NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 357 D-I head coaches for 2020-21 season
By Joey Loose
40. Steve Alford (Nevada) (Last year: 40)
- Overall record: 528-281
Alford’s long coaching career has taken him all over the place, building great success at Missouri State and New Mexico, before underperforming at Iowa and UCLA. He’s back in the Mountain West at Nevada and led the Wolfpack to a 2nd place finish in his debut. Alford remains a great coach, he did just lead UCLA to three Sweet Sixteens, and he may be in the best possible spot at a potent mid-major like Nevada.
39. Frank Martin (South Carolina) (Last year: 34)
- Overall record: 264-173
- Final Four in 2017
Having previously taken Kansas State to an Elite Eight, some of Martin’s finest work has come since taking over the Gamecocks eight seasons ago. He’s only led South Carolina to a single NCAA Tournament, but they took full advantage of the bid, marching to the Final Four in 2017. He’s put together some great seasons these last five years, well beyond anything a South Carolina coach had done before him, including last year’s 18-win, 6th place campaign in the SEC.
38. Will Wade (LSU) (Last year: 42)
- Overall record: 158-77
Wade has risen through the coaching ranks pretty quickly for a 37-year-old, even if it comes with some recent controversy. The former Harvard and VCU assistant led Chattanooga and VCU for a pair of seasons as head coach before building LSU into a Sweet Sixteen in 2019. Unfortunately, Wade didn’t coach that Sweet Sixteen run due to the allegations of recruiting mishaps. Still, the Tigers have finished top 2 in the SEC each of the last two seasons, a phenomenal accomplishment just three years into his tenure.
37. Buzz Williams (Texas A&M) (Last year: 31)
- Overall record: 269-169
Williams returned to his native Texas when he took over this Aggies program last season. Previously, he took Marquette to the Elite Eight and just guided Virginia Tech to their first Sweet Sixteen in half a century. He’s putting the pieces in place to make a similar turnaround at Texas A&M, tying for 6th place this past season in a tough SEC, and this is only the beginning.
36. Greg McDermott (Creighton) (Last year: 41)
- Overall record: 380-247
Long after his son Doug graduated, McDermott has still been putting up some fantastic results with Creighton. Formerly head coach at Northern Iowa and Iowa State, McDermott landed with the Blue Jays in 2010, guided them to the Big East in 2013, and has elevated them to one of the better programs in the conference. They tied for the conference title last season and have another fantastic team set to play in 2021.
35. Archie Miller (Indiana) (Last year: 33)
- Overall record: 194-106
After taking Dayton to four NCAA Tournaments, including an Elite Eight run in 2014, Miller finally jumped ship for Indiana three seasons ago. To this point, his tenure has been a bit of a disappointment, as the Hoosiers have yet to really take off. They don’t have an NCAA Tournament bid under Miller and have yet to finish above .500 in the Big Ten. Whether or not Miller’s the guy for the Hoosiers, he has proven he’s a solid head coach and we’ll have to see what he has in store for year four.
34. Eric Musselman (Arkansas) (Last year: 35)
- Overall record: 130-46
Musselman was phenomenal during four seasons leading Nevada and took over at Arkansas last year. A former NBA head coach, Musselman has fit in well at the college game and won 20 games in his debut season with the Razorbacks. There’s no telling if his dependency on transfers will translate well in the SEC, but he’s already winning recruiting battles and should have people excited in Arkansas for the future.
33. Brad Underwood (Illinois) (Last year: 44)
- Overall record: 156-76
In winning a pair of NCAA Tournament games at Stephen F. Austin, Underwood already showed he was a fantastic coach. His work these last three seasons with the Illini may show that he’s even better than we expected. Illinois finished 4th in a very tough Big Ten after a long period of shoddy play. Underwood should have an even better team next season and could lead the Illini to their first NCAA Tournament in eight years, and perhaps win a few games while he’s there.
32. Shaka Smart (Texas) (Last year: 28)
- Overall record: 253-134
- Final Four in 2011
Smart took the world by storm when he led VCU to the Final Four back in 2011, leading to him getting the Texas job five seasons ago. His work building VCU was phenomenal, but there have been considerable struggles with the Longhorns. He has an NIT title and a pair of opening-round losses to show for his hard work. Texas hasn’t been above .500 in the Big 12 since Smart’s first season, and he’s going to need to start winning at a higher level to keep this job.
31. Ben Howland (Mississippi State) (Last year: 29)
- Overall record: 497-275
- Final Four in 2006, 2007, 2008
Howland has put together a pretty great head coaching career all things considered. After quick success at Northern Arizona and a pair of Sweet Sixteens at Pittsburgh, he led UCLA to three straight Final Fours before landing at Mississippi State five seasons ago. He took the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in 2019, while this past season ending with a 4th place finish in the SEC. These Bulldogs haven’t become national contenders, but this is a very solid program and they’re trending in the right direction.