16. Leonard Hamilton (Florida State)
10 NCAA Tournaments (12-10)
Hamilton has been a power conference head coach for a long time but has been doing some of his very best work these last few seasons with the Seminoles. Hamilton led Miami to several NCAA Tournaments and a Sweet Sixteen and has since taken Florida State to an Elite Eight and a pair of Sweet Sixteens. He also won the ACC regular-season title outright last season and finished in 2nd this year, a remarkable feat in a deep league like the ACC.
15. Rick Pitino (Iona)
21 NCAA Tournaments (54-19)
After what happened at Louisville, it’s still a surprise to some to see Pitino back coaching college basketball, but it may seem no surprise to see him lead Iona to the NCAA Tournament in his first season. Winner of national championships with Kentucky and Louisville (vacated), Pitino has taken this talented Gaels program and kept their winning tradition alive, leading them to their fifth straight MAAC Tournament title. Pitino greatly outclassed the other coaches in the conference and his experience will do wonders for this program going forward.
14. Lon Kruger (Oklahoma)
19 NCAA Tournaments (21-19)
The Sooners have seen renewed success in this last decade under Kruger’s lead, highlight by that Final Four run in 2016. Kruger also took Florida to the Final Four and has led Kansas State, Illinois, and UNLV to numerous Tournament runs as well. He’s one of the most experienced coaches in college basketball and has a knack for recruiting talent and getting the best out of those players. Oklahoma might have fallen off by season’s end, but don’t count Kruger out just yet.
13. Rick Barnes (Tennessee)
24 NCAA Tournaments (24-24)
It’s been a long and successful head coaching career for Barnes, who has led four different schools to the NCAA Tournament during a career that dates back almost 35 years. He took Texas to the Final Four during a long run with the Longhorns and has turned Tennessee into one of the top-level teams in the SEC. This past season was a bit disappointing and this isn’t Barnes’ best Tennessee squad, but he’s proven that he’s still one of the game’s top guys.