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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PHILADELPHIA, PA – FEBRUARY 7: Head coach Chris Mullin of the St. John’s Red Storm yells out to his team against the Villanova Wildcats at the Wells Fargo Center on February 7, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – FEBRUARY 7: Head coach Chris Mullin of the St. John’s Red Storm yells out to his team against the Villanova Wildcats at the Wells Fargo Center on February 7, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

52. Chris Mullin (St. John’s)

0 NCAA Tournaments

Simply put, Mullin is still very young as a head coach. He’s saved his job after a great year with the Red Storm, making his first NCAA Tournament appearance. That being said, he’s just 20-52 in Big East play and has only just gotten this St. John’s team over .500. Mullin may or may not be the right man for this job, but he did build this team and put them in a position to win 21 games this season. Right or wrong, his Red Storm have a great shot at winning a game in the First Four and perhaps even beyond that.

51. Travis DeCuire (Montana)

1 NCAA Tournament (0-1)

DeCuire will get his alma mater to their second straight NCAA Tournament and they have established themselves once again as the best program in the Big Sky. A 14-seed last season, they dropped their opening round game to Michigan, but that means that DeCuire’s team is experienced. His Grizzlies are 71-22 in Big Sky play since his arrival and have made four postseason appearance sin five years. He’s done a solid job of recruiting and will have his players ready for the Tourney.

50. Russell Turner (UC Irvine)

1 NCAA Tournament (0-1)

Turner’s years at Irvine have been pretty successful, with four regular season titles in six years and a second NCAA Tournament ahead. The former Golden State Warriors assistant has already won 30 games this year and is 101-47 in conference play. His Anteaters have become the best program in the Big West. What he lacks in postseason experience he makes up for in his coaching, and this team will be ready for Kansas State.

49. Craig Smith (Utah State)

0 NCAA Tournaments

A longtime former Tim Miles assistant, Smith built a winning program at South Dakota before taking the Utah State job this past season. In his first year with the Aggies, he’s done nothing less than 28 wins and a MWC Tournament title; their most wins in a season in eight years. Smith has done an incredible job in turning things around at Utah State, but he lacks postseason experience. It’ll be interesting to see how his team responds against Washington, but Smith has built a potent mid-major program that’s trying to overshadow Nevada.

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