NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 358 D-I head coaches for 2021-22 season
By Joey Loose
15. Kelvin Sampson (Houston) (Last year: 28)
- Overall record: 592-291
- Final Four in 2002, 2021
Sampson was great at Washington State and took Oklahoma to the Final Four, but few people expected a bounce back like this after his violations at Indiana. Houston’s head coach since 2014, he has completely rebuilt this Cougars’ program, leading them to top 3 finishes in the AAC for six straight years. This past year was obviously the highlight, leading Houston to the Final Four for the first time in more than three decades.
14. Rick Barnes (Tennessee) (Last year: 14)
- Overall record: 727-387
- Final Four in 2003
Barnes has been a successful college head coach for more than three decades, starting out at George Mason back in 1987. He had great years at Providence and Clemson before a long run of success at Texas, taking the Longhorns to a Final Four. He’s led a bit of a revival since taking over Tennessee in 2015, leading the Volunteers to the last three NCAA Tournaments, including a Sweet Sixteen back in 2019.
13. Matt Painter (Purdue) (Last year: 12)
- Overall record: 380-189
Success continues at Purdue thanks to Painter, who took over as head coach of his alma mater way back in 2005. He’d led the Boilermakers to repeated postseason success, a few Big Ten titles, and established Purdue as a yearly contender in the Big Ten. An Elite Eight run two years ago pairs with a handful of Sweet Sixteen’s, though Painter still hunts for his first Final Four. Last season was solid, finishing 4th in the Big Ten before an early upset loss in the Tourney.
12. Dana Altman (Oregon) (Last year: 13)
- Overall record: 690-353
- Final Four in 2017
Altman begins year twelve with the Ducks, having built Oregon into one of the best Pac-12 programs. He previously won plenty of games as head coach at Marshall, Kansas State, and Creighton, though his best days have come with the Ducks. He took the program to the Final Four in 2017 and has led the Ducks to Sweet Sixteen runs in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments. Overall, winning 15 Tournament games seems like a pretty solid run of success.
11. Bob Huggins (West Virginia) (Last year: 11)
- Overall record: 828-357
- Final Four in 1992, 2010
A legend of the game, Huggins just keeps churning out wins at West Virginia, having done the same at Akron, Cincinnati, and Kansas State earlier in his career. He’s taken both Cincinnati and West Virginia to the Final Four and he’s had great success since transitioning his Mountaineers to the Big 12, finishing in the top 3 in six of the last seven seasons. Last season was another 3rd place finish and a second-round exit from the NCAA Tournament.