and Barron faces a challenge turning things around.

351. Carson Cunningham (Incarnate Word)

Overall record: 4-5

Another first year head coach, Cunningham joins Incarnate Word after spending the last five seasons at NAIA Carroll College of Montana, where he had decent success. Before that, his only experience was six seasons at Andrean HS in northwest Indiana. There hasn’t been a lot of success for Incarnate Word, but Cunningham could jump up this list in the future if he can win games in San Antonio.

350. Dylan Howard (Alabama A&M)

Overall record 0-8

Elevated to interim head coach for the 2018-19 season, Howard boasts eight years of D-III head coaching experience at Hardin-Simmons and North Park. He also has experience as an assistant at Robert Morris and Morehead State, but he’s heading up a dismal SWAC program, so don’t expect big things in his interim season.

349. Tony Pujol (North Alabama)

Overall record 2-6

A former high school basketball coach from Miami, Pujol spent eight years under Anthony Grant at VCU and Alabama. Two years at Wyoming preceded his current hiring at North Alabama in April 2018, a school in their first year of D-I basketball. Pujol does boast a dozen years of D-I experience, which makes me believe once he gets his bearings, he could prove to be a good hire.

348. Eric Skeeters (Delaware State)

Overall record 2-7

Hired back in July, Skeeters spent the last two seasons as an assistant at UMBC, on staff when the Retrievers upset #1 seed Virginia. He spent the last two and a half decades bouncing around various D-I coaching staffs, but this isn’t the ideal situation to start a career at an unstable program.

347. Andre Payne (Mississippi Valley State)

Overall record 27-113

Payne has been with MVSU since 2014 but not much has happened since his hiring, just 25-106 in those four seasons. He does boast 13 years as an NAIA head coach (5 years at Texas College, 8 years at Wiley), but neither of those stints was extraordinary.

346. Darrell Walker (Little Rock)

Overall record 4-4

The former head coach of the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards only finds himself this low because he has no experience as a college coach and Little Rock really struggled since Chris Beard left in 2016. As long as he doesn’t have an Isiah Thomas-like tenure, things should go smoothly for the Trojans in the near future.

345. Jean Prioleau (San Jose State)

Overall record 5-32

Prioleau has served on the staffs of coaches like Mark Turgeon, Tom Crean, Greg McDermott, Jim Christian, and Tad Boyle, but San Jose State is a struggling program, going just 4-26 in his first year last season. Expectations are low for the Spartans but there’s only so much Prioleau can do at the worst program in the Mountain West.

344. Austin Claunch (Nicholls State)

Overall record 5-4

Claunch just took over this year from Richie Riley, who departed to take the South Alabama job. Simply put, he doesn’t have a lot of experience. He’s only 29, has served just two years as a full-time assistant (the last two seasons at Nicholls), and might not be able to continue the moment that Riley left with the program.

343. Dan Earl (VMI)

Overall record 29-70

Before being hired by VMI in 2015, Earl had spent nine years on the staff of Ed DeChellis, for five seasons at Penn State before following him to Navy in 2011. Unfortunately, he’s just 24-66 and has yet to compete in the Southern Conference, with the same low expectations continuing in his fourth year.

342. Mike Balado (Arkansas State)

Overall record 13-26

We begin year two for Balado at Arkansas State, though fans will want more than an 11-21 season in the future. He joined the program after spending the last four years with Rick Pitino at Louisville. Much of his previous coaching experience came as an assistant in the southeast, so at least he should be able to recruit the area.

341. Jon Harris (SIU-Edwardsville)

Overall record 22-72

Harris came to SIU-Edwardsville after spending seven years as an assistant to Cuonzo Martin, at Missouri State, Tennessee, and California. Even though much isn’t expected of this OVC program, going 21-67 in his first three seasons is pretty underwhelming.

340. Murray Garvin (South Carolina State)

Overall record 63-115

His tenure started midway through the 2012-13 season, but since then Garvin has led the Bulldogs to nothing too extraordinary. He does boast a CIT appearance after a solid 2016 season, but there’s also that disappointing 62-107 record.

339. Jack Murphy (Northern Arizona)

Overall record 70-132

Hired in 2012, Murphy’s six years in Northern Arizona have been very up and down, following up a runner-up finish in the 2015 CIT with three abysmal seasons. The former Denver Nuggets assistant is just 19-75 over the last three seasons; doing that again in his seventh year would not be advisable.

338. David McLaughlin (Dartmouth)

Overall record 18-44

After some decent work with D-II Stonehill (2004-2013), and three seasons as an assistant at Northeastern, McLaughlin was hired to lead Dartmouth in 2016. A pair of 7-20 seasons have followed and the Big Green have yet to look competitive in the Ivy League, though they haven’t won the conference since 1959.

337. Dustin Kerns (Presbyterian)

Overall record 15-25

Kerns took over in 2017 after serving as an assistant at Wofford and Santa Clara among other places. His 11-21 debut season wasn’t abysmal, but it’ll take time for him to build a competent program; Presbyterian hasn’t yet made the Tourney in their brief time as a D-I program.

336. Rick Croy (Cal Baptist)

Overall record 4-4

Entering his sixth year at Cal Baptist, Croy will lead this program in their first year in D-I, while he also boasts three years as an assistant under Randy Bennett at Saint Mary’s. He made the D-II NCAA Tournament in his first five seasons with the Lancers, but life in D-I is much rougher.

335. Dan Engelstad (Mount St. Mary’s)

Overall record 0-7

Five decent years at D-III Southern Vermont preceded Engelstad’s hiring in May 2018, returning to the school he was an assistant at from 2007-2010. As long as he can build on the progress established by Jamion Christian (who left for Siena), things can go well for Engelstad, though he’s young and relatively inexperienced at the D-I level.

334. Billy Wright (Western Illinois)

Overall record 42-77

Prior to his hiring in 2014, Wright’s only head coaching experience was at Pike High School in Indianapolis. Things haven’t gone smoothly, just 38-73 four years in. Wright attended nearby Bradley and spent five years as an assistant at WIU from 2008-2013, but he’ll need to produce better results to keep his job.

333. Jimmy Allen (Army)

Overall record 30-41

Now in his third year at Army, Allen is no closer than any of his predecessors at leading the Black Knights to their first NCAA Tournament. Serving six solid years turning around D-III Averett, Allen is just 26-36 at Army, having also spent six years as an assistant before being elevated to the top job.

332. Pat Duquette (UMass Lowell)

Overall record 61-96

Having spent thirteen years under Al Skinner at Boston College and three more years at Northeastern, Duquette was hired at UMass Lowell in 2013, right when the program jumped to D-I. Just 56-91 since then, things haven’t been awful, but he hasn’t been close to competing in the America East.

331. Jay Joyner (North Carolina A&T)

Overall record 30-55

Joyner took over in January 2016 and was given the full-time job at North Carolina A&T. He started just 8-34 before a solid 2018 season led to a CIT appearance and things are looking up for the Aggies.

330. Jerrod Calhoun (Youngstown State)

Overall record 11-30

Calhoun, who spent six seasons coaching under Bob Huggins, spent five years heading D-II Fairmont State before heading to Youngstown in 2017. The programs hasn’t produced much success in recent times, and Calhoun limped to an 8-24 in year one, with some optimism for the future; though the ceiling at Youngstown isn’t very high.

329. Brian Collins (Tennessee State)

Overall record 2-5

Hired in 2018, the former ETSU and Illinois State assistant also boasts three successful years heading Columbia State CC (where Jay Joyner was his predecessor). With former coach Dana Ford off to Missouri State, Collins has a chance to build something solid in the OVC before he likely also leaves for a different job.

328. Dusty May (Florida Atlantic)

Overall record 6-2

Having spent the last seven years as an assistant to Mike White at both Louisiana Tech and Florida, May was hired in 2018 to lead an FAU program that couldn’t make the Tourney under Mike Jarvis, Matt Doherty or former Detroit Pistons coach Michael Curry. He has his work cut out for him, though he did play for Bob Knight at Indiana.

327. Clifford Reed (Maryland-Eastern Shore)

Overall record 126-175

Reed is another interim head coach, but he spent nine and a half years as head man as Bethune-Cookman as well (2002-2011). Nothing is guaranteed in an interim year at a struggling MEAC program, but he did end up 125-167 with Bethune-Cookman. If he can improve on last year’s 7-25 record in Bobby Collins’ last year, then maybe he can keep the full-time job.

326. Montez Robinson (Alcorn State)

Overall record 46-56

His 44-50 record in three years at Alcorn State is pretty solid, but the team was 8th in the SWAC last season and struggled. He has 13 years of assistant coaching experience, though it’s mostly at Kennesaw State and Bethune-Cookman (not under Reed), and it’s hard to imagine him doing big things at Alcorn State.

325. David Patrick (UC Riverside)

Overall record 2-7

Another first year head coach, the godfather of Ben Simmons came to UC Riverside after four years an assistant at LSU and two years with Jamie Dixon at TCU. He probably doesn’t have any more godchildren to build up his program, but the Australian does have an extensive recruiting pipeline to tap into, and the Big West is a place he can build a winning program.

324. A. W. Hamilton (Eastern Kentucky)

Overall record 4-4

Before his hiring this season, most of Hamilton’s experience came at Hargrave Military Academy. He spent five years as an assistant to Kevin Keatts before spending six years as the head coach himself, leaving in 2017 to join Keatts at NC State. EKU has struggled in recent years, so Hamilton has quite a job ahead of him, but he’s capable of turning a Keatts-like turnaround.

323. Juan Dixon (Coppin State)

Overall record 5-36

Former Terrapin and NBA point guard Juan Dixon enters year two at Coppin State, ending last year at just 5-27. Though the record was bad, it takes time to build an MEAC team up and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Dixon end up at a slightly better school within a few years.

322. Scott Pera (Rice)

Overall record 10-30

Named Mike Rhoades’ successor in 2017, Pera’s first year at Rice ended at just 7-24. The former Pennsylvania high school coach has also spent six years with Herb Sendek at Arizona State, while also spending time at Penn and at Rice. Maybe not completely a knock on Pera, but Rice is just not expected to be good and it will take quite an effort to change that.

321. Chris Ogden (UT-Arlington)

Overall record 3-5

Ogden is another first year coach taking over an underachieving program. He played for and spent eight years coaching under Rick Barnes before spending the last two seasons aiding Chris Beard at Texas Tech. He’s relatively young and it might take a few years for him to develop as a good head coach.

AMES, IA – DECEMBER 9: Head coach Kareem Richardson of the UKMC Kangaroos directs his team from the bench in the first half of play against gthe Iowa State Cyclones at Hilton Coliseum on December 9, 2014 in Ames, Iowa. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images)

320. Wayne Brent (Jackson State)

Overall record 69-102

Brent won four state titles in six years at Callaway High School in Jackson before the local university snatched him up in 2013. He’s just 68-95 in his first five seasons and his only previous full-time D-I experience was four years assisting at Ole Miss. He does have a CIT appearance on his resume, but went just 12-20 last season, and it’s hard to build a winning tradition in the SWAC.

319. Jason Gardner (IUPUI)

Overall record 53-80

Four seasons under .500 have greeted Gardner since he was named head coach in 2014. He got the job following a long international playing career and a few years assisting Porter Moser and Josh Pastner. IUPUI recently moved to the Horizon League but that transition could lead to even more struggles for this Jaguars program.

318. Mike Martin (Brown)

Overall record 79-103

Martin played for Brown in the early 2000’s and spent a year as an assistant coach there, so his hiring in 2012 wasn’t a big surprise. Unfortunately, he’s only finished in the top half of the Ivy League once in those six years.

317. Kevin Nickelberry (Howard)

Overall record 133-223

Hired at Howard in 2010, Nickelberry also spent three years as the head coach of Hampton plus a year coaching the Libya national team. Regardless, he’s just 128-221 and has never sniffed the postseason in his first 11 years as a D-I head coach, though his program could still catch fire in a winnable MEAC.

316. Jared Grasso (Bryant)

Overall record 3-27

The longtime Iona assistant, Grasso begins his first year as head coach at Bryant. His track record includes a dismal 1-22 run as Fordham’s interim head coach in 2010, but that’s not all on him. He has assistant coaching experience also at Hofstra, Hartford, and Quinnipiac (his alma mater), and he’s definitely one of the best hires Bryant could’ve made this offseason.

315. Mark Prosser (Western Carolina)

Overall record 2-7

Son of the late Skip Prosser, he begins his first year at Western Carolina. He has one year of head coaching experience, an abysmal season at D-II Brevard, followed by the last six years as an assistant at Winthrop. He could very well turn into a great head coach, but he’s not his father, not yet anyway.

314. Corey Williams (Stetson)

Overall record 52-117

After a brief career as an NBA point guard, Williams spent time as an assistant under Scott Sutton and Leonard Hamilton (who he played for at Oklahoma State). The former Florida State assistant was hired by Stetson in 2013 and the results simply haven’t been there. Williams is just 51-109 after five seasons, and the Hatters have never finished higher than seventh in the Atlantic Sun.

313. Ron Cottrell (Houston Baptist)

Overall record 89-164

Cottrell has seen his fair share of success in leading Houston Baptist since 1991. The program was dominant in NAIA but is just 87-160 since joining D-I. Cottrell is a solid coach and the Huskies have been in the postseason two of the last three years, but the ceiling isn’t very high for this team.

312. Byron Smith (Prairie View A&M)

Overall record 36-51

Since being named head coach in January 2016, things have been slowly improving for Smith and Prairie View A&M, with each season better than the last. Most of his coaching background comes as an assistant at various Texas schools but he also spent a year as head coach of the Harlem Globetrotters, for what that’s worth.

311. Kareem Richardson (UMKC)

Overall record 66-104

Richardson came to UMKC in 2013 after many stops as an assistant coach, including spending a year each with Chris Mack and Rick Pitino. Outside of a solid 2017 with a CBI bid, things have not gone smoothly, and his career record sits at just 64-97.

310. Tommy Dempsey (Binghamton)

Overall record 169-248

At age 44, Dempsey already has extensive head coaching experience, spending three years at the junior college level and 7 seasons at Rider before being hired by Binghamton in 2012. Inheriting a program in rough shape, he has started to turn things around, though the Bearcats are just 47-138 in his first six seasons.

309. Chris Casey (Niagara)

Overall record 54-114

Three years apiece as head coach of Rutgers-Newark and LIU Post preceded Casey’s hiring at Niagara in 2013, but he’s only just starting to put something together. He’s just 51-110 in five seasons, but that includes 19-14 with a CIT appearance last season, so he and this team is trending upward.

308. Brian Katz (Sacramento State)

Overall record 115-191

Hired in 2008 after 19 years as a junior college head coach, Katz has had difficulties in Sacramento. He’s got a 111-190 record and has only finished once in the top five of the Big Sky. He’s also an alumnus of the school, but he might be running out of time.

307. Preston Spradlin (Morehead State)

Overall record 23-35

Spradlin became interim head coach after the dismissal of Sean Woods late in 2016, but after 2017 ended greatly, the team sputtered in his first full-time season, finishing just 8-21 and last in the OVC. He also spent five years as grad assistant/director of basketball operations under John Calipari, but he is still really young, just turning 30 a few years ago. He’s got a bright future but a lot to learn.

306. Donyell Marshall (Central Connecticut)

Overall record 24-46

The former #4 overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft enters his third year heading the Blue Devils. 20-41 isn’t impressive, but his win total more than doubled in year two (6 to 14) and he can definitely build a program that can compete in the NEC.

305. Scott Padgett (Samford)

Overall record 64-78

Another former first round pick, Padgett played eight years in the NBA before getting into coaching, spending time as an assistant at Kentucky, Manhattan, and Samford before being promoted to the head coaching job in 2014. After a slow start, things went well for Samford in 2017 (20-16 and a CIT bid) but last year (10-22) was a step in the wrong direction.

304. Mike Brennan (American)

Overall record 67-96

Brennan played for Pete Carril at Princeton and served as an assistant at his alma mater, at American, and at Georgetown before being hired in 2013. That first season featured an NCAA Tournament appearance, but American was blasted 75-35 by Wisconsin, and things have been downhill for Brennan ever since, his win total dropping with each subsequent season.

303. Rob Krimmel (St. Francis PA)

Overall record 82-112

Krimmel is a Red Flash through and through, spending the last 23 years as player, assistant, and then head coach for St. Francis. Head coach since 2012, he’s had the Red Flash in the CIT three of the last four years, but has yet to win the NEC during his time there.

302. Lew Hill (UTRGV)

Overall record 31-44

Hill was hired in 2016 after spending twelve years an assistant to Lon Kruger at both UNLV and Oklahoma, a total of 26 years of D-I assistant coaching in his career. He’s 25-40 in his first two years but he’s also stuck in the WAC, though a CBI bid in 2018 might be the sign of better things to come.

301. Dave Dickerson (USC Upstate)

Overall record 70-90

Having spent five years as the head coach of Tulane (71-85 from 2005-10), Dickerson begins his first year at USC Upstate, having bounced around as both an assistant (nine at Maryland, seven at Ohio State) and as a scout for the Utah Jazz. USC Upstate has seen very little success since joining D-I so Dickerson will have his work cut out for him.

