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NCAA Basketball: Ranking the 20 best head coaches from past 5 seasons

By Ryan Kay

MEMPHIS, TN - MARCH 26: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels and head coach John Calipari of the Kentucky Wildcats walk off the court before their game during the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional at FedExForum on March 26, 2017 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
MEMPHIS, TN - MARCH 26: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels and head coach John Calipari of the Kentucky Wildcats walk off the court before their game during the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional at FedExForum on March 26, 2017 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – APRIL 06: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – APRIL 06: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

8. player. 486. . . . Tom Izzo

Coach Accomplishments the past 5 seasons
NCAA Tournament Final Four: 1 (2019)
Big Ten Regular Season Champion: 3 (2018, 2019, 2020)
Big Ten Tournament Champion: 2 (2016, 2019)
NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 1 (2019)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 4 (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)

Coaching Points Breakdown
0 points for National Championships
25 points for Final Four Appearances
60 points for Regular Season Conference Championships (Big Ten)
30 points for Conference Tournament Championships (Big Ten)
10 points for Sweet Sixteen Appearances
10 points for every season with 30 or more wins
12 points for every season with 20 or more wins
8 points for every NCAA Tournament berth
Total Coaching Points: 155

2015-2016 Season

Non-Conference Record: 13-0

Best Non-Conference Victories:  No. 4 Kansas, No. 24 Lo, Louisville, Boston College, and Florida

Non-Conference Tournament Championship: Wooden Legacy champions

Record versus their main rival: 1-0, won at Michigan 89-73.

Conference Record: 13-5

Best Conference Victories: Swept Ohio State, No. 7 Maryland, Indiana, Wisconsin, and at Michigan.

Regular Season Conference Standing: Finished 2nd place in the conference and earned the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten tournament.

Conference Tournament:  Defeated No. 13 Purdue in the championship game.

NCAA Tournament: As the No. 2 seed, lost to No. 15 seed Middle Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Final AP poll ranking: 2

2016-2017 Season

Non-Conference Record: 8-5

Best Non-Conference Victories: St. John’s and Wichita State

Non-Conference Tournament Championship: No, beat Wichita State in Battle 4 Atlantis for third place.

Record versus their main rival: 1-1, beat Michigan 70-62 and lost at Michigan 57-86.

Conference Record: 10-8

Best Conference Victories: Swept Minnesota, No. 16 Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Iowa.

Regular Season Conference Standing: Finished for a four-way tie for fifth place. Earned them the fifth seed in the Big Ten tournament.

Conference Tournament: Lost to Minnesota in the quarterfinals.

NCAA Tournament: As the No.  9 seed, Michigan State beat No. 8 seed Miami (FL). The lost to No.1 seed No. 3 ranked Kansas in the second round.

2017-2018 Season

Non-Conference Record: 12-1

Best Non-Conference Victories: No. 9 North Carolina, UConn, No. 5 Notre Dame, and DePaul.

Non-Conference Tournament Championship: Phil Knight Invitational Victory Bracket champions

Record versus their main rival: 0-2, lost to Michigan 72-82 and 64-75.

Conference Record: 16-2

Best Conference Victories: No. 3 Purdue, swept Maryland, beat Wisconsin three times, and swept Indiana.

Regular Season Conference Standing: Finished 1st place in the Big Ten, earning them a No. 1 seed in the Big Ten tournament.

Conference Tournament: Lost to No. 15 Michigan in the semifinals of the tournament.

NCAA Tournament: As the No. 3 seed, Michigan State defeated No. 14 seed Bucknell in the opening round. The Spartans lost to No.11 seed Syracuse in the second round.

Final AP poll ranking: 5

2018-2019 Season

Non-Conference Record: 9-2

Best Non-Conference Victories: No. 17 UCLA, Texas, and at Florida

Non-Conference Tournament Championship: Las Vegas Invitational champions

Record versus their main rival: 3-0, defeated Michigan 75-63, won at Michigan 77-70 and beat Michigan in the conference tournament, 65-60.

Conference Record: 16-4

Best Conference Victories: Beat Michigan three times, swept Iowa, swept Wisconsin, beat Ohio State three times, and defeated No. 13 Maryland.

Regular Season Conference Standings: Tied for 1st place which earned them the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.

Conference Tournament: Defeated No. 10 Michigan in the championship game.

NCAA Tournament: As the No. 2 seed, defeated the No. 15 seed Bradley in the opening round. In the second round, Michigan State beat No. 10 seed Minnesota. In the Sweet Sixteen, the Spartans defeated No. 3 seed and No. 12 ranked LSU. In the Elite Eight, Michigan State beat No. 1 seed and No. 1 ranked Duke. The Spartans lost to No. 3 seed and No. 9 ranked Texas Tech in the Final Four.

Final AP poll ranking: 5

2019-2020 Season

Non-Conference Record: 8-3

Best Non-Conference Victories: Georgia, UCLA, and No. 12 Seton Hall

Non-Conference Tournament Championship: No, beat UCLA in the Maui Invitational 5th place game.

Record versus their main rival: 1-1, beat Michigan 87-69 and lost at Michigan 68-77.

Conference Record: 14-6

Best Conference Victories: Swept Illinois, swept Minnesota, No. 12 Michigan, No. 18 Iowa, at No. 9 Maryland, at No. 20 Penn State, and No. 19 Ohio State.

Regular Season Conference Standing: Finished in a three-way tie for 1st place in the conference.

Final AP poll ranking: 9

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