NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 358 D-I head coaches for 2021-22 season

40. Dan Hurley (Connecticut) (Last year: 47)

• Overall record: 201-142

Certainly a head coach on the rise, Hurley has been a winner everywhere he’s gone, starting as a successful high school coach. Hurley won 25 games in a big turnaround at Wagner, his first head coaching job, and then led Rhode Island to a pair of NCAA Tournaments, really turning that program around. This task is larger, but year three at UConn saw Hurley take the Huskies back to the NCAA Tournament, even more impressive considering it was their first year back in the Big East.

39. Mike White (Florida) (Last year: 48)

• Overall record: 224-115

White starred at Ole Miss and later spent several years on the Rebels staff before beginning his head coaching career with success at Louisiana Tech. He was chosen to succeed Billy Donovan at Florida, joining the Gators in 2015. Florida made an Elite Eight run in his second season and has led the program to NCAA Tournaments every year since. As the SEC gets stronger, Florida remains a contender on a yearly basis.

38. Buzz Williams (Texas A&M) (Last year: 37)

• Overall record: 277-179

There’s still work ahead at head coaching job number four for Williams, who was hired by Texas A&M in 2019. After an Elite Eight and two Sweet Sixteens at Marquette and a record-breaking Sweet Sixteen at Virginia Tech, Williams is looking to replicate that success in the SEC. Year one was decent, but last year was a struggle at 8-10, and it’s clear that Williams still has work to do both on and off the court to make this an SEC winner.

37. Steve Alford (Nevada) (Last year: 40)

• Overall record: 544-291

Alford’s work has been solid throughout his coaching career. He led Missouri State to a surprise Sweet Sixteen before flaming out at Iowa. He bounced back in a major way with New Mexico and looks to replicate that MWC success, now entering his third year with Nevada. Three Sweet Sixteen’s wasn’t enough to keep the UCLA job, but a pair of top 5 finishes with the Wolf Pack is certainly a great start at Nevada.

36. Fran McCaffery (Iowa) (Last year: 41)

• Overall record: 467-329

After leading Lehigh, UNC Greensboro, and Siena to NCAA Tournaments (with a few wins with the Saints as well), McCaffery was hired by Iowa back in 2010. These last eleven years have been pretty fantastic for the Hawkeyes, with five NCAA Tournaments and a continued run of success in the Big Ten. With Luka Garza gone from the program, it’ll be interesting to see how Iowa rebounds, having won at least 20 games the past three seasons.

35. Shaka Smart (Marquette) (Last year: 32)

• Overall record: 272-142
• Final Four in 2011

Things didn’t quite work out at Texas, but Smart bounced back and takes over at Marquette this season. He’s infamous for leading VCU to the Final Four as an 11-seed, the first of five NCAA Tournaments in a six-year span with the Rams. He spent the last six years leading Texas, but never even won a Tournament game with the Longhorns in three trips. Smart hopes to turn things around for a Marquette program looking to relive better days.

34. Will Wade (LSU) (Last year: 38)

• Overall record: 177-87

Wade heads into his fifth year at LSU with the results of his head coaching career pretty solid to this point. After helping lead VCU to that Final Four as an assistant, he spent two good years as head coach at Chattanooga before returning as the Rams’ head coach. After a pair of NCAA Tournament seasons, he was hired by LSU, building some fantastic rosters, including a Sweet Sixteen team in 2019. His 86-42 mark at LSU is a remarkable start, as long as there are no more controversial recruiting issues down the line.

33. Greg McDermott (Creighton) (Last year: 36)

• Overall record: 402-256

A fantastic season for McDermott, albeit briefly overshadowed by controversy, is the latest achievement in a successful coaching career. He’s led five different programs, taking Northern Iowa to three NCAA Tournaments before flailing at Iowa State. Now entering his twelfth season with the Bluejays, he has done a phenomenal job in making them a constant contender in the Big East and led the program this past season to their first Sweet Sixteen in nearly fifty years.

32. Porter Moser (Oklahoma) (Last year: 85)

• Overall record: 293-242
• Final Four in 2018

What a decade it has been for Moser, who takes over this season at Oklahoma. A former head coach at Little Rock and Illinois State, he struck gold these last ten years as head coach of Loyola-Chicago, leading the Ramblers back onto the map with a Final Four in 2018 and a Sweet Sixteen run last season. Moser takes over a fantastic Oklahoma program for the retiring Lon Kruger and should continue to contend for Big 12 titles for years to come.

31. Ben Howland (Mississippi State) (Last year: 31)

• Overall record: 515-290
• Final Four in 2006, 2007, 2008

Howland begins his seventh season at Mississippi State, still looking to replicate some of his previous coaching success. As a head coach, he led Northern Arizona to their first-ever NCAA Tournament then took Pittsburgh to a pair of Sweet Sixteens. His three straight Final Fours with UCLA is a feat that hasn’t been done since, though he wound up with the Bulldogs after flaming out with the Bruins. He’s led Mississippi State to a single NCAA Tournament and nearly won the NIT last season, doing hard work in a tough SEC.