300. Mark Montgomery (Northern Illinois)

Overall record 92-136

Having spent nine years as an assistant under Tom Izzo, Montgomery was hired by Northern Illinois in 2011 and has definitely struggled. Expectations aren’t super high in the MAC, but things have gone better after winning just 10 games in first two years. Unfortunately, they’ve never been higher than 3rd in the MAC West and that trend might not change this year either.

299. Anthony Latina (Sacred Heart)

Overall record 59-106

After 18 years as an assistant coach (the last 8 at Sacred Heart), Latina was promoted to head coach in 2013, but hasn’t done anything impressive in his first 5 years. He’s just 55-101 and has no postseason appearances, but he’s another head coach who can’t really do much in the NEC.

298. Jeremy Ballard (Florida International)

Overall record 7-2

A former assistant at VCU and Pitt (among other places), Ballard begins the first year of his head coaching career, tasked to rebuild a Sun Belt team that has had considerable struggles. Under .500 each of the last five seasons, FIU is at least in better shape than when Isiah Thomas was running the program, and Ballard definitely has a chance to thrive in southern Florida.

297. Todd Simon (Southern Utah)

Overall record 32-55

Simon took the Southern Utah job in 2016 after spending five nonconsecutive years at UNLV, including a brief stint as interim head coach. He followed a 6-27 debut season with a much healthier 13-19 mark and definitely has this program trending in the right direction.

296. Shaheen Holloway (Saint Peter’s)

Overall record 2-6

After seven years playing internationally and 11 years as an assistant under Kevin Willard, Holloway begins year one with the Peacocks, hoping to build on a program that won the CIT in 2017. He’s definitely familiar with the area, having graduated from Seton Hall before working both there and at Iona, and he’s in a great position for future success.

295. Brian Kennedy (NJIT)

Overall record 33-38

Nephew of former DePaul coach Pat Kennedy (under whom he worked as an assistant), Brian begins his third season as the head man at NJIT, having spent the previous seven seasons as an assistant. NJIT as a whole has come a long way this past decade and Kennedy is in a position to continue that growth, though he was under .500 in each of his first two seasons.

294. Horace Broadnax (Savannah State)

Overall record 216-323

It’s now or never for Broadnax, Savannah State had coach since 2005, for a program departing D-I at the end of the year. He also has five years’ experience as head coach of Bethune-Cookman, but Broadnax is just 213-323 without any NCAA Tournament bids.

293. Brian Fish (Montana State)

Overall record 52-81

Fish was hired by Montana State in 2014 after an extensive assistant coaching career, including 15 years under Dana Altman at four different schools. He’s 50-75 in his first four years without any postseason bids, though that probably won’t change in year five.

292. Joe Golding (Abilene Christian)

Overall record 71-92

Golding has led Abilene Christian since 2011, overseeing their transition to D-I. Last season, they made their first postseason appearance with a .500 season and a CIT bid. It remains to be seen if Golding can lead his alma mater to the NCAA Tournament in a Stephen F. Austin dominated Southland, but he’s trending upwards.

291. Sam Scholl (San Diego)

Overall record 6-2

Since graduating from San Diego in 2000, Scholl had spent 18 years as a WCC assistant (10 years at San Diego and 8 at Santa Clara) before getting promoted to the top job in February 2018. He’s only just getting started, though he did lead San Diego to the CIT quarterfinals at the end of last season.

SYRACUSE, NY – NOVEMBER 10: Head coach Brian Earl of the Cornell Big Red speaks with Matt Morgan #10 during the first half against the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome on November 10, 2017 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)

290. Greg Herenda (Fairleigh Dickinson)

Overall record 63-98

After 20 years as an assistant coach and 7 years as a non-D-I head coach, Herenda began at Fairleigh Dickinson in 2013. His Knights won the NEC in 2016 before bowing out in the First Four, making his 63-98 record look less underwhelming.

289. Brian Earl (Cornell)

Overall record 24-41

Another former Princeton player under Pete Carril, Earl was tabbed at Cornell in 2016. He previously spent nearly a decade as an assistant at Princeton and has plenty of Ivy League experience. Cornell has struggled in recent years but he should still have a few years to put something together for the Big Red.

288. Griff Aldrich (Longwood)

Overall record 6-3

A long time AAU coach in Texas, Aldrich was named Longwood’s head coach in 2018 after spending the last two seasons directing the recruiting efforts for UMBC (who of course upset #1 Virginia last year). He has very little professional coaching experience but he has plenty of recruiting connections from his time on the AAU circuit, though Longwood is far from Texas.

287. Mike Morell (UNC-Asheville)

Overall record 1-7

After seven years under Shaka Smart (at both VCU and Texas), Morell begins his first year as a head coach, taking over for Nick McDevitt, who left for Middle Tennessee. It remains to be seen if Morell can cause as much ‘havoc’ as Smart, but he can definitely win some games in the Big South.

286. Lamont Paris (Chattanooga)

Overall record 14-28

Paris begins his second season at Chattanooga, the kind of school where a number of coaches have paid their dues before taking better jobs (Jeff Lebo, Will Wade, and Matt McCall). Going just 10-23 in his first season was a disappointing start for the former Wisconsin assistant and it might not be too much better in year two.

285. Robert McCullum (Florida A&M)

Overall record 95-153

McCullum has embarked on a long and eventful coaching career which includes serving as head coach of Western Michigan (2000-03) and South Florida (2003-07) as well as a lot of years as an assistant (many under Lon Kruger). He’s only 95-153 in his career and will need to improve on last year’s 9-25 in his first year at Florida A&M.

284. Tavaras Hardy (Loyola MD)

Overall record 3-5

Formerly an assistant at Northwestern, Georgetown, and Georgia Tech, Hardy begins his first season at Loyola with a solid pedigree. Expectations are very low in his debut year, but he can slowly build this program back into a yearly contender, something that hasn’t happened since they joined the Patriot League in 2013.

283. Duggar Baucom (The Citadel)

Overall record 190-225

An offensive stalwart, Baucom has led The Citadel since 2015, with limited results. His career also includes 10 years as head coach at VMI and a 190-225 record at military colleges isn’t awful. However, Baucom has yet to sniff the NCAA Tournament and possess only one CIT appearance in his career.

282. Jay Spoonhour (Eastern Illinois)

Overall record 89-115

Spoonhour was hired in 2012 to head Eastern Illinois after three seasons at Moberly Area CC in Missouri. Going 89-115 in a mediocre OVC isn’t exactly impressive, but he did win the NJCAA championship in 2001 at Wabash Valley. He can win; he just needs to win OVC games.

281. Jay Ladner (Southeastern Louisiana)

Overall record 63-76

Ladner possesses a lot of head coaching experience, though before his hiring in 2014, all of it came at either the high school or junior college level. While he’s just 59-72 in his first four seasons, last year produced a regular season Southland title and an NIT bid, perhaps a sign of things to come.

280. Dave Pilipovich (Air Force)

Overall record 87-118

A longtime D-I assistant, Pilipovich was promoted to head coach in February 2012. While his first full season resulted in a CIT appearance, Air Force has lived near the bottom of the Mountain West in the five seasons since then, finishing no higher than 9th place.

279. Martin Ingelsby (Delaware)

Overall record 34-41

Ingelsby played at and spent thirteen seasons as an assistant at Notre Dame before taking the Delaware job in 2016. There hasn’t been anything impressive about his first two seasons as a head coach, but the CAA isn’t as easy a conference as it seems. His win total rose from 13 to 14 and it may just rise again in year three.

278. Todd Lee (South Dakota)

Overall record 4-4

Lee took the South Dakota job in 2018 after five years as an assistant at Grand Canyon. His previous head coaching experience is eight years at Kentucky Wesleyan with a bevy of D-II NCAA Tournament appearances. South Dakota isn’t the most impressive program, but Craig Smith built up some momentum before leaving for Utah State; perhaps Lee can expand on that.

277. Baker Dunleavy (Quinnipiac)

Overall record 14-25

A player and assistant under Jay Wright at Villanova, Dunleavy took the Quinnipiac post in 2017 with no other playing or coaching experience in his past. His first year ended 12-21, but at least he comes from a great basketball family. His father Mike Sr. coaches Tulane his brother Mike Jr. spent 15 years in the NBA.

276. Darian DeVries (Drake)

Overall record 5-1

After graduating from Northern Iowa in 1998, DeVries joined the Creighton staff as graduate manager. Named assistant coach in 2001, he would spend 20 total years at Creighton before being hired by Drake in 2018. Niko Medved did great work in his one year in Des Moines, but Drake might be in for some initial struggles as they rebuild.

275. Louis Rowe (James Madison)

Overall record 27-49

A former player and assistant, Rowe has hired to lead his alma mater in 2016 after spending time as an assistant for FIU and Bowling Green. He’s just 27-49 in his first head coaching job but projects to have a better third season.

274. Rick Ray (Southeast Missouri State)

Overall record 76-123

Many were confused when Ray, then a Clemson assistant, was hired as head coach of Mississippi State in 2012. He only lasted three years and has followed that up with three less than stellar seasons at SE Missouri State. Overall, he’s 76-123 without any postseason bids and he’s not exactly in a prime position for success right now.

273. Paul Mills (Oral Roberts)

Overall record 14-28

Mills took the Oral Roberts job in 2017 following 14 years assisting Scott Drew at Baylor. He has only high school head coaching experience, and his 11-21 debut might be the normal, especially having to contend with Oral Roberts’ strict recruiting requirements.

272. George Ivory (Arkansas-Pine Bluff)

Overall record 121-208

Ivory bounced around as an assistant before being hired to lead Pine Bluff in 2008. He did lead the Golden Lions to an NCAA bid back in 2010, but things have been mostly barren since then, with just 29 wins in the last three seasons.

271. Anthony Stewart (Tennessee-Martin)

Overall record 35-36

Stewart was promoted to head coach in 2016, having also served as an assistant for schools like Wyoming, Southern Illinois, and Ohio. A 22-13 season with a CIT appearance was followed up with a 10-21 struggle for the Skyhawks. There might be more of the same for Stewart moving forward in the OVC.

270. Lewis Jackson (Alabama State)

Overall record 189-223

Jackson played for Alabama State, so it wasn’t a big surprise when he became an assistant in 2000, and then head coach in 2005. Along the way, he’s made two NCAA Tournaments and has won SWAC Coach of the Year once, but there’s been nothing successful in the last few seasons for the Hornets.

269. Damon Stoudamire (Pacific)

Overall record 31-44

Fresh off a 13-year NBA playing career and an 8-year assistant coaching career, Stoudamire took the Pacific job in 2016 and already has the program going in the right direction. He’s only 31-44, but his team went 9-9 in WCC play last season. They’ll never compete with Gonzaga (or Saint Mary’s and BYU) but the rest of the WCC is beatable.

268. Heath Schroyer (McNeese State)

Overall record 128-150

Schroyer has pingponged from job to job throughout his career, serving as head coach of Portland State (2002-05), Wyoming (2007-11), and Tennessee-Martin (2014-16) before being hired to lead McNeese in 2018. He doesn’t have an NCAA Tournament appearance, but his record isn’t awful and he never stays anywhere long enough to build a solid program (though he was actually fired at Wyoming).

267. Jim Fox (Appalachian State)

Overall record 48-83

Most of Fox’s coaching experience prior to his hiring in 2014 came under Bob McKillop at Davidson, under whom he spent 13 years as an assistant. Unfortunately, he’s yet to build a similar success for the Mountaineers, winning just 45 games in his first four years.

266. Derrin Hansen (Omaha)

Overall record 88-107

Hansen has been part of the Omaha program since 1998, promoted to head coach in 2005. He’s overseen as the program has been elevated to D-I, but he’s still looking for the team’s first NCAA Tournament appearance. However, he went just 9-22 last season and this year might not be a whole lot better.

265. Barclay Radebaugh (Charleston Southern)

Overall record 179-226

Radebaugh was hired in 2005 after an extensive career as an assistant coach, with one year as head coach of D-II Queens. Despite entering his fourteenth year, he’s yet to propel the Buccaneers into the NCAA Tournament, with a pair of NIT bids all he has to show for his hard work.

264. Steve Payne (Tennessee Tech)

Overall record 111-118

Payne’s early career saw him bounce around the Midwest, but he’s settled at Tennessee Tech. An assistant beginning in 2002, he’s been the head coach since 2011, though he’s yet to see the NCAA Tournament. Despite that, he’s 111-118 and hasn’t been under .500 in OVC play in four years.

263. Glenn Braica (St. Francis NY)

Overall record 120-139

An alum of Queens College (not while Radebaugh was there), Braica would spend much of his career at St. Francis or at St. John’s (under former Queens teammate Norm Roberts). He’s been head coach since 2010 and has just a single NIT appearance to show for it, just 115-136 after eight years.

262. Walter McCarty (Evansville)

Overall record 4-4

McCarty spent the last five seasons as an assistant to Brad Stevens and the Boston Celtics before Evansville hired him in 2018. A program in complete rebuild, the Purple Aces might not contend this season, but the former Rick Pitino assistant will have this program doing exciting things in the MVC very soon.

261. Ron Sanchez (Charlotte)

Overall record 2-4

Charlotte hired Sanchez in 2018, leaving him to depart Tony Bennett, who he’s worked alongside or with for the last 15 years. Things didn’t go well under former coach Mark Price, but Sanchez can get this team competitive in Conference USA in a few years; or he could flame out like Price did with the same expectations.

260. Terry Porter (Portland)

Overall record 26-48

A former NBA head coach, Porter took the Portland job in 2016 and has his work cut out for him. Winning the WCC seems impossible for a non-Gonzaga program and he’s just 21-44 two years in. If he can continue to bring in some solid players, then maybe they can field a team competitive in the WCC very soon.

259. C. B. McGrath (UNC-Wilmington)

Overall record 15-26

McGrath’s hiring in 2017 was not just his first job as a head coach, it was the first time he wasn’t working or playing under Roy Williams for the first time in his career. The Kansas alum and longtime UNC assistant faces a rebuild after Kevin Keatts’ departure for NC State, and he might not improve very much on last year’s 11-21 record.

258. Justin Hutson (Fresno State)

Overall record 5-2

Hutson has spent a lot of years coaching in California, but this season will be his first as a head coach, taking over a decent Fresno State program after Rodney Terry left for UTEP. The Bulldogs have won 20+ games in the last three years and there will be similar expectations for Hutson, but expect growing pains.

257. Pat Baldwin (Milwaukee)

Overall record 18-23

Baldwin bounced around as an assistant coach, spending four years under Chris Collins at Northwestern before being hired by Milwaukee in 2017. Baldwin might not be the next Bo Ryan, Bruce Pearl, or LaVall Jordan, but he can certainly make Milwaukee more than competitive in the paltry Horizon League.

256. Maurice Joseph (George Washington)

Overall record 36-40

Joseph took over as head coach in 2016 following Mike Lonergan’s dismissal for verbal abuse and misconduct. The Colonials won the NIT in 2016, but Joseph has been unable to continue that momentum, finishing just 15-18 last year after a CBI bid in year one. At just 33 years old, he has a lack of experience and might not last longer at GW if this downward trend continues.

255. Donte Jackson (Grambling State)

Overall record 21-18

Jackson has done great things during his short head coaching career. Four uninspiring years at D-II Central State were followed by three solid ones at D-II Stillman before being hired at Grambling in 2017. Even more impressively, he went 17-14 (13-5 in SWAC play) to tie for first place in his debut season.

254. Joe Callero (Cal Poly)

Overall record 122-166

Callero spent eight years at Seattle before they joined D-I and has been at Cal Poly since 2009. His most impressive effort came in 2014, when his Mustangs won the Big West Conference with a 13-19 record, even winning their First Four game before 1-seed Wichita State ended their season. Four straight seasons under .500 since then are more concerning.

253. Michael Huger (Bowling Green)

Overall record 49-57

After a long international playing career, Huger settled into a role as an assistant coach for 10 years, the last 8 of which were under Jim Larranaga at both George Mason and Miami. In 2015, he was tabbed to lead Bowling Green, but the results haven’t been there yet. 49-57 isn’t a bad mark, but he’s yet to finish better than 7-11 in MAC play.

252. Bill Evans (Idaho State)

Overall record 270-348

Evans, who spent 16 years as the head coach of Southern Utah, was hired at Idaho State in 2012. While he did take Southern Utah to the NCAA Tournament in 2001, he’s got very little to show for 6 years with the Bengals, with just one season over .500.

251. Willis Wilson (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi)

Overall record 332-366

Wilson took over at Texas A&M-CC in 2011 and has led the Islanders to the CIT four times. Combine that tenure with his 16 years as head coach of Rice and he’s 0 for 24 in making the NCAA Tournament. His career record is just slightly below .500, but last year’s 11-18 season ended a streak of three straight 20 win seasons.

250. Jack Owens (Miami OH)

Overall record 21-22

Having spent ten years as an assistant to Matt Painter, Owens was hired to lead Miami in 2017. He led the Redhawks to the CBI in his first season, but he has his eyes on a bigger prize. Time will tell if he can return the Redhawks to their former glory.

