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NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 357 D-I head coaches for 2020-21 season

By Joey Loose

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 09: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers greets head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils before the start of a game at John Paul Jones Arena on February 9, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 09: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers greets head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils before the start of a game at John Paul Jones Arena on February 9, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 11: Head coach Travis Steele of the Xavier Musketeers (Photo by Porter Binks/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 11: Head coach Travis Steele of the Xavier Musketeers (Photo by Porter Binks/Getty Images) /

100. Scott Nagy (Wright State) (Last year: 105)

  • Overall record: 258-141

Nagy just keeps winning, leading the Raiders to another fantastic season and a second straight Horizon League regular-season crown. The former longtime South Dakota State head coach is 91-43 since joining Wright State in 2016 and has solidified the Raiders’ role as one of the Horizon League’s best programs. We’ll have to see if the success continues for the Raiders and if Nagy gets any looks for some bigger jobs in the years to come.

99. Mark Pope (BYU) (Last year: 155)

  • Overall record: 101-64

After an NBA playing career and brief run as a college assistant, Pope built up success in four years leading Utah Valley before heading to BYU last season. His success with BYU has been anything but slow, as he led the Cougars to 24 wins, a second-place finish in the WCC, and upset Gonzaga earlier in the season. He’s put BYU in a fantastic position to contend for postseason success for years to come.

98. Richard Pitino (Minnesota) (Last year: 72)

  • Overall record: 145-122

Last year was a struggle for Pitino in a deep Big Ten, as the former FIU head coach begins his seventh year with Minnesota. He learned plenty on the staff of his father and Billy Donovan, but it’s going to take quite an effort to get his Golden Gophers to play consistent ball in this league. Minnesota finished 12th last season in the Big Ten after an NCAA Tournament first-round win the year before; perhaps a bounce back is in the cards to save Pitino’s job.

97. Wayne Tinkle (Oregon State) (Last year: 88)

  • Overall record: 251-187

Tinkle took over at Oregon State in 2014 after a solid start to his head coaching career at his alma mater of Montana. The former center led the Beavers to the NCAA Tournament in 2016, their first trip in nearly three decades. Oregon State was 18-13 each of the last two seasons, with their 4th place Pac-12 finish in 2019 a bit of a surprise. Still, this program is still quite a ways from competing regularly for postseason bids.

96. Jeff Jones (Old Dominion) (Last year: 93)

  • Overall record: 510-373

Jones once led Virginia to an Elite Eight and Sweet Sixteen as head coach, but now begins his eighth season leading Old Dominion. He took the job after taking American to a pair of Patriot League titles. His Monarchs made the NCAA Tournament in 2019 and have been competitive in the CAA during his tenure. However, last season’s squad finished just 13-19, leaving a lot of growth ahead in the coming years.

95. Chris Jans (New Mexico State) (Last year: 90)

  • Overall record: 104-29

Jans inherited a stellar program when he took over at New Mexico State in 2017. A former aide to Gregg Marshall, he had one solid season leading Bowling Green before he was fired for immoral behavior. Still, he’s proven to be a solid coach and has only solidified the Aggies’ role in dominating the WAC. At 82-17, he has New Mexico State as a potent mid-major power, but can they take the next step and do some damage in the postseason?

94. Pat Chambers (Penn State) (Last year: 99)

  • Overall record: 190-178

Chambers took over at Penn State in 2011 and has really been making progress in recent years. The former Villanova assistant and Boston University head coach had little to show before leading the Nittany Lions to the NIT title in 2018. This past season, Penn State played superb ball at times, tying for 5th place in a tough Big Ten. The conference is tough; can Chambers pull this off again next season?

93. Travis Ford (Saint Louis) (Last year: 98)

  • Overall record: 353-284

Ford landed at Saint Louis in 2016, beginning his fourth D1 head coaching job. He was solid at Eastern Kentucky and UMass and led Oklahoma State to general success before falling off in his final season. The Billikens are trending in a great direction under his watch, winning the A10 Tournament back in 2019 and competing closely in the league this past season, with 23 wins in both seasons. This is a marked improvement over what Ford inherited four years ago.

92. T. J. Otzelberger (UNLV) (Last year: 89)

  • Overall record: 87-48

Though he’s only four years into his head coaching career, Otzelberger is off to a fantastic start. He did great work in three years at South Dakota State, leading the Jackrabbits to a pair of NCAA Tournaments. In his first year at UNLV, his Rebels worked their way up to a 2nd place finish in the Mountain West and handed San Diego State their lone regular-season loss. With a few years of recruits, this program could be the favorite in the conference again soon under Otzelberger’s leadership.

91. Travis Steele (Xavier) (Last year: 97)

  • Overall record: 38-29

Steele inherited a Xavier program in great shape in 2018 and is doing his best to keep up that momentum. He spent ten years on staff, mostly under Sean Miller, and has won 19 games in each of his first two seasons with the Musketeers. He’s still looking for his first NCAA Tournament bid as head coach, but that could come soon, even as a tough Big East gets tougher moving forward.

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