Busting Brackets
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ACC Basketball: Top 10 head coaches of the century (2000-20)

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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SOUTH BEND, IN – FEBRUARY 17: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN – FEBRUARY 17: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

2. Roy Williams – North Carolina (2003-2020)

Simply put, it’s difficult to find another coach who compares to what Williams has done in his career. After coaching for 15 seasons at Kansas, he rejoined North Carolina in 2003, immediately rejuvenating yet another Blue Blood program. A former assistant under Dean Smith when Michael Jordan and others won the national title, Williams would leave his own legacy with the Tar Heels.

Williams took Kansas to four Final Fours, including in both 2002 and 2003, but North Carolina is where he finally got over the hump. His Tar Heels won national titles in 2005, 2009, and 2017; with 2016’s team faltering on Kris Jenkins’s national championship-winning buzzer-beater. The Tar Heels have finished atop the ACC in nine of Williams’ first 17 seasons and are regularly a force during the postseason.

It seems like once every ten years, the Tar Heels suffered a disastrous rebuilding season, but 2020’s rough year doesn’t de-legitimize Williams’ accomplishments. Any coach who can win three national titles will be revered, especially after predecessor Matt Doherty had mightily struggled at the start of the century. Without question, Williams will go down as one of the greatest head coaches in the history of college basketball.