249. Zach Spiker (Drexel)

Overall record 129-159

After nine years as an assistant (a few of those years under Gregg Marshall and John Beilein), Spiker took the Army job in 2009 before moving onto Drexel after seven seasons. Turning around the Dragons will take time, and his win total did rise from 9 to 13, so bigger things could be on tap for year three in Philadelphia.

248. Matt Langel (Colgate)

Overall record 97-134

After playing for and coaching under Fran Dunphy at Penn and Temple, Langel was given his first shot to run a program when hired by Colgate in 2011. His first six years were all under .500, but last year did end with a second place finish in the Patriot League, plus a CBI bid. We’ll see if he can take the next step and win the Patriot.

247. Ryan Ridder (Bethune-Cookman)

Overall record 22-19

At just 34 years old, Ridder has already done good work in his short head coaching career. Before being hired at Bethune-Cookman in 2017, he found NJCAA success in four years with Daytona State. The jump from that to D-I is vast, but the Wildcats did tie for first place in the MEAC in his first season.

246. Kevin McGeehan (Campbell)

Overall record 75-98

Before being hired by Campbell in 2013, McGeehan spent nine years as an assistant coach under Chris Mooney, with his brief head coaching experience coming before that at Beaver College. He’s 71-94 after five years with a couple of postseason bids, but he too has yet to lead his team to the NCAA Tournament.

245. Mark Pope (Utah Valley)

Overall record 58-49

After several seasons in the NBA, Pope spent six years as an assistant at Georgia, Wake Forest, and BYU before his hiring in 2015. In his first three years at Utah Valley, he’s put together a couple of CBI appearances, but has yet to dethrone New Mexico State in the WAC.

244. Russ Pennell (Central Arkansas)

Overall record 59-108

Sean Miller’s predecessor at Arizona (on an interim basis) and Dan Majerle’s predecessor at Grand Canyon (before they became D-I), Pennell has been at Central Arkansas since 2014. He has 14 years as a power conference assistant, but he’s only 56-103 as a D-I head coach, which includes his Sweet Sixteen run with Arizona, a team he didn’t recruit or build.

243. Sean Woods (Southern)

Overall record 128-157

Woods, who played under Rick Pitino at Kentucky, has spent nearly a decade as a D-I head coach, though his time at Morehead State ended in his termination for player abuse allegations. Between there and Mississippi Valley State, he’s 127-150 with just one NCAA First Four appearance. I won’t pass judgement on his allegations, but it’s not impossible to see him doing good things back in the SWAC.

242. Tony Jasick (Jacksonville)

Overall record 115-124

Still a relatively young coach, Jasick spent three years as head coach of IPFW before being hired to lead Jacksonville in 2014. He’s made definite improvement at both programs, but a single CIT bid is his most impressive feat at both schools.

241. Robert Jones (Norfolk State)

Overall record 91-88

Jones, the head coach of Norfolk State since 2013, is an impressive 91-88 during his short tenure. He’s been with Norfolk State since 2007, but despite four CIT runs in five years, he hasn’t seen the NCAA Tournament yet. Regardless, he’s doing great things in Norfolk, having never been worse than 11-5 in MEAC play.

240. Michael Fly (Florida Gulf Coast)

Overall record 3-8

After seven years as an assistant at FGCU (including the 2013 Sweet Sixteen run), Fly was named head coach in 2018 and finally gets his shot to run a program. He has a great shot to continue the success that Andy Enfield and Joe Dooley have created with the Eagles, but there will likely be some growing pains, similar to the other first year head coaches.

239. Ashley Howard (La Salle)

Overall record 0-9

After winning a pair of national championships as an assistant at Villanova, Howard begins his first year as a head coach at La Salle. He replaces John Giannini, who gave him first job as an assistant back in 2004. Howard should do big things in the A-10, but it will take a few years to build his kind of program.

238. Mike Dunlap (Loyola Marymount)

Overall record 57-76

Dunlap had served as head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats, of the Adelaide 36ers in Australia, and at two D-II colleges before being hired by Loyola in 2014. Progress has been slow at his alma mater (he’s 48-75 after four years), but it’s hard to build a winning program with Gonzaga looming.

237. John Dunne (Marist)

Overall record 156-229

Dunne turned 12 years as head coach of Saint Peter’s into the Marist job in 2018. He led the Peacocks to one NCAA appearance and won the CIT in 2017. He also knocked the #1 seed out of the MAAC Tournament last season before heading to Marist.

236. Sydney Johnson (Fairfield)

Overall record 175-184

Another former player under Pete Carril at Princeton, Johnson spent four years as head coach of his alma mater before taking over at Fairfield in 2011. He hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament at Fairfield (he did in 2011 at Princeton), with a trio of CIT bids all he can show through seven seasons.

235. John Gallagher (Hartford)

Overall record 109-155

Gallagher has served as head coach of Hartford since 2011, but a 109-155 isn’t very impressive in the America East. Also possessing 11 years as a D-I assistant, Gallagher should build on that record, with big things expected from Hartford this year. He’ll certainly need to do better than another CIT bid.

234. Tod Kowalczyk (Toledo)

Overall record 286-234

Kowalczyk bounced around as an assistant, spending 7 years under Kevin Bannon at Rider and Rutgers, plus 2 years under Tom Crean at Marquette before being hired by Green Bay in 2002. After eight average seasons, he took over at Toledo in 2010. Overall, he may be 286-234 through sixteen years, but the best he’s done is an NIT bid in 2014.

233. Fran O’Hanlon (Lafayette)

Overall record 315-381

O’Hanlon was an NBA draft pick back in 1970 and has coached at Lafayette since 1995, spending the previous six years assisting Fran Dunphy at Temple. He has three NCAA Tournament appearances in his 23 years, but has been unable to turn the Leopards into a consistent winner.

232. Jim Engles (Columbia)

Overall record 130-150

Engles took over at Columbia in 2016 after eight years building the NJIT program from 1-30 in his first season to a pair of CIT bids before his departure. It’s been over fifty years since Columbia was in the NCAA Tournament, so Engles has quite the task on his hands, with a pair of 5th place finishes in his first two years in the Ivy League.

231. Dedrique Taylor (Cal State Fullerton)

Overall record 70-95

Thirteen years as a D-I assistant (7 under Herb Sendek at Arizona State) preceded Taylor’s hiring at Cal State Fullerton in 2013. Things started slowly, but the Titans made the NCAA Tournament this past season, winning the Big West after finishing 4th in the league. You can’t expect to do that every season, but this is definitely one of the best programs right now in the Big West.

230. Phil Cunningham (Troy)

Overall record 71-98

A longtime assistant under Rick Stansbury at Mississippi State, Cunningham took the Troy job in 2013 and has already led the Trojans to the NCAA Tournament (in 2017). Still, he’s just 71-98 and hasn’t finished higher than 5th in the Sun Belt. That bid was a great start, but Cunningham has yet to build a consistent winner.

229. Joe Pasternack (UC Santa Barbara)

Overall record 67-65

Pasternack has had an eventful coaching career already, serving as head coach of New Orleans from 2007-11 before six years assisting Sean Miller at Arizona. UCSB went 23-9 in his first season, which is a great start for Pasternack. His time with the Privateers wasn’t as successful, but we’ll soon see if he can build a successful program.

228. Rodney Billups (Denver)

Overall record 33-36

While not an NBA player (like brother Chauncey), Billups has been head coach of his alma mater since 2016 after four years coaching with Tad Boyle at Colorado. Two average seasons have greeted him so far, but he can certainly contend in the Summit League in the near future.

227. Matt Matheny (Elon)

Overall record 143-154

Prior to joining Elon in 2009, Matheny spent 16 years as an assistant under Bob McKillop at Davidson, his alma mater. He’s not far away from Davidson geographically, but he doesn’t have Elon in the same shape. The team is 140-148 in his first nine years and has just one CIT bid in that time.

226. Greg Lansing (Indiana State)

Overall record 138-128

Lansing spent seven nonconsecutive seasons as an assistant at Indiana State before being promoted to head coach in 2010. Having also spent seven years with Steve Alford at Iowa, Lansing made the NCAA Tournament in his first season, but the last four years have ended without postseason bids. With Wichita State gone, the MVC is winnable again, but not if these seasons under .500 continue.

225. Keith Richard (Louisiana-Monroe)

Overall record 246-279

Richard has spent most of his coaching career in Louisiana, including 12 years at Louisiana Tech (9 years as head coach) and 16 years at alma mater Louisiana-Monroe (head coach since 2010). Despite this and a 246-279 career record, he’s without an NCAA Tournament appearance through 17 years. On the positive, the Warhawks have been in the postseason three of the last four seasons, but they need to do more than the CBI and CIT.

224. Ed DeChellis (Navy)

Overall record 310-367

A former Penn State player, assistant, and head coach, DeChellis has been at Navy since 2011. Head coach at East Tennessee State from 1996-2003 before eight years at Penn State, DeChellis has made only a pair of NCAA Tournaments in 22 years as a head coach, though he did win the NIT in 2009 at Penn State. He’s only 91-136, but last year was his best for Midshipmen, perhaps a good omen.

223. Mark Slessinger (New Orleans)

Overall record 80-103

Most of Slessinger’s coaching experience before being hired in 2011 was under Mike McConathy at Northwestern State, where he spent twelve years. He’s made the NCAA Tournament already at New Orleans after thing got off to a slow start. New Orleans can compete in the Southland, but it’s tough for anyone to topple Stephen F. Austin on a regular basis.

222. Mike McConathy (Northwestern State)

Overall record 286-308

After sixteen years as head coach of Bossier Parish Community College, McConathy became head coach at Northwestern State in 1999. There have been certain ups and downs, but his most memorable moment is a first round upset of #3 Iowa during the 2006 NCAA Tournament, by far his best season in Natchitoches. He does have just 25 wins in the last three years, so maybe the good days are all in the past.

221. Tony Shaver (William & Mary)

Overall record 214-258

A former high school coach and guard under Dean Smith at UNC, Shaver spent 17 years building D-III Hampden-Sydney into a powerhouse before being hired in 2003 by William & Mary. For Shaver, the task has been to take this Tribe program to the NCAA Tournament, but he hasn’t accomplished this in 15 years, nor has the program ever been there. Fortunately, he has been over .500 the last five seasons, so maybe they can finally build something up.

220. Barret Peery (Portland State)

Overall record 25-17

A former assistant under Herb Sendek and a successful junior college head coach, Peery took over Portland State in 2017 and led the Vikings to a 20-14 mark in his first season. He went 181-29 while at Southern Idaho and Indian Hills CC, though more 20 win seasons in the Big Sky is more than enough success for the Southern Utah grad.

219. Joe Jones (Boston University)

Overall record 214-214

Jones became the Terriers’ head coach in 2011, having previous served as head coach of Columbia from 2003-10. His career record sits right at .500, but he has nothing more than a single NIT to show for any of it. Patience might run thin, though he’s never had a conference record under .500 in his seven years in Boston.

218. Niko Medved (Colorado State)

Overall record 83-93

Medved will begin his first year as head coach of Colorado State in 2018, though he’s already spent time as head coach of Furman (2013-17) and Drake (2017-18). He didn’t stick around at either school long enough to actually make an NCAA Tournament, but he did leave both programs in better shape, though leaving Drake after one season may have set them back a few years.

217. Jeff Boals (Stony Brook)

Overall record 39-34

After seven years under Thad Matta at Ohio State (and nearly a dozen years elsewhere as an assistant), Boals took his first head coach job in 2016, replacing Steve Pikiell at Stony Brook. Year one ended in the CBI while year two was rough, but there’s still plenty of time for Boals to turn things around.

216. Matthew Driscoll (North Florida)

Overall record 151-155

Driscoll took the North Florida job in 2009 after six years coaching under Scott Drew at Valparaiso and Baylor. His Ospreys have been generally competitive in the Atlantic Sun, though he boasts only one NCAA Tournament appearance, a loss in the First Four in 2015. Driscoll did become the program’s first coach since joining D-I, so I’m sure making the NCAA Tournament just six years after the transition isn’t a big disappointment.

215. Bill Herrion (New Hampshire)

Overall record 406-403

Herrion’s coaching career began as an assistant under Mike Jarvis at Boston University and George Washington before embarking on a long head coaching career. He led Drexel (1991-99) and East Carolina (1999-2005) before being hired by New Hampshire. He made three NCAA Tournament appearances at Drexel, but hasn’t sniffed the Dance since 1996 when his 12-seeded Dragons upset Memphis in the first round.

214. Tim Craft (Gardner-Webb)

Overall record 92-83

After spending six years as an assistant under Jeff Lebo at Auburn and East Carolina, Craft was hired to succeed Chris Holtmann at Gardner-Webb in 2013. Last year’s 14-18 was his first season under .500, and he’s yet to win the Big South five years in. Things are projecting in the wrong direction for this young coach in his first head coaching job.

213. James Whitford (Ball State)

Overall record 79-91

Whitford took over at Ball State in 2013 after eight seasons coaching under Sean Miller at both Xavier and Arizona. He’s effectively rebuilt Ball State, who went from 12 wins in his first two seasons, to averaging more than 20 each in the three seasons since. Unfortunately, the CIT quarterfinals is as far as he’s gotten in the postseason, and it’ll be tough to topple Buffalo in the MAC.

212. Steve Henson (UTSA)

Overall record 36-40

Henson played for and coached under Lon Kruger at five different places, including the Atlanta Hawks, before becoming UTSA’s head coach in 2016. His first year was the expected struggle, but the Roadrunners won 20 games and advanced in the NIT last season, perhaps a sign of good things to come.

211. Richie Riley (South Alabama)

Overall record 39-33

Though he’s only 35 years old, Riley has already bounced around a fair bit in his career. After two years leading Nicholls State (co-conference champs last season), he took the South Alabama job and begins his first year in the Sun Belt. Expectations are higher than at Nicholls, but Riley could fail just as easily as former Butler assistant Matthew Graves, his predecessor.

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

210. Reggie Witherspoon (Canisius)

Overall record 239-262

Witherspoon’s career started with high school and junior college coaching, but he also spent 14 years as head coach of Buffalo. He has a pair of postseason bids in his two seasons at Canisius, but his lack of NCAA Tournament appearances at Buffalo is startling, especially considering where Bobby Hurley and Nate Oats have taken that program in recent years.

209. Linc Darner (Green Bay)

Overall record 59-50

Darner took the Green Bay job in 2015, fresh off a D-II national championship with Florida Southern. He played under Gene Keady and doesn’t have a lot of D-I experience, but he did lead Green Bay to a surprising NCAA bid in his first year, though success hasn’t followed yet.

208. Brian Jones (North Dakota)

Overall record 132-137

After eight years assisting Steve Alford, Jones was tabbed to lead North Dakota in 2006, and has seen the program transition to D-I and now joins the Summit League. He led the Fighting Hawks to the NCAA Tournament in 2017 and also has 5 CIT appearances under his belt. I’m not sure if he can win in the Summit as easily as the Big Sky, but he’s up for the challenge.

207. Robert Ehsan (UAB)

Overall record 43-31

Ehsan was promoted to head coach of UAB in 2016, having served four years under Jerod Haase before he took the Stanford job. Ehsan is 37-29 in his first two seasons and UAB can definitely compete in the future in Conference USA.

206. Don Verlin (Idaho)

Overall record 175-154

A longtime assistant under Stew Morrill, Verlin has been at Idaho since 2008. His first 10 years have produced a decent 172-149, but no NCAA Tournament bids, though that could still change in the future.

205. Wyking Jones (California)

Overall record 10-29

After more than a dozen years as an assistant coach, Jones finally got his shot last season, promoted to head coach to replace the departing Cuonzo Martin. He went just 8-24 in his debut season and Cal was a mess. The former Rick Pitino assistant will have a chance to turn that around, but it’s very likely that the Golden Bears will struggle to be relevant in the Pac-12 anytime soon.

204. Edward Joyner (Hampton)

Overall record 155-146

Joyner joined the Hampton staff in 2006 and was promoted to head coach in 2009. His 155-146 record is pretty impressive for a MEAC team with impossible nonconference schedules, and he’s also made three NCAA Tournament appearances. He has a chance this season to make a sixth straight postseason bid, which would be even more impressive.

203. Bashir Mason (Wagner)

Overall record 113-83

Mason was just 28 years old when he was promoted to head coach of Wagner in 2012, replacing the outgoing Dan Hurley. He’s taken Wagner to a pair of NIT’s but has yet to win the NEC in his time, though he’s had only one bad season with the Seahawks. He’s a bright young mind and could be scooped up soon by another program, just like his predecessor.

202. David Cox (Rhode Island)

Overall record 6-3

A longtime assistant, Cox begins his first season at Rhode Island, himself also replacing the outgoing Dan Hurley. He technically served as interim head coach of Rutgers during part of the Mike Rice scandal, but is not credited with those wins, making this his first rodeo. His experience as an assistant at Pitt and Georgetown as well will help him as he tries to build on Hurley’s momentum.

