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

By Joey Loose | Jun 11, 2020

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 16: Collin Gillespie #2 and Phil Booth #5 of the Villanova Wildcats celebrate with head coach Jay Wright after the Wildcats defeated the Seton Hall Pirates to win their third consecutive Big East Tournament championship at Madison Square Garden, on March 16, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Porter Binks/Getty Images) /

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INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – FEBRUARY 05: Head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

2. Big East Basketball power rankings – Jay Wright (Villanova, 2001-2020)

In recent years, it has become impossible to discuss the Big East without talk of Villanova immediately rising to the top, and Wright is the reason. He’s been with the Wildcats since 2001, but the success has been off the charts since the new Big East formed in 2013. Wright’s Wildcats hung around and made a ton of NCAA Tournaments in the old Big East, including a Final Four in 2009, but things have really ignited since 2013.

In these last seven seasons, Villanova is 215-38 and won national titles in both 2016 and 2018. They have become the far and away top program in the Big East, winning the regular-season title in every season except for 2018, though they clearly made up for that in the postseason. Not since Villanova’s surprise title in 1985 has the Wildcats been such a powerful program.

With how Villanova has dominated the Big East in recent years, it’s no wonder there’s talk about the program and Wright among the very best in the nation. Wright has built a consistent winner with Villanova. Even during the old Big East years, they had a consistent postseason contender, though it’s taken until recent times for things to blow up.

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