Big Ten Basketball: Top 10 head coaches of the century (2000-20)

By Joey Loose | Jun 4, 2020

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 17: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates after beating the Michigan Wolverines 65-60 in the championship game of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at United Center on March 17, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

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COLLEGE PARK, MD – MARCH 08: Head coach Mark Turgeon of the Maryland Terrapins (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

7. Big Ten Basketball coach – Mark Turgeon (Maryland, 2014-2020)

When Turgeon took over Maryland in 2011, things got off to a slow start. He was taking over for the legendary Gary Williams and his Terrapins were struggling in their final years in the ACC. Starting in 2014, Maryland was now a member of the Big Ten. With new challenges ahead, Turgeon and his Terrapins took full advantage.

In their first six years in the Big Ten, Maryland has made four NCAA Tournaments, with a fifth one all but guaranteed without this year’s cancellation. They made a Sweet Sixteen run in 2016, a year after winning 28 games and finishing 2nd in their first year in the conference. In total, Turgeon sits at 145-56 since joining the Big Ten, with four of those seasons including top 3 finishes.

Turgeon still hasn’t made a deep run into the NCAA Tournament but has done a near-flawless job of transforming this team from average ACC stalwart to yearly Big Ten contender. Turgeon has brought some exciting talent to College Park and should continue to bring success to the Terrapins. This could have been the year for that deep run into the Tournament, as Maryland won their first Big Ten regular-season title. Perhaps that’ll happen in the next few years.

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