201. Dana Ford (Missouri State)

Overall record 61-70

Another up and coming coach, Ford begins his first season at Missouri State after spending the last four years leading Tennessee State. A former assistant under Gregg Marshall and Dan Muller (at Illinois State), Ford is only 34 years old and did a good job rebuilding Tennessee State, winning 20 games and making the CIT in 2016. Whether he can do the same in the MVC remains to be seen.

200. Pat Skerry (Towson)

Overall record 116-120

Prior to taking over at Towson in 2011, Skerry’s only head coaching experience was two years at D-III Curry. He’s done pretty solid work at Towson, engineering a big turnaround after a 1-31 debut. However, just two postseason appearances in seven years is cause for concern, one apiece in the CIT and defunct Vegas 16.

199. King Rice (Monmouth)

Overall record 117-121

Another former Tar Heel guard under Dean Smith, King Rice embarked on a long assistant coaching career, most notably under Kevin Stallings, before being hired at Monmouth in 2011. While many argue that his 2016 team should’ve received an NCAA at -large bid, he’s yet to do anything more than a pair of NIT bids, and Monmouth has taken a step back recently.

198. Jamion Christian (Siena)

Overall record 104-100

After a short assistant coaching career, Christian took over his alma mater Mount St. Mary’s in 2012, spending six years before Siena hired him this past offseason. He led the Mountaineers to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances, and Saints fan are hoping he can perform a similar turnaround for Siena. He’s a young coach and he did work briefly under Shaka Smart, so anything is possible.

197. Rodney Terry (UTEP)

Overall record 129-113

Terry will begin his first season at UTEP following seven years of decent success as head coach at Fresno State. The UTEP program has struggled hard in recent years, and he has a tough task ahead. He has spent much of his life living and working in Texas, including nine years on Rick Barnes’ staff at Texas, so this might be a perfect fit for him in the future.

196. Jeff Neubauer (Fordham)

Overall record 233-191

After spending eight years as an assistant under John Beilein at both Richmond and West Virginia, Neubauer spent 10 years as head coach of Eastern Kentucky before being hired by Fordham in 2015. The Rams were just 9-22 last season as Neubauer attempts to build a competing program in the tough A-10, tough he did make a meager CIT appearance in his first season. His two NCAA Tournament appearances at EKU are also solid.

195. Wes Miller (UNC-Greensboro)

Overall record 119-112

A player on the 2005 Tar Heels national title squad, Miller was promoted to head coach of UNCG in late 2011 and the young coach made his first NCAA Tournament last season. Things started slowly for Miller, but he’s 52-18 in his last two years and has the Spartans in a prime position to compete for as long as he stays at UNCG.

194. Matt Figger (Austin Peay)

Overall record 23-19

Figger spent many years as an assistant before Austin Peay hired him in 2017, including a decade with Frank Martin at Kansas State and South Carolina. His first year with the Governors was somewhat successful, a 19-15 mark and a CIT bid, but Figger has his eyes set on a bigger prize.

193. Derek Kellogg (LIU Brooklyn)

Overall record 177-158

After playing for and coaching under John Calipari, Kellogg took over at UMass in 2008, spending nine years before being fired and landing in Long Island in 2017. He led the Minutemen to one NCAA Tournament and a couple of NIT bids, but that wasn’t enough for a program in the Final Four in 1996, unable to recapture Calipari’s magic. He did lead LIU Brooklyn to the Tourney in his first season; perhaps it won’t be the last time either.

192. Jeff Linder (Northern Colorado)

Overall record 42-31

Linder’s coaching journey has taken him around the western US as an assistant, his final stop six years at Boise State before being named head coach of Northern Colorado in 2016. His first year was an understandable struggle, but the Bears won the CIT last season, and Linder has things going in a positive direction.

191. Shantay Legans (Eastern Washington)

Overall record 21-20

After eight years as assistant coach, Legans became EWU head coach in 2017. A 20-15 mark and a CBI bid in his first year both represented a solid start to his coaching career, but he has his eyes on a bigger prize as his Eagles try to win the Big Sky.

190. Todd Bozeman (Morgan State)

Overall record 251-236

Former scandalized California coach Todd Bozeman (1993-96) has served as head man of Morgan State since 2006. He’s made a pair of NCAA Tournaments with Morgan State (made three in 3.5 seasons at Cal), but hasn’t had the Bears in the postseason since 2010.

189. Steve Masiello (Manhattan)

Overall record 118-115

Masiello, another former Rick Pitino assistant (and player), has led Manhattan since 2011, though his career could’ve taken a much different turn. He was nearly hired at South Florida in 2014, but the job was rescinded when his lie about his graduation was discovering on his resume. For the Jaspers, he’s made a pair of NCAA Tournaments, but the last three years have been rough.

188. Casey Alexander (Lipscomb)

Overall record 114-114

After spending nearly two decades under Rick Byrd at Belmont, Alexander departed for Stetson in 2011 before jumping to the head coaching job at Lipscomb in 2013. This past season he led Lipscomb to the NCAA Tournament, his first postseason appearance in seven years as a head coach, though he does have the Bisons in a good position to compete in the Atlantic Sun.

187. Kevin Baggett (Rider)

Overall record 109-91

Six years as an assistant at Rider preceded Baggett’s promotion to head coach in 2012. He’s 107-89 after six years, but he’s yet to win the MAAC, which is something that could definitely happen soon. The team went 15-3 in MAAC play last season after all.

186. Jim Hayford (Seattle)

Overall record 134-107

Hayford has been a college head coach since 1999, with great success at D-III Whitworth and an acceptable tenure at Eastern Washington. Seattle head coach since 2017, Hayford won 20 games in his first year last season, leading the Redhawks to the CBI. It might be hard to build a consistent winner in the unstable WAC, but Hayford is a capable head coach.

185. Dennis Felton (Cleveland State)

Overall record 198-175

Felton’s hiring by Cleveland State in 2017 marked his return as a head coach, having served Western Kentucky (1998-2003) and Georgia (2003-09) before being fired by the latter. He did great things at WKU, but his only successful season at Georgia was 2008, leading his 11th seeded Bulldogs to an SEC Tournament championship and a 14 seed. However, he has work ahead to turn around Cleveland State.

184. Doc Sadler (Southern Miss)

Overall record 197-190

Sadler spent many years as an assistant coach before UTEP promoted him to head coach in 2004 following Billy Gillispie’s departure. He was hired at Southern Miss in 2014 after eight seasons as a head coach including six rough years at Nebraska. Things started slowly, going just 20-63 in his first three years at Southern Miss, but last season was a step in the right direction at the very least.

183. Brian Wardle (Bradley)

Overall record 140-128

Wardle was hired at Bradley in 2015 after ten years at Green Bay, including the last five as head coach. He hasn’t coached in the NCAA Tournament, but he made a few NIT’s at Green Bay and is already building Bradley into an MVC contender.

182. Rob Murphy (Eastern Michigan)

Overall record 133-115

Following seven years as an assistant to Jim Boeheim at Syracuse, Murphy was hired in 2011 by Eastern Michigan. Despite a 129-110 career record, he’s yet to see the NCAA Tournament, let alone win the MAC West, and can show nothing more than a few CIT’s and a CBI bid on his resume.

181. Grant McCasland (North Texas)

Overall record 48-31

In addition to five years under Scott Drew under Baylor, McCasland had head coaching experience at NJCAA Midland, D-II Midwestern State, and Arkansas State before being hired in 2017 at North Texas. He’s already proven a better coach than Tony Benford, winning the CBI in his first season at the helm. Conference USA can be a tricky conference to win, but McCasland can put together a team that could get the job done.

180. Jason Hooten (Sam Houston State)

Overall record 161-119

Hooten became head coach at Sam Houston State in 2010 following six years as an assistant there. He’s yet to win the Southland, but that record in that conference is actually impressive. He’s made four CIT’s in the last five years, but needs the Bearkats to take the next step.

179. Andrew Toole (Robert Morris)

Overall record 154-127

Toole has been well equipped at Robert Morris, spending three years assisting Mike Rice Jr. before becoming head coach in 2010. He has an NCAA Tournament appearance and a few NIT bids, but the last three years have been more of a struggle. Time will tell if he can build another winner in the NEC, though he’s done it before.

178. Mark Byington (Georgia Southern)

Overall record 95-74

A former interim head coach for College of Charleston, Byington’s hiring in 2013 by Georgia Southern was his first full-time head coaching job. His Eagles have yearly contended in the Sun Belt, though they’ve yet to get the job done, lacking anything better than a CBI appearance. This year could be different and Byington has the Eagles primed to compete in the league once more.

177. Dave Leitao (DePaul)

Overall record 177-195

Leitao is the most recent coach to lead to DePaul to the NCAA Tournament (back in 2004), but this is his second stint at the school, rehired in 2015. He also has head coaching experience at Northeastern (1994-96) and Virginia (2005-09), but his first three years at DePaul have been largely uncompetitive. Perhaps year four can be different.

176. Jon Coffman (Fort Wayne)

Overall record 83-58

Since Fort Wayne promoted him to head coach in 2014, Coffman has led the Mastodons to the postseason in each of his four seasons. The record looks nice, but he’s yet to win the Summit League, a fact that could change within the next few years.

175. Craig Smith (Utah State)

Overall record 86-56

Smith joined Utah State in 2018, having spent the previous four years as head coach of South Dakota. The longtime assistant under Tim Miles (at North Dakota State, Colorado State, and Nebraska) also has NAIA head coaching experience at Mayville State, a stint that nearly led to a national title in 2007. His last year in South Dakota ended 26-9 and he definitely has the pedigree to turn around the Aggies program.

174. Mike Rhoades (VCU)

Overall record 71-69

Rhoades, an assistant for VCU’s 2011 Final Four run, returned to the school as head coach in 2017 after three years leading Rice. He also spent a decade at D-III Randolph-Macon. He made great strides in his final year at Rice but couldn’t refuse the chance to return to VCU and is primed to have the Rams competing yearly in the A-10 again.

173. Allen Edwards (Wyoming)

Overall record 45-34

Edwards took over as head coach of Wyoming in 2016, having spent the previous five years as assistant coach. He played under Rick Pitino at Kentucky and also spent time under Anthony Grant at VCU. His coaching career is off to a solid start, taking home the CBI championship in his first season. If he keeps winning 20 games a year, then his career is certainly going to take off in the future.

172. Mike Jones (Radford)

Overall record 122-118

After more than two decades as an assistant coach, including on VCU’s 2011 Final Four team, Jones got his chance as head coach at Radford in 2011. It’s taken some time, but he’s finally building a winner, making the NCAA Tournament in 2018 for the first time and sitting just above .500 for his career.

171. Steve Hawkins (Western Michigan)

Overall record 274-223

Hawkins has been at Western Michigan since 2000, taking over as head coach in 2003. He also spent nine years as head coach of D-II Quincy, and he does have a pair of NCAA Tournament bids with the Broncos. More often than not, Western Michigan has been on top of the MAC West, though Hawkins will need more than on bid every 7.5 seasons to elevate himself up this list.

170. Ritchie McKay (Liberty)

Overall record 243-207

McKay has 16 years of D-I head coaching experience, back at Liberty since 2015 in his second stint with the school. Also employed by Portland State, Colorado State, Oregon State, and New Mexico, McKay’s career record isn’t remarkable and his only NCAA Tournament appearance was 2005 with the Lobos. He’s won more than 20 games the last two seasons at Liberty, but he’ll need to do more than CIT bids.

169. Tic Price (Lamar)

Overall record 236-194

A veteran coach with 14 years of head coaching experience, Price has bounced around throughout his career, coaching at New Orleans, Memphis, and McNeese State. He was promoted to Lamar head coach in February 2014 after Pat Knight’s firing and he’s finally got the Cardinals in solid shape, with 19 wins and a CIT appearance each of the last two seasons.

168. Will Brown (Albany)

Overall record 284-254

Brown became Albany’s coach in December 2001 and has led the Great Danes to five NCAA Tournament appearances during his time in upper New York. His career record seems more impressive when you consider he was just 19-63 in his first three seasons at the helm, but he has made Albany a consistent winner in the America East, they just haven’t pulled a Tourney upset.

167. Matt Lottich (Valparaiso)

Overall record 44-30

A former Stanford guard, Lottich’s entire coaching career has been at Valparaiso, hired as an assistant in 2013 and named head coach after Bryce Drew’s departure in 2016. After an NIT bid and 24 win debut, Valparaiso struggled last season as they transitioned to the MVC, with Lottich needing his team to have a much better season this year.

166. Chris Mullin (St. John’s)

Overall record 45-60

A 5-time NBA All-Star, Mullin’s entire coaching career has been his stint at his alma mater, taking over at St. John’s in 2015. He’s building a program and will rapidly rise up the rankings if he produces results this year, but it’s hard to laud his current record in the Big East.

165. Mike Dunleavy (Tulane)

Overall record 22-47

Dunleavy may have been head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers, and Los Angeles Clippers, but his hiring by Tulane in 2016 was his first collegiate coaching job. Sitting at 20-42 through two seasons, he’s another coach who can rise rapidly if Tulane has a solid third year, but there have also been NBA coaches who found zero success in the college game (Isiah Thomas).

164. Keno Davis (Central Michigan)

Overall record 179-154

Davis was hired by Central Michigan in 2012, already armed with head coaching experience at Drake and Providence. He succeeded his father Tom at Drake in 2007 and led that team to the only NCAA Tournament appearance of his career, though his 5-seed Bulldogs were upset in the first round. He’s going to need to produce more results in his current job, as the Chippewas will not be satisfied with CIT appearances.

163. Danny Kaspar (Texas State)

Overall record 327-230

Kaspar took over Texas State in 2013 after 13 years at Stephen F. Austin and 9 years at then-NAIA Incarnate Word. His career mark is impressive and SFA really blossomed under Brad Underwood after he left for Texas State. Despite this, there’s just one NCAA Tournament bid on his resume and things haven’t gone smoothly at Texas State, with just one season finishing higher than 7th in the Sun Belt.

162. David Richman (North Dakota State)

Overall record 79-58

Following 11 seasons as an assistant, Richman was finally promoted to head coach of NDSU after Saul Phillips left for Ohio in 2014. He led the Bison to the NCAA Tournament in his first season but his win total has fallen in each subsequent season. He’ll need to reverse that trend immediately, though he does have the benefit of coaching at his alma mater.

161. Dave Paulsen (George Mason)

Overall record 185-152

Paulsen’s head coaching career has taken him all over, from D-III St. Lawrence to D-II Le Moyne to D-III Williams to Bucknell and then George Mason in 2015. He won the D-III title in 2003 at Williams and made two NCAA Tournament appearances with Bucknell, but things aren’t going that well with the Patriots, though a turnaround could certainly be in the cards.

160. Travis Steele (Xavier)

Overall record 5-3

Steele spent a decade as an assistant before Xavier promoted him to head coach in 2018 after Chris Mack left for Louisville. He has no previous head coaching experience, but he takes over a competitive Big East program with which he has a decade of familiarity. He should do great work, but it might be a struggle initially.

159. Bill Coen (Northeastern)

Overall record 205-191

Coen took the Northeastern job in 2006 after 17 years as an assistant under Al Skinner at Rhode Island and Boston College. He’s had the Huskies competitive in the CAA throughout his tenure, but he boasts only a single NCAA Tournament appearance, plus two NIT’s.

158. Bob Hoffman (Mercer)

Overall record 270-226

Hoffman was hired at Mercer in 2008 and also has collegiate head coaching experience at NAIA Oklahoma Baptist and Texas-Pan American. There was nothing outstanding about this UTPA tenure, but he did win the CIT at Mercer in 2012 and had the Bears in the NCAA Tournament two years later. Mercer’s now in the Southern Conference and has yet to win their new league, but Hoffman has them competitive year in and year out.

157. John Brannen (Northern Kentucky)

Overall record 64-45

A longtime assistant under Anthony Grant, Brannen succeeded him as Alabama’s interim coach in 2015 before landing the Northern Kentucky job a month later. In his three seasons with the Norse he’s shown incredible growth, winning the Horizon League in 2017 before fumbling it away and settling for an NIT bid in 2018. He’s a great young coach in a winnable league and it wouldn’t surprise me to see a bigger program snatch him up before too long.

156. Rod Barnes (Cal State Bakersfield)

Overall record 308-299

A former Ole Miss head coach (1998-2006), Barnes also had experience at Georgia State before being scooped up in 2011 by Cal State Bakersfield. He led the Roadrunners to their first NCAA Tournament back in 2016 and did have solid success (including a Sweet Sixteen) in his first few years at Ole Miss. Last year was a step back at 12-18 and we’ll have to see how he rebuilds again.

155. Ray Harper (Jacksonville State)

Overall record 136-95

Harper was a legendary D-II head coach at his alma mater Kentucky Wesleyan, winning the D-II national titles in 1999 and 2001, while coaching his team to the title game six times in a row. He then led Oklahoma City to an NAIA title and has taken both Western Kentucky (where he coached from 2012-16) and Jacksonville State (ever since) to the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, some of this games at Kentucky Wesleyan were vacated near the end of his tenure and he didn’t do enough to build a consistent winner at WKU.

