Busting Brackets
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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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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MARCH 15: Tony Benford the Interim Head Coach talks with Naz Reid #0 of the LSU Tigers in the game against the Florida Gators during the Quarterfinals of the SEC Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 15, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MARCH 15: Tony Benford the Interim Head Coach talks with Naz Reid #0 of the LSU Tigers in the game against the Florida Gators during the Quarterfinals of the SEC Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 15, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

64. Tim Craft (Gardner-Webb)

0 NCAA Tournaments

In his sixth season, Craft has led Gardner-Webb to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. He inherited a solid squad from Chris Holtmann and he’s built the Bulldogs into a yearly contender in the Big South. Craft finally got his Bulldogs into the Tournament and has yet to finish a season under .500 in Big South play. Gardner-Webb’s chances of upsetting Virginia might not be large, but Craft will have this team loose and focused for their first NCAA Tourney game.

63. Tony Benford (LSU)

0 NCAA Tournaments

It doesn’t look like Will Wade is coming back, and the Tigers will ride with Benford calling the shots. He does have five years of experience as head coach at North Texas, but the Mean Green were just 62-95 and his tenure was disappointing. Still, Benford has experience as a power conference assistant and should be able to effectively lead this team. He no doubt has made great strides as a recruiter and has learned from his time in the C-USA. However, he just lacks the on court success and experience; he has never coached a postseason game.

Note: Will Wade would’ve been ranked in the low 30’s had he been eligible to coach the Tigers.

62. Brian Wardle (Bradley)

0 NCAA Tournaments

He couldn’t get his team to the Tourney while at Green Bay, but he’s gone beyond expectations in four years at Bradley. Wardle went just 5-27 three seasons ago and now his Braves are MVC champions. Wardle really inspired this team, who got into an 0-5 hole in MVC play and won the tournament as the 5-seed. It’s impressive how he quickly rebuilt this program, but this is his first experience in the NCAA Tournament. It remains to be seen how that lack of experience will affect his squad, and they certainly have a challenge ahead against Michigan State.

61. David Richman (North Dakota State)

1 NCAA Tournament (0-1)

In his fifth year in Fargo, Richman has the Bison back in the NCAA Tournament, having taken them in his first season. As a 15-seed in 2015, they lost by 10 to Gonzaga and have struggled in recent years. However, they took care of business in the Summit League Tournament. Unlike in 2015, Richman is leading a team he has put together and coached. This year may have been his lowest rated team, but he’s got them in the Dance once again. Not much is expected of them as a 16-seed, but Richman will have the Bison ready to go.

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