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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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – APRIL 04: Head coach Bo Ryan of the Wisconsin Badgers (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

3. Big Ten Basketball coach – Bo Ryan (Wisconsin, 2001-2015)

Until the mid-1990s, Wisconsin was a program without any trace of recent success. When Ryan was hired in 2001, predecessor Dick Bennett had recently led the Badgers to the Final Four, but this was still a program on the upswing. Ryan had achieved significant success in the state, winning 4 D3 titles at UW-Platteville before two strong years at Milwaukee. Over the course of his time in Madison, Ryan transformed this program into a perennial contender.

The Badgers would make the NCAA Tournament in every year that Ryan was head coach, more than tripling their total number of appearances in program history. Wisconsin also finished in the top 4 of the Big Ten in every single season. There was an Elite Eight and four more Sweet Sixteens, but Ryan saved the best for last. In his final two full seasons, he led the Badgers to a pair of Final Fours, including a national title game appearance against Duke in 2015.

Ryan completely transformed the culture of Wisconsin basketball and left huge shoes for successor Greg Gard to fill. It’s incredible how Ryan took a struggling Big Ten program and made them a consistent contender, winning more than 70% of their conference games and contending for national success on a yearly basis. Ryan left an almost incomparable legacy behind with the Badgers, but it’ll be interesting to see if Gard can fill those shoes in the coming years.

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