154. Eran Ganot (Hawaii)

Overall record 66-41

Ganot spent five years under Randy Bennett at Saint Mary’s before joining Hawaii as head coach in 2015, rejoining the school that gave him his first coaching job. His first year in Hawaii was excellent, with his 13-seed Rainbow Warriors knocking out Cal by 11 points. The last two years have been rougher, but he’s through three seasons with a solid record for a Big West coach.

153. Kyle Smith (San Francisco)

Overall record 150-113

After winning the CIT in his sixth and final year at Columbia, Smith took the San Francisco job in 2016. He’s led the Dons to a pair of 20 win season and CBI bids and finds himself in the same conference as Saint Mary’s, where he served as an assistant for nearly a decade. He’s doing great things at San Francisco, but we all know winning the WCC is likely out of the cards considering Gonzaga’s dominance.

152. Rob Senderoff (Kent State)

Overall record 146-99

Senderoff finally got his shot a head coach in 2011, having spent 16 years as a D-I assistant, including seven years at Kent State before his promotion. He had the Golden Flashes in the NCAA Tournament in 2017 and his 139-98 mark through seven years is acceptable. He was also implicated in the Indiana recruiting controversy in 2008, though this black spot hasn’t prevented him from coaching a solid Kent State squad.

151. Steve Pikiell (Rutgers)

Overall record 227-196

Eleven years as head coach at Stony Brook preceded Pikiell’s 2016 hire to lead Rutgers. He built a competitive Seawolves program that finally broke through to the NCAA Tournament in his final season, his fourth America East regular season title. Rebuilding Rutgers isn’t an easy task, and Pikiell is just 6-30 in Big Ten play, but there’s still time to turn the Scarlet Knights around.

150. Bill Carmody (Holy Cross)

Overall record 332-294

Carmody has been at Holy Cross since 2015. It’s pure irony that he spent 13 years at Northwestern and couldn’t get the Wildcats their first NCAA Tourney bid only to accomplish it in year one with the Crusaders, taking a then 14-19 squad to Tournament. His 326-291 career mark is greatly boosted by his four years at Princeton before Northwestern, 92-25 in replacing Pete Carril. Currently, he’s yet to have an above .500 season with Holy Cross, but that won’t stop them from competing in the Patriot League.

149. Steve McClain (UIC)

Overall record 202-180

Having also spent nine years as head coach at Wyoming, McClain was hired in 2015 by UIC and is slowly building the Flames into a Horizon League contender. After a 5-25 debut season, his squad won 20 games and nearly took the CIT crown in 2018. The Horizon is very winnable and McClain can take care of business if he can continue to recruit well in Chicago.

148. Mike Young (Wofford)

Overall record 275-242

Young has been at Wofford since 1989 and has been head coach since 2002. During that time, his Terriers have seen moderate success in the SoCon, making four NCAA Tournaments since 2010. Wofford went 21-13 last year and Young is showing no signs of slowing down as head coach.

147. Steve Donahue (Penn)

Overall record 255-257

Donahue turned a Sweet Sixteen run at Cornell in 2010 into the Boston College job, but it didn’t work out, fired after four seasons. He’s been at Penn since 2015 and has done better back in the Ivy League, leading the Quakers to the NCAA Tourney last season. If you ignore his first few years at Cornell, he’s a really solid Ivy League coach, a place where he should stay and have great success.

146. Eric Konkol (Louisiana Tech)

Overall record 69-39

Konkol has 11 years as an assistant under Jim Larranaga (though he wasn’t on staff for the 2006 George Mason Final Four), and was hired by Louisiana Tech in 2015. He’s done an okay job for the Bulldogs in replacing Mike White (who left for Florida) and his record is not disappointing. However, he’s still looking for something better than a Vegas 16 appearance, his only postseason bid after three years.

145. Saul Phillips (Ohio)

Overall record 190-133

A former assistant under Bo Ryan, Phillips took over Ohio in 2014 after seven solid years at North Dakota State. He not only made the NCAA Tournament twice with the Bison, but knocked out 5-seed Oklahoma in 2014, the program’s first Tourney victory. He’s just 67-60 at Ohio and hasn’t gotten the program has competitive as they were under John Groce, with just a CBI bid to show for his four years.

144. Johnny Jones (Texas Southern)

Overall record 298-240

Jones couldn’t lead LSU to the NCAA Tournament when he had Ben Simmons, but he begins his first season at the best program in the SWAC, replacing Mike Davis. His career record include an interim season at Memphis and eleven with North Texas before his recent stint at LSU. He’s made three NCAA Tournaments as head coach (though just one in five years at LSU) and should keep Texas Southern on top of the SWAC.

143. Earl Grant (Charleston)

Overall record 84-58

Grant took over at Charleston in 2014, leading the Cougars to the NCAA Tournament last season. He’s a former assistant under Gregg Marshall and Brad Brownell and still a relatively young coach at 41. He’s improved each season at Charleston and could be in the market for a better job in the coming years.

142. James Jones (Yale)

Overall record 291-267

Jones has led Yale since 1999. His Bulldogs upset 5-seed Baylor during the 2016 NCAA Tournament and nearly did the same to Duke in the second round. He’s won a lot of games, but that was his only NCAA Tournament appearance. He’s an experienced coach with tough recruiting guidelines in the Ivy League, but he’s done solid work at Yale.

141. Mike Boynton (Oklahoma State)

Overall record 25-18

After four years coaching under Brad Underwood, Boynton was promoted to head coach in 2017 when Underwood left for Illinois after just one season. Boynton has no prior head coaching experience, though the Cowboys weren’t bad in his first season. However, he’ll need to do more than NIT appearances in a super competitive Big 12.

140. Al Skinner (Kennesaw State)

Overall record 421-357

Skinner took the Kennesaw State job in 2015, get him back into head coaching after successful stints at Rhode Island (1988-97) and Boston College (1997-2010). Things have changed greatly in Boston, but making seven NCAA Tournament appearances in his final nine years wasn’t enough to keep his job. He’s a solid coach who’s just 36-66 at Kennesaw, a hard place to put together a solid program.

139. Mitch Henderson (Princeton)

Overall record 136-78

After spending 11 years under Bill Carmody at Northwestern, Henderson returned to Princeton to coach his alma mater in 2011. He’s made the NCAA Tournament just once in seven years, but his Tigers were top three in the Ivy for his first six seasons. He’ll need to reload after a 13-16 finish in 2018.

138. Jim Les (UC Davis)

Overall record 265-261

Les has been at UC Davis since 2011 after nine years as head coach of Bradley. The former NBA point guard’s most impressive year came in 2006 when Bradley made the Sweet Sixteen as a 13-seed. He’s had UC Davis competitive in the Big West recently, making an NCAA Tournament appearance and two NIT bids in the last four years.

137. Russell Turner (UC Irvine)

Overall record 164-124

Turner spent six years assisting with the Golden State Warriors before UC Irvine gave him his first head coaching gig in 2010. He’s had the Anteaters competitive in the Big West, nearly knocking off Louisville in his one NCAA Tournament appearance in 2015, with a couple of NIT’s as well. He’s proven he can win in Irvine, but there are a lot of solid head coaches in his conference now, and they all can’t win the Big West every year.

136. Chris Mooney (Richmond)

Overall record 258-212

Mooney spent one season as head coach of Air Force before taking the Richmond job in 2005. He led the Spiders to the Sweet Sixteen as a 12-seed in 2011, though having just two NCAA Tourney bids in thirteen seasons isn’t exactly impressive. He’s never won the A-10 regular season title, a task easier said than done, but he’s had Richmond in solid shape for more than a decade.

135. Matt McMahon (Murray State)

Overall record 63-38

Murray State hired McMahon as head coach in 2015 and the young coach hopes to become the latest coach to turn great things in Murray into a better job, like Mick Cronin at Cincinnati, Billy Kennedy at Texas A&M, and Steve Prohm at Iowa State. Things started slowly, but Murray State was back in the NCAA Tournament last season and expects to contend in the OVC virtually every single year going forward.

134. Brian Gregory (South Florida)

Overall record 264-204

Gregory took the South Florida job in 2017 with 13 years of head coaching experience in his pocket (8 at Dayton and 5 at Georgia Tech). At Dayton he won the NIT in 2010 and made a few NCAA Tourney bids, but his time in Georgia Tech was largely unsuccessful. He’s not a bad coach, but he has a lot of work ahead to turn South Florida (10-22 in his first year) into an AAC contender.

133. Nick McDevitt (Middle Tennessee)

Overall record 101-71

McDevitt spent more than two decades with UNC-Asheville as player, assistant, and head coach before accepting the Middle Tennessee job in 2018. In his five years as head coach, he did lead the Bulldogs to an NCAA Tournament and an NIT, but expectations will be higher at Middle Tennessee, especially after what Kermit Davis accomplished these last few years.

132. Matt McCall (Massachusetts)

Overall record 66-42

A former Florida grad and assistant, McCall spent two years as head coach at Chattanooga before being hired by UMass in 2017. He took the Mocs to the NCAA Tournament in 2016 but faces a challenging road with the Minutemen. He was just 13-20 in his first year, but the A-10 is a tough conference and the rebuild might take a few years.

131. Barry Hinson (Southern Illinois)

Overall record 309-239

Twice an assistant under Bill Self, Hinson already has 17 years of head coaching experience and has been at Southern Illinois since 2012. He took over after Self left Oral Roberts and then spent nine years at Missouri State, though he’s yet to lead a team to the NCAA Tournament. Southern Illinois can compete in the MVC this season, so that trend could soon change.

130. Joe Mihalich (Hofstra)

Overall record 358-282

Mihalich joined Hofstra in 2013 after 15 years as head coach of Niagara. These first twenty years have given him a solid career mark, but he hasn’t taken Hofstra to the NCAA Tourney, his most recent appearance coming with Niagara in 2007. The team finished third in the CAA last season, so perhaps Hofstra is trending towards that Tourney bid sometime soon.

129. LeVelle Moton (North Carolina Central)

Overall record 168-102

North Carolina Central alum Moton took over as head coach in 2009, leading the Eagles to 3 NCAA Tournament appearances in the last five years. He has a solid record since NCCU became D-I and has been dominant in the MEAC in recent years.

128. Brett Reed (Lehigh)

Overall record 203-148

Reed was promoted from assistant to head coach of Lehigh in 2007, already five years with the program under his belt at that point. He’s won the Patriot League twice at Lehigh, but nothing tops his 15-seed Mountain Hawks knocking out Duke in the first round of 2012 NCAA Tournament. Even though he hasn’t been back to the Tourney since that season, that’s the kind of win that gives you a lot of goodwill with the administration, and Lehigh is yearly competing in the Patriot.

127. Greg Kampe (Oakland)

Overall record 341-281

Kampe has been at Oakland since 1984, the third-longest tenure in the D-I hoops, and has led the Golden Grizzlies from D-II to Summit League to Horizon League, with three NCAA Tournament trips along the way. His teams have underachieved in recent years, but he’s one of the savviest coaches left in the Horizon and will have his teams competitive again in the future.

126. Dan D’Antoni (Marshall)

Overall record 78-65

When Marshall hired D’Antoni in 2014, it was his first involvement with college hoops since serving as an assistant at Marshall in 1971. A longtime high school head coach and a former NBA assistant, the Thundering Herd have improved each season under his leadership. This past year, they made their first NCAA Tournament in 31 years and knocked out 4-seed Wichita State in an impressive win. D’Antoni isn’t young, but he’ll have Marshall competitive for as long as he stays at his alma mater.

125. Pat Kelsey (Winthrop)

Overall record 125-75

A successful assistant with Wake Forest and Xavier, Kelsey has served as Winthrop’s head coach since 2012. He’s seen success with the Eagles, leading the team to the NCAA Tournament in 2017 and won 121 games through his first six years. He nearly left for UMass in 2017 (changing his mind at literally the last minute), but he’s going to keep Winthrop competitive in the Big South for as long as he’s there.

124. Bob Richey (Furman)

Overall record 32-10

A relatively young coach, Richey was promoted to head coach of Furman in 2017, actually coaching in the CIT after Niko Medved left for Drake. His 23-10 season last year was a solid start to his head coaching career, and he’s set for an even better season in year two. He could very easily also turn this stint into a better job like Medved before him.

123. Travis DeCuire (Montana)

Overall record 88-51

DeCuire returned to his alma mater as head coach in 2014 after six years under Mike Montgomery at California. He had no head coaching experience higher than the junior college level, but he’s done solid work with the Grizzlies. DeCuire has 88 wins and an NCAA bid from last season under his belt. If he keeps winning like this, he’ll propel himself to a better job, like Wayne Tinkle (and many others) before him.

122. Paul Weir (New Mexico)

Overall record 51-23

Weir spent a decade at rival New Mexico State (just one season as head coach) before New Mexico brought him over in 2017. He won the WAC and made the NCAA Tournament in his one year leading the Aggies, and his 19-15 mark last year was a solid season for the Lobos. The future could be bright for this young assistant as he tries to make New Mexico relevant again, though they’re clearly well behind Nevada in the Mountain West.

121. Dan Muller (Illinois State)

Overall record 128-83

A player (at Illinois State) and assistant (at Vanderbilt) under Kevin Stallings, Muller took over at his alma mater in 2012. The Redbird’s most recent NCAA Tournament appearance came when Muller was a player in 1998, but he’s got this team competitive yearly in the MVC, especially with Wichita State gone from the league. Regardless, he’s winning more than 20 games a year, and he’ll stick around if he keeps winning (and many feel his 2017 team should’ve gotten an at-large bid).

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.

110. Mark Gottfried (Cal State Northridge)

Overall record 403-246

Gottfried was hired at Cal State Northridge in 2018 after an extensive head coaching career. He spent three great years with Murray State, eleven solid years at Alabama, and six years with NC State. He’s made two Sweet Sixteens and an Elite Eight as a head coach, but he just didn’t do enough to win with the Wolfpack. He’s only just starting his tenure with the Matadors, but he’s a high profile coach and should somewhat elevate the program.

109. Leon Rice (Boise State)

Overall record 167-101

After a dozen years assisting at Gonzaga, Rice finally got his shot as a head coach when hired by Boise State in 2010. He’s made a couple of NCAA Tournament appearances and has led the Broncos from WAC to Mountain West contender, winning 20 games in each of the last six seasons. He could get a look for a Pac-12 job in the future, but he’s definitely still building something solid in Idaho.

108. Chris Jans (New Mexico State)

Overall record 56-19

Jans took the New Mexico State job in 2017, hoping for redemption after losing his job at Bowling Green in 2015 after just one season for lewd behavior. He also has six years of junior college head coaching experience and has already gotten the Aggies into the NCAA Tourney in his first season. I’m not sure if Jans will get a chance soon at a higher institution, but he’ll have New Mexico State winning the WAC for years to come.

107. T. J. Otzelberger (South Dakota State)

Overall record 53-27

Formerly a successful assistant at Washington and Iowa State, Otzelberger got his first shot as head coach with South Dakota State in 2016. He took over a solid Summit League program and has continued that success, 46 wins with an NCAA Tournament appearance in both seasons. Otzelberger is a hot name and he could attract attention for some bigger schools if he keeps the Jackrabbits constantly contending.

106. Travis Ford (Saint Louis)

Overall record 313-264

A bad 2016 season cost Ford the Oklahoma State job, but he bounced back at Saint Louis and enters his third year back in the A-10. He also spent five years as head coach of Eastern Kentucky and three at UMass before OSU hired him in 2008. He’s just 29-37 so far with the Billikens, but the rebuild should produce some real results this coming season.

105. Herb Sendek (Santa Clara)

Overall record 444-336

Another former Rick Pitino assistant, Sendek was head coach of Miami OH (1993-96), NC State (1996-06), and Arizona State (2006-15) before being hired in 2016 at Santa Clara. He’s coached in eight NCAA Tournaments, including a Sweet Sixteen with NC State in 2005, but couldn’t do enough to keep his job with the Sun Devils. He’s only 28-36 at Santa Clara, though winning in the WCC is clearly a difficult task.

104. Jeff Jones (Old Dominion)

Overall record 476-348

Jones spent twenty years with Virginia as player, assistant, and head coach before eventually leading American for 13 seasons. He was hired at Old Dominion in 2013, where he won the Vegas 16 in 2016. He also won the NIT with Virginia and made a number of NCAA Tournament appearances, though it wasn’t enough for the Cavaliers back in the 90’s. He’s a solid coach, and he did end last season 25-7, so he can definitely have the Monarchs competitive in Conference USA.

103. Randy Rahe (Weber State)

Overall record 253-140

After many years as an assistant out west, Rahe was hired to lead Weber State in 2006. His first twelve years have been successful, with three NCAA Tournaments, five Big Sky regular season titles, and a 30-win season in 2013. He’s an impressive 153-51 in Big Sky play and always has his Wildcats near the top of the league.

102. Dan Monson (Long Beach State)

Overall record 357-307

Monson has been at Long Beach State since 2007, but his career began with two years as head coach of Gonzaga. He left for Minnesota in 1999, leaving the program in the capable hands of Mark Few. He’s never matched hi Elite Eight run with Gonzaga back in 1999, making a single NCAA Tournament appearance with both Minnesota and LBSU, but he’s 114-64 in Big West play. He has the 49ers in the thick of things every season, he just needs to get the job done in March more often.

