NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 353 D-I head coaches for 2019-20 season
By Joey Loose
50. Dan Hurley (Connecticut) (Last year: 54)
- Overall record: 167-122
Hurley enters his second season with the Huskies set to make a greater impact and turn this program around. A talented high school coach, he spent two seasons leading Wagner before six at Rhode Island, leading the Rams to a pair of NCAA Tournament wins. The UConn program was not in great shape at the end of the Kevin Ollie era, but Hurley is already turning tides in recruiting. The Huskies will enter the Big East at the start of next season; perhaps by then Hurley has this team set to compete at the top of the league.
49. Brad Brownell (Clemson) (Last year: 48)
- Overall record: 336-212
Brownell has spent nearly two decades as a college head coach, though the highlight was certainly leading Clemson to the Sweet Sixteen in 2018. He’s beginning his tenth season with the Tigers and that’s probably the reason he’s still around. He also led UNC Wilmington and Wright State to the NCAA Tournament, though his time at Clemson had been rather inconsistent. We’ll see if his Tigers can bounce back this season.
48. Randy Bennett (Saint Mary’s) (Last year: 50)
- Overall record: 414-174
There have certainly been many programs interested in poaching Bennett away from Saint Mary’s, but why would he want to leave? In his eighteen years as a head coach, he’s made 7 NCAA Tournaments and firmly established his program in a league that Gonzaga dominates year in and year out. He’s won 71% of WCC games (a higher number when you remove Gonzaga) and just led this team to the WCC Tournament title last year. Expect big things from Bennett’s team this season as well.
47. Kevin Keatts (NC State) (Last year: 47)
- Overall record: 117-52
Keatts will begin his third season at NC State after three great years at UNC Wilmington. He led the Seahawks to a pair of NCAA Tournaments and has done a solid job since taking over the Wolfpack program. His initial season became a Tourney bid as the team tied for 3rd in a talented ACC. They won 24 games last season, even if they had to settle for the NIT. Moving forward, Keatts is already turning things around and putting this program in a good position; we’ll just have to see when the big results come.
46. Rick Stansbury (Western Kentucky) (Last year: 38)
- Overall record: 355-208
Following a long stint at Mississippi State, Stansbury returned to the head coaching game in 2016 with the Hilltoppers and has already brought some impressive recruits to Western Kentucky. He made six NCAA Tournament in his 14 years leading the Bulldogs, though he’s yet to take the Hilltoppers that far once. The recruits have been great, but they just haven’t gotten over the hump in Conference USA, though perhaps this year could be different.
45. Tom Crean (Georgia) (Last year: 42)
- Overall record: 367-252
- Final Four in 2003
After prolific stints at Marquette and Indiana, Crean returned to coaching with Georgia last season. He led Marquette to the Final Four, but his three Sweet Sixteens wasn’t enough progress with the Hoosiers, leading to his firing a few years ago. His first Georgia team won just 11 games but has a fantastic crew of recruits coming in this season. Changing the culture is going to take time; it took three years at Indiana.
44. Brad Underwood (Illinois) (Last year: 45)
- Overall record: 135-66
Underwood’s quick ascent has been impressive, as he worked magic in his three seasons at Stephen F. Austin before leaving for Oklahoma State and now Illinois. With the Lumberjacks, he not only made the NCAA Tournament each season but pulled a pair of upset wins. He also led the Cowboys to the Tournament in his one year before joining Illinois. It’s been a bigger rebuild for the Illini, but this could be a Tournament team before the year is finished, especially if everything comes together for Underwood’s squad.
43. Fran McCaffery (Iowa) (Last year: 52)
- Overall record: 425-309
It’s been a successful career for McCaffery who enters his tenth year at Iowa having led four different programs to the NCAA Tournament. After solid success at Lehigh and UNC Greensboro, he won a pair of Tournament games at Siena and has done work with the Hawkeyes in recent years. Last year’s Iowa squad made the NCAA Tournament, giving him four appearances and three wins. He’s honestly done a nice job with the Hawkeyes, who aren’t usually revered as a Big Ten power.
42. Will Wade (LSU) (Last year: 71)
- Overall record: 134-65
It almost all came crashing down for Wade last season, but he’s still at LSU after his involvement in the FBI probe. He took VCU to a pair of NCAA Tournaments after two solid season at Chattanooga, earning the LSU job in 2017 and immediately getting to work. He built last year’s team that made the Sweet Sixteen even if he was suspended during their Tourney run. The talent continues to come to Baton Rouge, and despite a suspicious past, it looks like Wade and the Tigers will remain a competitive force in the SEC in the future.
41. Greg McDermott (Creighton) (Last year: 43)
- Overall record: 356-240
McDermott’s coaching career has been long and successful, especially in recent years. He did well at North Dakota State and Northern Iowa before things didn’t work out at Iowa State. He’s been with the Bluejays since 2010, leading them to five NCAA Tournament wins as they transitioning from the MVC to the Big East. He won big with son Doug leading the team and has done great work to reload after his graduation. With three straight 3rd place finishes, Creighton is establishing themselves in this new Big East.