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NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 68 head coaches in 2021 NCAA Tournament

By Joey Loose

Dec 26, 2020; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few(left) speakes with Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Bennett before the game at Dickies Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 26, 2020; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few(left) speakes with Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Bennett before the game at Dickies Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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Morehead State Head Coach Preston Spradlin NCAA Basketball Ovc Mens Championship 4
Morehead State Head Coach Preston Spradlin NCAA Basketball Ovc Mens Championship 4 /

68. Dan Engelstad (Mount St. Mary’s)

0 NCAA Tournaments

Engelstad won a lot of games during his time leading D3 Southern Vermont and he’s continued those winning ways at the D1 level. As the 3-seed, he led the Mountaineers to the NEC Tournament championship, a surprising jump after a rough first two seasons on the job. Engelstad has work ahead to make the Mount a consistent contender in the NEC, but there’s no reason not to laud him for a job well done in 2021.

67. Preston Spradlin (Morehead State)

0 NCAA Tournaments

Spradlin leads Morehead State to their first NCAA Tournament in a decade. His work with the Eagles has been very solid since taking over as interim head coach back in late 2016. The former Kentucky aide has quickly turned things around (the Eagles finished 12th in the OVC just three years ago). Morehead State’s 17-3 run through OVC play was brilliant and one of the nation’s coaches has certainly overseen a brilliant turnaround.

66. Dennis Gates (Cleveland State)

0 NCAA Tournaments

Two seasons ago, Cleveland State was a disaster, with much of the roster transferring and former coach Dennis Felton sent packing. Gates, a longtime Florida State assistant, took the job and has taken the Vikings to the NCAA Tournament already, prevailing in the Horizon League Tournament for the first time in over a decade. Gates’ work with Cleveland State has been one of the best stories in mid-major basketball and he has some bright days ahead, either in Cleveland or elsewhere.

65. Paul Mills (Oral Roberts)

0 NCAA Tournaments

After spending 14 years helping Scott Drew rebuild Baylor as an assistant, Mills got his head coaching career started with the Golden Eagles four years ago. Nothing in particular has stood out in these first four years until this season’s surprise performance in the Summit League Tournament, winning it as the 4-seed. Oral Roberts has certainly improved during these last few seasons but we have yet to see how far Mills can take this program.

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