101. Wayne Tinkle (Oregon State)

Overall record 221-162

Tinkle has settled into a coaching career after a long international playing career. After leading Montana, his alma mater, for eight seasons he was hired to lead Oregon State in 2014. The Beavers aren’t exactly a Pac-12 power, but he did lead Oregon State to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 26 years. He’s only 57-70 and that bid was in 2016, so he’ll need to turn things around come Pac-12 play.

100. John Groce (Akron)

Overall record 200-151

After five unsuccessful years as head coach of Illinois, Groce returned to the MAC, hired as head coach of Akron in 2017. He had previously achieved remarkably success with Ohio, leading the team not only to two NCAA Tournaments, but upset wins over Georgetown as the 14-seed, and a Sweet Sixteen run as a 13-seed. He went just 14-18 last year, but he’ll have time to turn around Akron.

99. Joe Dooley (East Carolina)

Overall record 177-114

Dooley, head coach of East Carolina from 1995-99, returned to the school for a second stint in 2018 after five years leading Florida Gulf Coast. Dooley, who also spent ten years assisting Bill Self at Kansas, made a pair of NCAA Tournaments and continued Andy Enfield’s momentum for the Eagles after their 2013 run. Anytime you’re 57-17 in conference play is a great thing, but can Dooley carry over that momentum to East Carolina, who has floundered in the AAC?

98. Pat Chambers (Penn State)

Overall record 159-154

Chambers took the Penn State job in 2011, fresh off two seasons with Boston University and after spending some time under Jay Wright at Villanova. His only NCAA Tourney bid came with the Terriers, but he did win the NIT at Penn State last season. After a rough start, his Nittany Lions were improved last year, but they’ll have quite a fight on their hands to continue that momentum.

97. Steve Forbes (East Tennessee State)

Overall record 83-32

A longtime assistant and successful junior college coach, Forbes took the job at ETSU in 2015. These first three years as a D-I head coach have gone well, with an NCAA Tournament bid and a lot of time at the top of the SoCon standings. Forbes is an impressive 42-12 in conference play and is another candidate for a better job when the time comes.

96. Ernie Kent (Washington State)

Overall record 376-332

Kent was hired at Washington State in 2014 with a lot of Pac-12 experience already under his belt. He spent six years at Saint Mary’s before lasting 13 seasons with Oregon, including making a pair of Elite Eights. It’s hard to win with the Cougars, and Washington State is 47-77 in Kent’s first four years, but he’s still a coach with a solid background.

95. Keith Dambrot (Duquesne)

Overall record 345-191

Dambrot took over at Duquesne in 2017 following a long stint in the city of Akron. He coached LeBron James at St. Vincent – St. Mary’s HS and made three NCAA Tournaments during his 13 years as head coach of the Zips. 16-16 was his mark in his first season with the Dukes and I’d expect Duquesne to compete in the A-10 within the next few years, a tougher task than it seems.

94. Danny Manning (Wake Forest)

Overall record 96-105

The #1 overall pick in the 1988 NBA Draft, Manning returned to Kansas as an assistant following a long playing career. He got his chance at Tulsa and left in 2014 after two years to take the job at Wake Forest. He did make an NCAA Tournament with Tulsa, but he’s yet to compete in the ACC, with a First Four in 2017 the only postseason bid the Demon Deacons have made, but there’s still time to turn things around.

93. Mike Davis (Detroit)

Overall record 355-247
Final Four appearance in 2002

Davis, who’s spent six seasons apiece as head coach of Indiana, UAB, and Texas Southern, was just hired by Detroit in 2018. He led Indiana to the national title game in 2002 before struggling both there and at UAB. He absolutely dominated the SWAC while at Texas Southern, 88-20 in conference play with four NCAA Tourney appearances. Detroit has struggled in recent years and the Titans are hoping that Davis can provide a spark for the recent cellar dwellers of the Horizon League.

92. Patrick Ewing (Georgetown)

Overall record 22-16

The #1 overall picks in the 1985 NBA Draft returned to his alma mater as head coach in 2017 after 15 years as an NBA assistant. Ewing took over a messy Hoyas program and pounded out a 15-15 season in his college coaching debut. As he continues to bring his own recruits in, he should be able to get this program competitive again in the Big East.

91. Kevin Willard (Seton Hall)

Overall record 200-166

Willard has been Seton Hall’s head coach since 2010, a job he was offered after three years leading Iona and six years under Rick Pitino at Louisville. Things started slowly for the Pirates but Willard has had this team in the NCAA Tournament each of the last three seasons. The Big East is a tough league but Willard has proven that he is a capable young coach.

90. Ron Hunter (Georgia State)

Overall record 374-267

Hunter might be most famously known for falling off his stool when his son RJ hit the 3 to knock off 3-seed Baylor in the 2015 NCAA Tournament. He’s been with the Panthers since 2011 after 17 years leading IUPUI. He didn’t move mountains at IUPUI, but he’s built Georgia State into a yearly contender in the Sun Belt, 147-85 in his first seven years. Expect to hear from the Panthers again very soon during March.

89. John Becker (Vermont)

Overall record 172-80

Becker came to Vermont in 2006 and was promoted to head coach in 2011. His teams have dominated the America East, even if he has just two NCAA Tournament appearances to show for it (UMBC got them in the conference tourney last year). He owns an incredible record for an America East team, while a 93-19 mark in conference play has a lot to do with that. Becker’s built a great program in New England and they’ll continue to dominate the America East.

88. Jerod Haase (Stanford)

Overall record 117-90

After nearly two decades playing for and coaching under Roy Williams, Haase got his chance as head coach of UAB in 2012 and turned that success into the Stanford job in 2016. His Blazers upset 3-seed Iowa State in the 2015 NCAA Tournament, but he’s off to a slow start with the Cardinal, just 33-33 two years in. Regardless, there’s still time to turn things around and the Pac-12 is clearly not at its strongest these days.

87. Tim Jankovich (SMU)

Overall record 219-145

Jankovich has a lot of collegiate coaching experience and he’s been at SMU since 2012; head coach since 2016. The former Bill Self assistant also spent four years leading North Texas in the 90’s and five years at Illinois State. He made a slew of NIT’s with the Redbirds after struggling at North Texas, though his time succeeding Larry Brown at SMU has been a little more successful, his first NCAA Tourney appearance came in 2017. Jankovich just can’t afford another down season, a 17-16 season mark in 2018 a huge departure after a 30 win season.

86. Marvin Menzies (UNLV)

Overall record 233-148

Menzies took the UNLV job in 2016 after nine successful years at New Mexico State and a long assistant coaching career. He made five NCAA Tournaments with the Aggies, though he never could quite pull off an opening round upset. If he can provide similar growth at UNLV, he might just get the Runnin’ Rebels in a position to cause some March Madness in a few years.

85. Anthony Grant (Dayton)

Overall record 212-130

After three solids years with VCU and six less-solid ones at Alabama, Grant took the Dayton job in 2017, bringing him back to his alma mater. He’s spent a lot of time coaching under Billy Donovan, including with the Oklahoma City Thunder. His Rams upset 6-seed Duke in the 2007 NCAA Tournament but he had much less success with the Crimson Tide. He went just 14-17 in year one in Dayton, but he’s building something and Dayton should be back on top of the A-10 standings very soon.

84. Tad Boyle (Colorado)

Overall record 224-153

Boyle took over at Colorado in 2010 after four years at Northern Colorado. His Buffaloes have been steady since joining the Pac-12 in 2011, making four NCAA Tournaments. However, he’s never made it past the first weekend and the last two seasons were less than productive. Despite this, the former Mark Turgeon assistant will put Colorado in a position to contend in the Pac-12.

83. Chris Collins (Northwestern)

Overall record 94-80

After playing for and coaching under Mike Krzyzewski, Collins got his shot to run a program at Northwestern in 2013. He’s already done what no coach before him could do, leading the Wildcats to their first NCAA Tournament in 2017. Last year was a struggle, but he’s built enough collateral to last a few more years, sitting at that decent record five years into his coaching career.

82. Tim Cluess (Iona)

Overall record 184-97

A good junior college head coach, Cluess got the Iona job in 2010 and has been extremely successful. He’s led the Gaels to either the NCAA Tournament (five times) or the NIT (twice) in each of the last seven seasons and consistently has Iona on top of the MAAC. He hasn’t expressed interest in taking another job and should continue to dominate while in New Rochelle with the Gaels.

81. Richard Pitino (Minnesota)

Overall record 114-94

After one solid year a head coach of Florida International, Pitino has been up and down since taking the Minnesota job in 2013. He won the NIT in 2014 and finally made the NCAA Tournament in 2017, but there have been some bad years sandwiched in there. Pitino’s on the hot seat, needing a good bounce back from the Golden Gophers to keep his job.

80. LaVall Jordan (Butler)

Overall record 37-40

Jordan came home to his alma mater as head coach in 2017 following a single season at Milwaukee, his first head coaching experience. He spent time assisting at Butler, Iowa, and Michigan. His one year at Milwaukee was dreadful but he got Butler in the NCAA Tournament in his first year with the Bulldogs. Expect Jordan to stick around for some time while building up this stalwart Big East program.

79. Steve Wojciechowski (Marquette)

Overall record 80-61

Wojciechowski is another former Duke player and assistant who finally got his shot to run a program with Marquette in 2014. Things haven’t been extraordinary with the Golden Eagles, but he has led them to the NCAA Tournament and they should compete this year in the Big East. He’s off to a solid start through four years, but he’ll need to produce more results soon.

78. Penny Hardaway (Memphis)

Overall record 4-4

The #3 pick in the 1993 NBA Draft begins his collegiate coaching career this season at Memphis, taking over at his alma mater in his hometown. Hardaway is going to bring some incredible recruits down to Memphis, but until we see how he coaches a collegiate team, he just can’t be any higher on the list. I fully expect Hardaway to shine at Memphis and have his team winning the AAC very soon.

77. Johnny Dawkins (UCF)

Overall record 205-142

Another former Duke player and assistant, Dawkins got his shot at Stanford in 2008 and made his way to UCF in 2016. He won a pair of NIT titles at Stanford but only made the NCAA Tournament once and his tenure was unsuccessful. He’s already made UCF competitive in the AAC, but time will tell if he can actually get the job done and get his team to the Dance.

76. Tim Miles (Nebraska)

Overall record 175-186

Miles was hired by Nebraska in 2012 and has spent the last 23 years as a college head coach. He’s moved up from NAIA Mayville State to D-II Southwest Minnesota State to then-D-II North Dakota State to Colorado State before the Cornhuskers scooped him up. He’s gotten Nebraska competitive in the Big Ten and has made an NCAA Tourney appearance at both Colorado State and Nebraska. He’s not going to go 13-5 in Big Ten play every year, but things are looking up for Miles and the Cornhuskers, but for how long?

75. Porter Moser (Loyola IL)

Overall record 231-215
Final Four appearance in 2018

Aside from winning the CBI in 2015, Moser hadn’t made any other postseason appearances in three years at Little Rock, four years at Illinois State, and his first six years at Loyola. Hired by Loyola in 2011, Moser completely turned the narrative around, leading the 11-seed Ramblers to the Final Four in 2018 and setting them up as a new power in the MVC. I don’t know if Moser will leave Loyola for a more high profile job, but he has stability and is in a recruiting hotbed in Chicago, giving him plenty of reason to stay.

74. Dave Rose (BYU)

Overall record 334-126

Co-captain of Phi Slama Jama with the Houston Cougars, Rose has been at BYU since 1997, promoted to head coach in 2005. The Cougars have transitioned from the Mountain West to the WCC and haven’t skipped a beat, making the NCAA Tournament (8 times) or NIT (5 times) every single year. He’s won more than 72% of his games and has no signs of slowing down, even as Gonzaga owns complete dominance of their conference.

73. Lorenzo Romar (Pepperdine)

Overall record 396-287

Romar returned to Pepperdine as head coach in 2018, having served there from 1996-99 before being hire by Saint Louis (3 years) and then Washington (15 years). He’s been in 7 NCAA Tournaments (6 with Washington), but couldn’t win enough in his final years to retain his job. Three Sweet Sixteen appearances are impressive, but the Huskies missed the NCAA Tourney in his final six years in Seattle. He’s back at Pepperdine, and it’ll take time to rebuild, but he’ll make a splash with the Waves in the near future.

72. Frank Haith (Tulsa)

Overall record 287-184

After two decades as an assistant coach, Haith served as head coach of Miami FL (seven years) and Missouri (three years) before Tulsa hired him in 2014. His tenure at Missouri ended with vacated wins and he’s only made a First Four with Tulsa, but he’s a good recruiter and a solid coach. On the other hand, his Tigers were upset by 15-seed Norfolk State in 2012 and he hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since 2007 with Miami. He’ll need to produce more at Tulsa.

71. Will Wade (LSU)

Overall record 115-62

A former assistant under Tommy Amaker and Shaka Smart (including the 2011 VCU Final Four), Wade spent two years as head coach at both Chattanooga and VCU before LSU hired him in 2017. He won 40 games in two years with the Mocs and led VCU twice to the NCAA Tournament. Competing in today’s SEC is a difficult task, but an 18-15 debut with the Tigers wasn’t a bad start. Wade needs a few more years to build his own program, that is unless he jumps quickly to another job in the meantime.

70. Tommy Amaker (Harvard)

Overall record 391-262

Yet another former player and assistant under Mike Krzyzewski, Amaker was hired at Harvard in 2007 after four years at Seton Hall and six at Michigan. He made the Sweet Sixteen with Seton Hall and won an NIT at Michigan, but never made the NCAA Tournament with the Wolverines. That being said, he’s completely turned around the Crimson, leading them to four straight NCAA Tournaments from 2012-15, including two upset wins. He’s 106-48 in conference play and has built a constant winner, an impressive feat at an Ivy League school.

69. Billy Kennedy (Texas A&M)

Overall record 351-281

Kennedy made the NCAA Tournament as head coach of Southeastern Louisiana and Murray State before being hired by Texas A&M in 2011. He’s lead the Aggies to the Sweet Sixteen in two of the last three seasons, including a dismantling of defending champs North Carolina last season. Kennedy is building something at Texas A&M and already contending in the tough SEC; expect big things for a program that’s never been in the Elite Eight.

68. Kermit Davis (Mississippi)

Overall record 408-240

The former head coach of Idaho and Texas A&M, Davis spent 16 years leading Middle Tennessee before Ole Miss hired him this past offseason. His Blue Raiders knocked off 2-seed Michigan State in the 2016 NCAA Tournament and 5-seed Minnesota the following year. It took time to build Middle Tennessee into a power in Conference USA and Ole Miss will need to be patient as Davis takes control of the program.

67. Greg Gard (Wisconsin)

Overall record 65-37

Gard became head coach of Wisconsin after Bo Ryan’s retirement in December 2015, having spent the previous 23 years as an assistant under him. He’s already led the Badgers to a pair of Sweet Sixteen’s, but last season was a major struggle at 15-18. The future seems somewhat murky for Gard, but he can right the ship with a big bounce back year.

66. Jeff Capel III (Pittsburgh)

Overall record 182-112

Another player and former assistant at Duke, Capel already had nine years of head coaching experience before Pitt hired him in 2018. He made a Tourney run with VCU and led Oklahoma to the Elite Eight in 2009 with Blake Griffin, but didn’t do enough with the Sooners. After seven years on Coach K’s bench, Capel is a head coach again, and things should go well for him in the ACC, though it may take a few years to get the Panthers back on track.

65. Mike Hopkins (Washington)

Overall record 31-20

A player and longtime assistant under Jim Boeheim, Hopkins’ hiring by Washington in 2017 came as a surprise, as he was expected to succeed Boeheim after his retirement. However, Boeheim remains at Syracuse and Hopkins looks to build on a 21-13 first year. He knocked off Kansas but didn’t do enough to get the Huskies into the NCAA Tournament, a definite goal for his second season.

64. Rick Byrd (Belmont)

Overall record 395-215

Byrd has been at Belmont since 1986 and has taken the Bruins from an NAIA program to a yearly OVC contender. He’s made 7 NCAA Tournaments, though he’s yet to pull a Tourney upset. He’s had Belmont in the top two of their conference for the last thirteen years, an astounding 187-43 in conference play in the A-Sun and OVC during that time. Byrd is well respected and a great recruiter and Belmont should be the favorite again this year, perhaps the year they finally win a big game in March.

63. Bobby Hurley (Arizona State)

Overall record 99-67

Hurley is another former Duke player who’s found himself coaching a power conference program. He spent two years at Buffalo before Arizona State hired him in 2015. He’s taken both programs to the NCAA Tournament and has built Arizona State into a contender in the Pac-12, though last year ended miserably in the First Four. Hurley’s stable and a solid recruiter and you can expect his Sun Devils to get much farther than that in the future.

62. Avery Johnson (Alabama)

Overall record 62-49

After many years in the NBA as player, assistant, and head coach, Johnson’s first college coaching experience has come at Alabama, who hired him in 2015. He’s off to a solid start for an SEC team and he did make his first NCAA Tournament last year. The program is trending in the right direction and Johnson is a great recruiter; we haven’t heard the last from this Crimson Tide program.

