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

4. John Calipari (Kentucky)

19 NCAA Tournaments (53-18), 6 Final Fours, 1 National Title

Calipari’s ten years at Kentucky have been full of promise, with grand recruiting classes and one-and-ones taking him to the title back in 2012. Outside of a bad year in 2013, Calipari has been in the NCAA Tournament each year since 2006 with 5 Final Fours in that span. His recent Kentucky teams have a proclivity to figure out how to play together at the end of the year, when it matters most. He did coach these talented Wildcats to the 2014 title game as an 8-seed and his role as a recruiter and inspiration cannot be underestimated.

3. Bill Self (Kansas)

20 NCAA Tournaments (47-19), 3 Final Fours, 1 National Title

This was the first time since 2004 that Kansas did not win the Big 12 regular season title and let that just prove how solidly Self has maintained this program. Whether it be at Tulsa, Illinois, or Kansas, he’s led a team to the NCAA Tournament for 21 straight years. He won the national title in 2008 and had these Jayhawks in the Final Four last year. Self is 222-52 in conference play and always has his team among the nation’s title contenders. He’s put together another great team and anything can happen in March with Self leading the way.

2. Roy Williams (North Carolina)

28 NCAA Tournaments (77-25), 9 Final Fours, 3 National Titles

His fifteen years at Kansas were full of success, but it wasn’t until Roy returned home when he started racking up national titles. He led the Tar Heels to championships in 2005, 2009, and 2017 and has this team primed for another long run this season. His 869 career wins are among the most ever for a head coach. Williams has always had a knack for bringing in top talent and getting them to play cohesively and constantly has his team at the top of the ACC standings.

1. Mike Krzyzewski (Duke)

34 NCAA Tournaments (94-29), 12 Final Fours, 5 National Titles

Coach K in all likelihood is the greatest head coach in NCAA basketball history, making Duke an annual contender for nearly forty years. He’s already won 5 national championships and his current Blue Devils will be a favorite for title number six. His 1129 wins are by far the most ever by a head coach and his team has been in the NCAA Tournament all but one of the last 36 years.

There aren’t enough superlatives to describe Krzyzewski and his recruiting prowess has been on display in recent years. He’s going to put Duke in a position to contend for the championship and it doesn’t hurt that he has a couple of college basketball’s best players on his team.