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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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CHAPEL HILL, NC – JANUARY 16: (L-R) Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC – JANUARY 16: (L-R) Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

10. Chris Beard (Texas Tech) (Last year: 11)

  • Overall record: 124-49
  • Final Four in 2019

Five years ago, Beard was a successful junior year and D2 head coach who landed at Little Rock to begin his D1 head coaching career. He took the Trojans to a 30-win season that included an NCAA Tournament upset, then led Texas Tech to an Elite Eight and national title game appearance. Beard has made an immediate impact that few coaches have ever been capable of making, igniting this Red Raiders program from afterthought to a near champion. Last year was a struggle, but Texas Tech will be back.

9. Jim Boeheim (Syracuse) (Last year: 8)

  • Overall record: 1065-399
  • Final Four in 1987, 1996, 2003, 2013, 2016
  • National championship in 2003

It’s hard to fathom but Boeheim has been Syracuse’s head coach since 1976 and has had a clear and profound impact on the program. He has led the Orange to five Final Fours, including the program’s first national championship back in 2003 with Carmelo Anthony. In recent years, they’ve struggled at times in a tough ACC, though these Orange teams always seem to be playing their best ball right in time for the postseason.

8. Jay Wright (Villanova) (Last year: 9)

  • Overall record: 594-267
  • Final Four in 2009, 2016, 2018
  • National championships in 2016, 2018

Wright’s impact with Villanova has been beyond profound since his arrival in 2001. The former Hofstra head coach built consistency and led the Wildcats to the Final Four in 2009, but that was only the beginning. Since the Big East restricted seven years ago, Villanova has dominated the league and Wright has led Villanova to national championships in 2016 and 2018. Wright’s teams have been feast or famine in the NCAA Tournament, but the feasts have cemented his legacy as one of the legends of the game.

7. Tony Bennett (Virginia) (Last year: 7)

  • Overall record: 346-129
  • Final Four in 2019
  • National championship in 2019

Bennett led Washington State to the Sweet Sixteen before heading to Virginia in 2009, a fact that alone makes him an impressive coach. His work with the Cavaliers has taken it ten levels further. He has solidified Virginia as a national title threat, punctuating that with their national championship in 2019. The Cavaliers have won four of the last seven regular-season titles in a tough ACC and under Bennett’s watch have become a yearly contender and team to watch; something untrue about Virginia in the decades before his hiring.

6. Mark Few (Gonzaga) (Last year: 6)

  • Overall record: 599-124
  • Final Four in 2017

Few inherited a great Gonzaga team when he ascended to the head coaching position in 1999 but has taken the Bulldogs to incredible success. Despite playing in a mid-major league, they have become one of the best programs in the nation, with 2017’s national title game appearance the proof of their ascension. He’s won more than thirty NCAA Tournament games with Gonzaga and continues to bring in the players to have a national title threat on a yearly basis.

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