61. Cliff Ellis (Coastal Carolina)

Overall record 753-489

At Coastal Carolina since 2007, Ellis’ 753 D-I victories are fifth-most among active head coaches. He previously served as head coach of South Alabama (1975-84), Clemson (1984-94), and Auburn (1994-04). He’s been ten times to the NCAA Tournament, with three appearances in the Sweet Sixteen. He’s a well-respected coach at the very end of his career, though his Chanticleers did struggle last season. Perhaps the end is closer than it seems, but let’s not undermine Ellis’ impressive run.

60. Andy Enfield (USC)

Overall record 140-107

Enfield was hired at USC in 2013 after leading 15-seed Florida Gulf Coast to the Sweet Sixteen in his second year as head coach. He’s already building something at USC, 71-35 in the last three seasons with a pair of NCAA Tourney bids. Heading from one coast to the other hasn’t slowed Enfield down and he’s shown the ability to recruit all over. The Pac-12 is very winnable going forward and Enfield could have something special on his hands very soon.

59. Phil Martelli (Saint Joseph’s)

Overall record 434-313

Martelli has been at Saint Joseph’s since 1985 and became head coach in 1995. There have been ups and downs for the Hawks, but the ups have been impressive. He won the A-10 and made the Sweet Sixteen in 1997 and earned a 1-seed and made an Elite Eight run in 2004, led by Player of the Year Jameer Nelson. He won an NCAA Tournament game as recently as 2016 and remains a successful coach.

58. Bob McKillop (Davidson)

Overall record 562-341

McKillop has led Davidson since 1989 and is well-known for coaching Stephen Curry and his 2008 Wildcats to the Elite Eight. He’s made nine NCAA Tournaments and has overseen as Davidson has joined the A-10. He has an impressive 562 career wins and was in the Tournament again last year, with McKillop showing no signs of slowing down.

57. Fran Dunphy (Temple)

Overall record 564-316

Dunphy spent 17 years at Penn before Temple hired him in 2006. He’s retiring at the end of this season, but he’s had great success during his 30 year head coaching career. During his tenure, Penn dominated the Ivy League, making nine NCAA Tournaments, while adding another seven appearances at Temple. The last few seasons have been very disappointing, but Dunphy’s had a solid career, even if he hasn’t been dominating the AAC.

56. Josh Pastner (Georgia Tech)

Overall record 205-111

Pastner succeeded John Calipari at Memphis and didn’t live up to expectation, hired away by Georgia Tech in 2016. He nearly won the NIT with the Yellow Jackets but his second year was a struggle. He did make four NCAA Tournaments with Memphis but he’ll need to find a way to get Georgia Tech back on track fast; the ACC is no joke these days.

55. Ben Jacobson (Northern Iowa)

Overall record 253-155

Promoted to head coach in 2006, Jacobson has led Northern Iowa to four NCAA Tournaments and four upset wins along the way. His most prominent moment came in an upset against #1 Kansas in the second round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament. The last two seasons have been a struggling rebuild, but Wichita State is gone from the MVC and Northern Iowa is a team that can definitely take advantage of this in the future, especially with a successful recruiter like Jacobson.

54. Dan Hurley (Connecticut)

Overall record 157-107

Hurley just started at UConn after six solid years with Rhode Island, winning a game in the NCAA Tournament each of the last two seasons. After struggling in Kevin Ollie’s last few seasons, Hurley has brought excitement back to Storrs. He also built St. Benedict’s into one of the best high school basketball programs in New Jersey and Huskies fans are expecting that same kind of growth in the AAC.

53. Ed Cooley (Providence)

Overall record 243-165

Cooley got his shot as head coach of Fairfield after ten years as an assistant under Al Skinner. After five seasons, Providence hired him in 2011 and he’s done a very solid job ever since. He’s had the Friars in the last five NCAA Tournaments and Providence is consistently competing in the Big East. The downside is that he’s merely 1-5 in the Tourney, getting it done in March is clearly the next goal for Cooley and his Friars.

52. Fran McCaffery (Iowa)

Overall record 408-299

McCaffery has had a long coaching career, including stints leading Lehigh, UNC-Greensboro, and Siena before Iowa hired him in 2010. He made three straight NCAA Tournaments at Siena (with two Tourney wins) and has done the same at Iowa. Last year was bad (14-19), but Iowa should get slightly back on track this season, though competing in the Big Ten is easier said than done.

51. Cuonzo Martin (Missouri)

Overall record 211-137

Martin has bounced around as a head coach after starting his career as an assistant at Purdue. He was already head coach of Missouri State, Tennessee, and California (all for 3 years) before Missouri hired him in 2017. He made the Sweet Sixteen with the Volunteers and built up the Golden Bears with solid recruiting, but his team ultimately faltered in his first year with the Tigers, finishing 20-13 with an injured Michael Porter Jr. His second year might be better, but the SEC is definitely tougher and another Tourney bid is no guarantee.

50. Randy Bennett (Saint Mary’s)

Overall record 397-166

Bennett has been at Saint Mary’s since 2001, leading the second-most successful WCC program during that time. All the while living in Gonzaga’s shadow, he’s led the Gaels to six NCAA Tournament appearances including the Sweet Sixteen in 2010. He’s notched nearly 400 wins with 88 of them over the last three years. Saint Mary’s will continue to be a great program but they just won’t garner the attention that Gonzaga gets; though Bennett is an excellent coach.

49. Bryce Drew (Vanderbilt)

Overall record 160-87

Drew got his “shot” as head coach at Valparaiso, his alma mater, and after five good years took over Vanderbilt in 2016. He made a pair of NCAA Tournaments with the Crusaders and had the Commodores dancing in his debut, though last year was a big struggle. With hot recruits coming in, Vanderbilt should take a step forward this season, though it won’t be enough to put the Commodores near the top of the SEC.

48. Brad Brownell (Clemson)

Overall record 322-200

Brownell was hired at Clemson in 2010 after four years apiece at UNC-Wilmington and Wright State, making both programs conference contenders for his entire tenure. His time with Clemson seemed to be nearing its end before a bounce back year in 2018, complete with a Sweet Sixteen run. It was just his fifth NCAA Tournament bid as a head coach but Clemson is set to Dance again this season, with their sights on a bigger prize.

47. Kevin Keatts (NC State)

Overall record 100-41

Keatts took over NC State in 2017 following three successful years at nearby UNC-Wilmington. He led the Skyhawks to a pair of NCAA Tournaments in his tenure and has already excelled with the Wolfpack. NC State tied for third in the ACC last year and made the NCAA Tournament, perhaps just the beginning as Keatts rebuilds the program. He’s already knocked off Duke and North Carolina and his revere will only increase with each rivalry win.

46. Steve Prohm (Iowa State)

Overall record 171-71

Prohm got the Iowa State job in 2015 following four years leading Murray State. He took an OVC team to a 31-2 season, a CIT championship, and a 54-10 mark in conference play. A longtime assistant under Billy Kennedy, Prohm has already won three NCAA Tournament games with the Cyclones, but slipped to 13-18 and last place in the Big 12 in 2018. Better days will be ahead for Prohm, who’s shown he can build a consistent winner and a great offensive coach.

45. Brad Underwood (Illinois)

Overall record 125-51

Underwood took over at Illinois in 2017 and has been revered for his incredible work with Stephen F. Austin and a solid year with Oklahoma State. He went a mind-blowing 89-14 with the Lumberjacks, winning the Southland all three years and securing two NCAA Tourney upsets along the way. He got the Cowboys into the Dance in his only year in Stillwater and is beginning a rebuild at Illinois. His first year was rough as expected but this program could finally turn a new leaf very soon with Underwood at the helm.

44. Larry Krystkowiak (Utah)

Overall record 184-120

A former NBA power forward, Krystkowiak already had head coaching experience with Montana and the Milwaukee Bucks when Utah hired him in 2011. Having already made two NCAA Tournaments in his two years with Montana, Krystkowiak rebuilt a Utes program that went just 6-25 in his first season. He’s made a couple of NCAA Tournaments and has won 20+ games each of the last five years. He’ll have this team competitive in the Pac-12 as long as he’s there.

43. Greg McDermott (Creighton)

Overall record 342-227

A longtime head coach, McDermott was hired by Creighton in 2010 after four unsuccessful years leading Iowa State. He also gained experience as head man at D-II Wayne State, D-II North Dakota State, and Northern Iowa. He had great success (three NCAA Tournaments) at Northern Iowa before faltering with the Cyclones, and he’s already built Creighton into a yearly contender in the Big East. He made three Tourneys with his son Doug leading the team and his recent teams have continued to Dance. Ignoring a rebuilding year in 2015, he’s been solid each year at Creighton and it’s a trend that should continue.

42. Tom Crean (Georgia)

Overall record 361-234
Final Four appearance in 2003

A former assistant to Tom Izzo, and a successful head coach at Marquette and Indiana, Crean took over the Georgia program in 2018 and begins his first year hoping to rebuild the program. He made the Final Four in 2003 with Marquette and a trio of Sweet Sixteens at Indiana, but didn’t do enough for the Hoosiers to keep him; he was fired in 2017. His overall record looks worse than it is because Indiana was in a major rebuild at the start of his tenure and Crean was highly sought after before choosing to latch on with the Bulldogs. Time will tell if he can find success in the SEC.

41. Buzz Williams (Virginia Tech)

Overall record 233-147

Williams took over the Marquette program from Tom Crean and turned that success into the Virginia Tech job in 2014. He took the Golden Eagles to five NCAA Tournaments including an Elite Eight and a few Sweet Sixteens and has had Virginia Tech Dancing each of the last two seasons. He’s changed the Hokies from a doormat to a legitimate contender, though it’ll be hard to knock off Duke, UNC, and Virginia on a regular basis.

40. Michael White (Florida)

Overall record 175-80

After four years at Louisiana Tech, White was tabbed to replace Billy Donovan at Florida in 2015, something that wasn’t an easy task. After finishing 101-40 in his brief time with the Bulldogs, he’s already building something with the Gators, making the Elite Eight in his second season in 2017. Last year wasn’t the most successful year (despite another NCAA Tournament bid) and things might get tougher in the future as the SEC programs around him continue to get better.

39. Tubby Smith (High Point)

Overall record 601-307
Final Four appearance in 1998
National championship in 1998

Smith rejoined his alma mater as head coach in 2018, having spent the previous 27 years as head coach of Tulsa, Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota, Texas Tech, and then Memphis. He won the 1998 NCAA title with Kentucky and has eight other appearances in the Elite Eight or Sweet Sixteen. Unfortunately, his years with Minnesota, Texas Tech and Memphis were less than successful. He’s 12th among active head coaches in D-I coaching wins and should be able to build success in the Big South, though it will certainly take time to filter in new talent.

38. Rick Stansbury (Western Kentucky)

Overall record 339-197

Stansbury was hired at Western Kentucky in 2016 having previously spent 14 years as head coach of Mississippi State. He made six NCAA Tournaments with the Bulldogs but never got past the first weekend. His recruiting talents are already on paying dividends at Western Kentucky and the Hilltoppers are favorites in Conference USA. Perhaps his potent mid-major could go on a run and give him that first experience in the second weekend of March Madness.

37. Mark Turgeon (Maryland)

Overall record 414-241

Turgeon took the Maryland job in 2011 after spending time leading Jacksonville State, Wichita State, and Texas A&M. He led the Shockers to the Sweet Sixteen in 2006 and made the Tourney in each of his four years with the Aggies. He has over 400 career wins and has had Maryland competitive in the Big Ten every year but 2018, a reloading year. The future is bright for the Terrapins, and he’ll look to build on a Sweet Sixteen run in 2016.

36. Kelvin Sampson (Houston)

Overall record 515-275
Final Four appearance in 2002

A longtime coach, Sampson had head coaching experience with NAIA Montana Tech, Washington State, Oklahoma, and Indiana before Houston tabbed him in 2014. After a recruiting scandal cost him the Indiana job in 2008, he spent six years as an NBA assistant before returning to the college game. He had Oklahoma in the Final Four in 2002 and built a strong program. The same might’ve happened at Indiana had he not been cheating, but he got Houston a buzzer beater away from a Sweet Sixteen this past season. The future is bright and it’s now or never as a weak AAC rebuilds.

35. Chris Beard (Texas Tech)

Overall record 82-29

Beard was hired by Texas Tech in 2016, completing an eventful head coaching journey and returning him to the school where he spent a decade as an assistant. He knocked off 5-seed Purdue in his one season as head coach of Little Rock and got Texas Tech to the Elite Eight last season. The Big 12 is tough but Beard has this team competitive very quickly and the future should be very bright in Lubbock.

34. Steve Alford (UCLA)

Overall record 508-265

A former national champion guard at Indiana, Alford’s head coaching career has taken him from D-III Manchester to Missouri State to Iowa to New Mexico to UCLA. With the Bruins since 2013, Alford has underachieved with the Bruins (as he did with Iowa), failing to take advantage of some talented recruits. His career got off to a hot start with a Sweet Sixteen with Missouri State in 1999, but after building a great program at New Mexico, the momentum hasn’t carried over to UCLA. There have been three Sweet Sixteens but he won’t last much longer without an impressive turnaround.

33. Eric Musselman (Nevada)

Overall record 89-29

A former NBA coach, Musselman became a college assistant in 2012 and got his shot with Nevada in 2015. He’s got a great record and took the Wolf Pack to the Sweet Sixteen as a 7-seed last year, including an incredible upset win over 2-seed Cincinnati. This following season should be even more incredible and Musselman has shown talent as both a recruiter and in-game coach. Expect big things from Musselman, especially if he gets the call at a prominent power conference program in a few years.

32. Scott Drew (Baylor)

Overall record 323-209

Drew took over a tarnished Baylor program in 2003 and has done incredible things to make the Bears a yearly Big 12 contender. Having just one year of head coaching experience (at Valparaiso), he rebuilt the program after the Dave Bliss controversy, taking Baylor twice to the Elite Eight, winning the NIT in 2013, and making two more Sweet Sixteens in recent years. Drew is an underrated coach, a great recruiter, and Baylor will be competitive for as long as he stays in Waco.

31. Frank Martin (South Carolina)

Overall record 234-147
Final Four appearance in 2017

After beginning his career as a high school coach in Miami, Martin eventually got his shot as head coach of Kansas State and landed at South Carolina in 2012. His most impressive bit of coaching was leading 7-seed South Carolina to the Final Four in 2017. He did great things with Kansas State and turned around a struggling Gamecocks program, though the future is unknown in a tough SEC. Martin is fiery and tempered but he’s a good in-game coach and should continue to field competitive teams at South Carolina.

30. Leonard Hamilton (Florida State)

Overall record 534-419

A former longtime Kentucky assistant, Hamilton had head coaching experience with Oklahoma State, Miami FL, and the Washington Wizards before Florida State hired him in 2002. His time in the NBA didn’t go well, but he’s found great success with the Seminoles. Despite tying for eighth in the ACC, he had Florida State in the Elite Eight last year, his best season as a head coach. He already has 527 career coaching wins and has put Florida State in a great position to add to that total.

29. Mike Anderson (Arkansas)

Overall record 356-185

Anderson was an assistant when Arkansas won the national title in 1994 and has hoped to bring success of his own since his hiring in 2011. He has previous experience as head coach of UAB and Missouri, making a Sweet Sixteen with the Blazers and an Elite Eight with the Tigers, two impressive feats. His time with the Razorbacks has been productive, but he has just three NCAA Tournaments without an appearance in the Sweet Sixteen. There’s still time for impressive results of course, but Anderson doesn’t have this program operating at the same level that Nolan Richardson did back in the 90’s.

28. Ben Howland (Mississippi State)

Overall record 461-254
Final Four appearances in 2006,2007, and 2008

Howland was hired at Mississippi State in 2015 with 19 years as a head coach already in his pocket. In his decade at UCLA, he led the Bruins to three straight Final Fours but couldn’t seize a title nor win enough to retain his job. He did solid things with both Northern Arizona and Pittsburgh and is already building Mississippi State into an SEC contender. His upcoming fourth year should lead to his first NCAA Tournament with the Bulldogs, but his recruiting and coaching has provided an incredible lift to MSU.

27. Archie Miller (Indiana)

Overall record 162-80

Miller had six successful years at Dayton before Indiana hired him in 2017. He went 139-63 at Dayton, with an Elite Eight and an NCAA Tournament bid in each of his last four seasons. He’s tasked with rebuilding the Hoosiers program and his 16-15 wasn’t a bad start. Miller will have Indiana firing on all cylinders in a few years, especially if he can continue to bring in recruits like Romeo Langford.

26. Chris Mack (Louisville)

Overall record 220-99

Mack just took the Louisville job in 2018 after nine years leading Xavier. He led the Musketeers to great NCAA Tournament success, including an Elite Eight in 2017 as the program shifted from the A-10 to the Big East. He takes over a Cardinals program reloading after Rick Pitino’s dismissal but will have Louisville competing for ACC titles again in a year or two.

