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) /

3 of 11

NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 1: Head coach Buzz WIlliams of the Marquette Golden Eagles (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

9. Big East Basketball power rankings – Buzz Williams (Marquette, 2008-2014)

Even prior to Williams’ arrival in 2008, the Marquette program was trending upwards. Predecessor Tom Crean took a Dwyane Wade-led team to the Final Four earlier in the decade and led them to the Big East. As Crean moved on, it was up for Williams to not only continue the program’s momentum but complete the adjustment to life in the Big East, which they joined in 2005.

Williams took Marquette to five NCAA Tournaments in his six seasons with the Golden Eagles, making them a yearly contender in the pre-alignment Big East. Marquette made Sweet Sixteen trips in 2011 and 2012 and took a 3-seed to the Elite Eight in 2013 after winning the regular-season title in the conference. Marquette was 60-30 in Big East play prior to realignment in 2013, an impressive feat for a league that had teams like Connecticut, Syracuse, and Villanova as perennial contenders.

Successor Steve Wojciechowski has yet to win an NCAA Tournament game in his six years at Marquette, taking over when Williams departed for Virginia Tech. Marquette is still adjusting to the new Big East, but Williams was responsible for an exceptional era of success. For this program to make three straight second weekend trips is outstanding. If you need any more evidence about Williams’ prowess, continue what he did at Virginia Tech and imagine what he might do with Texas A&M in the near future.

Home/Big East