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2019 NCAA Tournament: Ranking all 68 head coaches in the Big Dance

By Joey Loose

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 27: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers and head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels shake hands before North Carolina's game against the Virginia Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena on February 27, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Chet Strange/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 27: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers and head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels shake hands before North Carolina's game against the Virginia Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena on February 27, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Chet Strange/Getty Images) /
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SYRACUSE, NY – MARCH 04: Head coach Jim Boeheim of the Syracuse Orange shakes hands with head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers after the game at the Carrier Dome on March 4, 2019 in Syracuse, New York. Virginia defeats Syracuse 79-53. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NY – MARCH 04: Head coach Jim Boeheim of the Syracuse Orange shakes hands with head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers after the game at the Carrier Dome on March 4, 2019 in Syracuse, New York. Virginia defeats Syracuse 79-53. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

8. Tom Izzo (Michigan State)

21 NCAA Tournaments (48-20), 7 Final Fours, 1 National Title

Since taking over as head coach in 1995, Izzo has had these Michigan State Spartans as title contenders nearly every season. His team won the championship back in 2000 and he’s had plenty of Final Four runs during his tenure. Izzo puts a good product on the court and just won another Big Ten Tournament title, but hasn’t gotten out of the first weekend since 2015. Regardless, this will be his 22nd straight Tourney appearance, and that kind of consistency in a conference like the Big Ten is extremely impressive.

7. Tony Bennett (Virginia)

8 NCAA Tournaments (10-8)

Last year was a disaster against UMBC, but that doesn’t undermine Bennett’s coaching prowess with this Cavaliers squad. He’s got them dancing for the sixth straight year and is the most recent coach to have any success at Washington State. The Cavaliers are 89-19 in ACC play since 2013 and have transformed into a yearly title contender. Bennett coaches defense as well as any coach in the nation and might finally have the team to give him his first Final Four.

6. Jim Boeheim (Syracuse)

33 NCAA Tournaments (60-32), 5 Final Fours, 1 National Title

For 43 years, Boeheim has roamed the sidelines at Syracuse, and he’s built a national power time and time again. He won the national title in 2003 and took a 10-seeded Orange squad to the Final Four back in 2016. He’d led the Orange from independent to Big East to ACC and has competed at every step. His recent teams haven’t been dominant, but they play their best ball in March and that’s due to Boeheim’s coaching. Clearly he’s a great recruiter and his 1,047 wins (yes 101 of them were vacated) make him one of the most successful coaches in the history of this game.

5. Mark Few (Gonzaga)

19 NCAA Tournaments (28-19), 1 Final Four

Without a doubt, Few is the most talented and experienced west coast head coach and his Gonzaga teams have proven this. He’s about to make his 20th NCAA Tournament in 20 years in Spokane and his Bulldogs were in the title game just two years ago. He’s constantly brought in talent like Adam Morrison, Kelly Olynyk, and Rui Hachimura and has been able to coach them into All-Americans. While most of the WCC teams struggle, Few has Gonzaga at the top of the league every year, 276-30 in WCC play in his two decades.

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