25. Mick Cronin (Cincinnati)

Overall record 345-165

After three solid years at Murray State, Cronin was tabbed to lead Cincinnati in 2006 and has done great things for the Bearcats. As they’ve transitioned from Big East to AAC, the Bearcats have made the last eight NCAA Tournaments, though the last six trips have included early exits. Cronin is 72-18 in AAC conference play and has clearly placed Cincinnati as the dominant program in the young conference. This year will be a bit of a reload, but Cronin’s future shines bright.

24. Bruce Pearl (Auburn)

Overall record 308-162

After recruiting violations ended his coaching career at Tennessee, Pearl has bounced back nicely since getting hired in 2014 by Auburn. The former head coach also served at D-II Southern Indiana (where he won a national title) and Milwaukee (where he made a Sweet Sixteen as a 12-seed). He’s rebuilt Auburn into a legit contender, tying for the SEC regular season crown last season and expected to do even better this season. He made an Elite Eight with Tennessee but he could have the Tigers in a position to make it even farther in March.

23. Shaka Smart (Texas)

Overall record 218-108
Final Four appearance in 2011

Still a relatively young coach, Smart excelled during six years at VCU before Texas hired him in 2015. He led the Rams to the 2011 Final Four as an 11-seed, toppling five power conference teams along the way. He won the CBI in his first year and then made five NCAA Tournament appearances before leaving for Texas. He hasn’t excelled yet with the Longhorns but increased recruiting and a taste of havoc defense will have Texas near the top of the Big 12 before too long.

22. Gregg Marshall (Wichita State)

Overall record 484-184
Final Four appearance in 2013

After dominating the Big South during nine seasons leading Winthrop, Marshall took the Wichita State job in 2007 and has greatly elevated the Shockers program. After seven NCAA Tournaments and an upset win in 2007, Marshall won the NIT and made a surprise Final Four run with the Shockers. In 2014, Wichita State’s bid for an undefeated season fell in the NCAA Tournament and they were competitive last year in their first season in the AAC. This coming year could be a struggle, but Marshall is still one of the most accomplished coaches in the NCAA.

21. Dana Altman (Oregon)

Overall record 624-329
Final Four appearance in 2017

A longtime head coach, Altman took over at Oregon in 2010 after 16 years at Creighton. He constantly had Creighton in the NCA Tournament and has done the same building up Oregon, leading the Ducks to the Final Four in 2017. Last year was a step back as the team rebuilt following great success, and the next wave of talent in Oregon could make similar strides under Altman.

20. Bruce Weber (Kansas State)

Overall record 444-236
National title game appearance in 2005

After spending 18 years assisting Gene Keady at Purdue, Weber has embarked on an interesting head coaching career that took him from Southern Illinois to Illinois to Kansas State in 2012. He got the Salukis to the Sweet Sixteen in 2002 and had them always near the top of the MVC. He took the Illini to the national title game in 2005 but couldn’t quite build the program up after that. His initial progress at Kansas State was slow, but a surprise run to the Elite Eight last season have increased expectations for this coming season. Weber isn’t the greatest coach but he’s much more solid than he seems.

19. Chris Holtmann (Ohio State)

Overall record 146-95

Holtmann has had a solid coaching career, leading Ohio State since 2017. He spent three years as head coach of Gardner-Webb before becoming an assistant coach at Butler, eventually becoming the head coach. He made the NCAA Tournament and won at least one Tourney game in each of his three years at Butler and has Ohio State competitive way ahead of schedule, also winning a Tourney game in his debut season in Columbus. The future is bright for the exceptional Holtmann and his Buckeyes

18. Jim Larranaga (Miami FL)

Overall record 608-392
Final Four appearance in 2006

Larranaga has done outstanding work at Miami since being hired in 2011. He is most well-known for leading 11-seed George Mason to the Final Four in 2006. Larranaga also spent time at Bowling Green and has gotten the Hurricanes into the Dance each of the last three years. He’s one of college basketball’s most experienced coaches with more than 600 career wins and he’s transformed the Hurricanes into an actual contender in the ACC.

17. Mike Brey (Notre Dame)

Overall record 508-256

Yet another of those highly revered former Duke assistants, Brey took the Notre Dame job in 2000 after five years of head coaching experience at Delaware. In both the Big East and ACC he’s had Notre Dame as a constant contender, leading the Fighting Irish to the Elite Eight in 2015 and 2016. He’s still looking for that elusive Final Four but he’s provided stability and constant success in South Bend.

16. Lon Kruger (Oklahoma)

Overall record 626-396
Final Four appearances in 1994 and 2006

Kruger took the Oklahoma job in 2011 and has decades of experience, including a three year stint with the Atlanta Hawks in the early 2000’s. The former head coach of Texas-Pan American, Kansas State, Florida, Illinois, and UNLV made the Final Four in 1994 with Florida and 2016 with Oklahoma. He has 619 career wins and has had Oklahoma near the top of the Big 12 throughout his tenure. If Kruger keeps landing studs like Buddy Hield and Trae Young, then the Sooners will always be a contender.

15. Matt Painter (Purdue)

Overall record 325-157

Painter has done wonders for Purdue since his promotion in 2005, having also spent a year as head coach at Southern Illinois. He’s had Purdue in the NCAA Tournament all but three of his years, but he’s never gotten the Boilermakers farther than the Sweet Sixteen. Regardless, he always puts great teams together and coaches them into a contending position in the tough Big Ten. After winning 30 games last season, this winning trend should continue into the future for Painter and Purdue.

14. Jamie Dixon (TCU)

Overall record 378-151

After thirteen solid years leading Pittsburgh, Dixon returned to his alma mater as head coach in 2016 and has already done outstanding work. 328-123 at Pitt, and always competitive in the Big East, Dixon won the NIT in this first year with TCU before leading the Horned Frogs to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in twenty years last season. The Big 12 is a tough league but he’s building something special at TCU and will have his sights set on making some noise in March very soon.

13. Rick Barnes (Tennessee)

Overall record 667-359
Final Four appearance in 2003

Another longtime head coach, Barnes took the Tennessee job in 2015 after 17 years at Texas, including a Final Four run in 2003. Previously at George Mason, Providence, and Clemson, Barnes has had success wherever he’s gone, making a Sweet Sixteen at Clemson and making the Longhorns a yearly fixture in the NCAA Tournament (16 appearances in his 17 seasons). He never made it back to the Final Four again, but he’s completely rebuilt Tennessee and has them poised as one of the top teams in the SEC after tying for first last season. This a top ten team this season and they could make quite a run in March.

12. Sean Miller (Arizona)

Overall record 373-123

Miller has been at Arizona since 2009, getting the job after five stellar years leading Xavier. He led Xavier to an Elite Eight and a Sweet Sixteen, impressive for an A-10 program, and has built Arizona into a yearly favorite in the Pac-12. He’s made three Elite Eights with the Wildcats and has fallen just short of the Final Four repeatedly. His career mark is very impressive and he’ll continue to have Arizona poised as a title contender, though making the jump to a Final Four team needs to happen soon.

11. John Beilein (Michigan)

Overall record 550-318
Final Four appearances in 2013 and 2018

Beilein has a had a long and successful coaching career, landing at Michigan in 2007 after many stops, including at Richmond and West Virginia. He made the Elite Eight and won an NIT with West Virginia, but his real success has come at Michigan. His Wolverines were national runner-ups in 2013 and 2018. Expect big things in the future for Michigan.

10. Tony Bennett (Virginia)

Overall record 296-119

Bennett has led Virginia since 2009, hired after three years at Washington State. It’s impressive enough that he made a Sweet Sixteen for a Cougars program that has fallen apart in the last decade; his success at Virginia has been immense. Disregarding last year’s loss to 16-seed UMBC, he’s 105-51 in ACC play, made an Elite Eight in 2016, and has this team legitimately contending for a national title every single year. His slow-tempo and strong defensive teams play some solid basketball and this team might just pound their way into a Final Four before too long.

9. Bob Huggins (West Virginia)

Overall record 778-319
Final Four appearances in 1991 and 2010

Huggins was been at West Virginia since 2007 and also has 16 years at Cincinnati under his belt. He’s made a couple of Final Fours, in 1991 with Cincinnati and 2010 with West Virginia. He has his teams competing in the NCAA Tournament in nearly every season, making the Sweet Sixteen in three of the last four years. West Virginia might be the second most consistent program in the Big 12 and Huggins brought aggressive consistency to Morgantown. He’s put them in a great position for the future.

8. Jay Wright (Villanova)

Overall record 550-252
Final Four appearances in 2009, 2016, and 2018
National Championships in 2016 and 2018

Head coach at Villanova since 2001, Wright has completely changed the narrative in recent years. After five straight early exits, his Wildcats won the national championship in 2016 and 2018 and Wright has asserted himself as one of college basketball’s most successful coaches. He also boasts a Final Four in 2009 and he’s firmly placed Villanova as the class of the Big East, something that will continue for years to come.

7. Tom Izzo (Michigan State)

Overall record 581-227
Final Four appearances in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2010, and 2015
National Championship in 2000

After twelve years as an assistant under Jud Heathcote, Izzo got the head coaching job in 1995 and has been impressive. His Spartans are constantly in the Final Four, and he won the national championship in 2000. He’s a very impressive 272-122 in Big Ten play and his teams are usually title contenders.

6. Mark Few (Gonzaga)

Overall record 543-118
Final Four appearance in 2017

Few has a long list of accomplishments since being promoted to head coach of Gonzaga in 1999. His Bulldogs have made the NCAA Tournament in every single season, made the title game in 2017, have won at least one Tourney game each of the last ten years, and has never been lower than second place in the WCC (regular season champs 17 of 19 years). His .821 winning percentage is mind-boggling and he’s even better in WCC play at 260-30 (.897). One of these years, Gonzaga might just win a national title and it won’t even come as a surprise.

5. Jim Boeheim (Syracuse)

Overall record 1033-373
Final Four appearances in 1987, 1996, 2003, 2013, and 2016
National Championship in 2003

Boeheim is the longest tenured college basketball coach, having held the top job at Syracuse since 1976. He played for the Orange and spent seven years as an assistant there, never serving elsewhere as a full-time coach, though he has been an assistant coach on the USA national team.

His 40+ years running Syracuse have been largely successful. He won the 2003 national championship with a team led by future NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony. He’s led the Orange to five Final Fours, including a wild run in 2016 as a 10-seed. He also has the second-most wins all-time for D-I head coaches. He has Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament nearly every season and recently transitioned the team from Big East to ACC without much issue.

One of the issues with Boeheim is that he’s survived several scandals during his tenure. He’s had 101 victories vacated as a result, some of that stemming from eligibility issues involving Fab Melo. He also survived the sexual assault scandal surrounding longtime assistant coach Bernie Fine, though he was never charged or prosecuted.

Boeheim is a solid recruiter and really has gotten his underrated teams to play in March in recent years. Until his retirement, he’ll have Syracuse in a position to compete in the ACC on a yearly basis, though winning the league will not be easy, as Syracuse has been 7th or lower each of the last four seasons in ACC play.

4. John Calipari (Kentucky)

Overall record 727-205
Final Four appearances in 1994, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015
National Championship in 2012

Calipari took the Kentucky job in 2009 and has completely revitalized a Wildcats program decimated by the hiring of Billy Gillispie. Before landing in Lexington, Calipari had eight successful years at UMass (with a vacated Final Four in 1996) and nine great years with Memphis (with a vacated Final Four in 2008). He spent three years as head coach of the New Jersey Nets before the turn of the century, but didn’t find much success in the NBA.

Since his arrival in Kentucky, Calipari has made this team a constant winner. He won the national championship in 2012 with a stacked lineup and has made four Final Fours in total (none of them vacated). He’s averaging more than 30 wins a year and last season was the first where Kentucky wasn’t a top-two SEC team at the end of the regular season.

What elevates Calipari has been his incredible recruiting success, landing star after star in the last decade at Kentucky. Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, John Wall, and many others went from Wildcats to high draft picks under Calipari’s tutelage.

For Calipari, things haven’t always been peachy, with those aforementioned vacated Final Four runs. Marcus Camby took paid gifts, which wiped out UMass’s Final Four run while an academic scandal involving Derrick Rose in 2008 wiped out Memphis’ successful season as well. Nothing of this sort has popped up at Kentucky, but it’s something that isn’t easily forgotten. Calipari is an awesome recruiter, but he’s definitely had a few issues.

All in all, Calipari’s had Kentucky as a top program in college basketball for his nine years in Kentucky and it’ll be no surprise to see it continue. There have certainly been struggles, such as a first-round NIT loss to Robert Morris in 2013, but the good has greatly outweighed the bad. This team has had some great chances at championships, and winning another one in the next few years wouldn’t come as a shock to anyone.

3. Bill Self (Kansas)

Overall record 661-201
Final Four appearances in 2008, 2012, and 2018
National Championship in 2008

Self took the Kansas job in 2003 after impressive stints at a triad of other schools. His head coaching career began at Oral Roberts in 1993 and he elevated the program from 6 to 21 wins during his four year stint. He then left for Tulsa, leading the Golden Hurricane to an Elite Eight as a 7-seed in 2000. He then spent three years with Illinois, making another Elite Eight, a trio of NCAA Tournaments, and recruiting the team that would play in the title game in 2005 under Bruce Weber.

Kansas took home the 2008 national championship and has added Final Fours in 2012 and 2018 under Self. This may seem even like a disappointment that Self only has one national title, as Kansas has been upset several times during March Madness.

One of the most impressive feats that Self has accomplished is winning the Big 12 regular season title each of the last 14 years, an unprecedented run of conference success. Self is an impressive 208-46 all-time in Big 12 play, which sounds much better than it is when you consider how great the Big 12 has become these days.

A team coached by Bill Self has made the NCAA Tournament for twenty straight years and this is something that isn’t going to change anytime soon. While a lack of further success might seem to be a disappointment, Self’s recruiting and outstanding coaching always has Kansas as a title contender. The Jayhawks could easily build on last year’s Final Four run and go even further in 2019.

2. Roy Williams (North Carolina)

Overall record 848-229
Final Four appearances in 1991, 1993, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2016, and 2017
National Championships in 2005, 2009, and 2017

A player and assistant under Dean Smith, Williams returned home to the Tar Heels in 2003. He returned to North Carolina having spent the last 15 seasons as head coach of Kansas, sandwiched between successful tenures by Larry Brown and Bill Self. He made four Final Fours and went 418-101 at Kansas, but couldn’t lead the Jayhawks to that elusive title.

Things would turn out differently back in Chapel Hill. Williams has led the Tar Heels to national championships in 2005, 2009, and 2017. His teams are in the NCAA Tournament nearly every year and it took a Villanova buzzer beater in 2016 to keep them from a fourth. His 842 career D-I wins are third among active coaches and his teams have never lost in the first round of the Tourney.

A smart talent evaluator and even greater coach, Williams has had a number of his players move onto NCAA success at both Kansas and North Carolina. He’s coached Paul Pierce, Ty Lawson, Danny Green and many others, including Naismith College Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough.

The bottom line is that Roy has revitalized the North Carolina program after a few down years under Matt Doherty. The Tar Heels are a definite Blue Blood and we can expect to see them near the top of college basketball every season. Aside from a rebuilding year in 2010, the Tar heels are always near the top of the ACC and in the Tourney under Williams and this is a trend that should continue in the future, perhaps bringing home a few more Final Fours to Chapel Hill.

1. Mike Krzyzewski (Duke)

Overall record 1107-339
Final Four appearances in 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2010, and 2015
National Championships in 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, and 2015

Hired at Duke in 1980, Krzyzewski is perhaps the greatest college basketball coach of all time, right up there with John Wooden. His career began as guard on Army and continued with five years of service as an Army officer. He got his coaching start as an assistant under Bob Knight at Indiana (his former coach at Army) and after one season he took the Army head coaching job in 1975. After five years the Blue Devils brought him in to elevate the Duke program and boy did he do that.

In his first 38 years at Duke, Coach K has already won five national titles: 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, and 2015. He’s made 12 Final Fours, he’s won 14 ACC Tournaments, he has Duke in the NCAA Tournament just about every season and he has a record 1100 career D-I coaching wins. It doesn’t even feel like it, but it’s been eight years since Duke won the ACC regular season title, something Coach K has done 12 times in that tough conference.

He’s recruited incredibly in recent years, landing the top three prospects this past offseason. He’s coached some amazing talent over the years, including Naismith Player of the Year’s like Christian Laettner, Shane Battier, and JJ Redick. NBA players like Kyrie Irving, Jahlil Okafor, Luol Deng, and Justise Winslow played under Coach K. He’s also built an impressive coaching tree, mentoring players into great assistants and head coaches of their own, like Johnny Dawkins, Tommy Amaker, Chris Collins, and Steve Wojciechowski, just to name a few.

Krzyzewski has built something incredible at Duke and is the only active head coach with more than three national titles. He also coached the USA national team for many years and has earned his reputation as America’s best basketball coach. For as long as he stays at Duke, he’ll continue to have this team at an elite level and a sixth national title before his retirement would not be a major shocker.

Joey Loose

A Chicago native and Valpo alum, I'm obsessed with all things sports, especially college basketball, with a focus on sports statistics, data, and cartography.