NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 363 D-I head coaches for 2022-23 season

20. Sean Miller (Xavier) (Last year: N/A)

• Overall record: 422-156

This season marks a big return for Miller, who takes over as head coach at Xavier for the second time. The former Pittsburgh point guard spent time at multiple schools as an assistant before the Musketeers gave him his first head coaching post. He took the Musketeers to four NCAA Tournaments in five years, including an Elite Eight in 2007, before heading to Arizona, appearing in three more Elite Eights across a mostly prosperous tenure with the Wildcats. After a year out of the college game, Miller is back and he’s a fantastic hire for a Xavier program that has taken a slight step back these last few seasons.

19. Rick Pitino (Iona) (Last year: 17)

• Overall record: 807-285
• Final Four in 1987, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2005, 2012*, 2013*
• National championships in 1996, 2013*

Pitino has been a head coach for six colleges, two NBA teams, and recently on the international stage. We know that he won a national title while coaching Kentucky and had another one vacated with Louisville just under a decade ago. Pitino also took Providence to the Final Four and had a decent run with the New York Knicks, but now enters his third season at Iona, a potent mid-major in the MAAC. Pitino led the Gaels to the NCAA Tournament in his first year but took a back seat to Saint Peter’s this past season despite a 25-win campaign and a MAAC regular season title.

18. Jamie Dixon (TCU) (Last year: 23)

• Overall record: 445-207

If anyone was capable of turning TCU into a winning program in the Big 12, it was certainly going to be Dixon, who starred for the Horned Frogs just over three decades ago. His coaching career saw him work with Ben Howland at a number of schools before succeeding him at Pittsburgh. Dixon was really successful with the Panthers, taking a now dismal program to 11 NCAA Tournaments in 13 seasons. While at TCU, he’s already scooped up an NIT crown and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances, including last year’s near-upset of top-seeded Arizona.

17. Bruce Pearl (Auburn) (Last year: 18)

• Overall record: 397-197
• Final Four in 2019

Pearl has been a winner everywhere he’s gone in his head coaching career. It started at Southern Indiana, as he lead the Screaming Eagles to a D2 national title back in 1995. Pearl then moved to Milwaukee, taking the Panthers to the Sweet Sixteen ten years later. He was a winner at Tennessee, though NCAA investigations threw him into turmoil. Suffice to say, he’s bounced back nicely with Auburn and enters his ninth season leading the Eagles. The clear highlight was leading the Tigers to their first Final Four back in 2019, but he also won the SEC regular season crown and was back in the NCAA Tournament this past season.

16. Thad Matta (Butler) (Last year: N/A)

• Overall record: 439-154
• Final Four in 2007, 2012

There were some crazy good hires made in the Big East this offseason but Matta returning to Butler is the biggest of them all. The former Bulldog player, assistant, and head coach was successful in a head coaching career that took him to Butler, Xavier, and Ohio State. Matta led the Buckeyes to a pair of Final Fours and a plethora of success in the Big Ten before health issues caused him to step down in 2017. Five years later, Matta is healthy again and ready to lead a recently dormant Butler program back into national prominence.

15. Eric Musselman (Arkansas) (Last year: 21)

• Overall record: 183-62

Musselman has been all over the place and he’s had his finest success these last few seasons in the college game. He’s been a head coach in the NBA, G-League, and CBA, but has really struck gold in the NCAA, starting back at Nevada. Across four seasons, he led the Wolf Pack to 110 wins, including a Sweet Sixteen run in 2018. A year later, he accepted the Arkansas job and has been even more impressive. He’s been one of the nation’s best recruiters and has turned that into results, leading the Razorbacks to the Elite Eight in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments.

14. Dana Altman (Oregon) (Last year: 12)

• Overall record: 710-368
• Final Four in 2017

It’s been a long head coaching career for Altman, who cut his teeth at the junior college level before experiencing success at four different D1 schools. After brief stints at Marshall and Kansas State, Altman spent sixteen years leading Creighton, taking the Bluejays to seven NCAA Tournaments and a slew of postseason births and success from the MVC. Oregon lured him west in 2010 and he’s turned the Ducks into one of the Pac-12’s best programs. He’s won at least 20 games in each of his first twelve seasons at Oregon, leading the program to a rare Final Four back in 2007. Last year’s squad missed the Big Dance but is likely to bounce back very soon.

13. Mick Cronin (UCLA) (Last year: 16)

• Overall record: 433-201
• Final Four in 2021

Cronin has gotten his tenure with UCLA off to a fantastic start and enters his fourth year in southern California. Previously, Cronin’s head coaching career began with a solid stint at Murray State before heading to Cincinnati. He lead the Bearcats to nine straight NCAA Tournaments before taking the UCLA job in 2019, though his teams hadn’t a ton of success progressing in the postseason. That changed fast, as he led 11-seed UCLA to the Final Four in 2021, following that up with a Sweet Sixteen run this past season.

12. Jim Boeheim (Syracuse) (Last year: 10)

• Overall record: 1099-426
• Final Four in 1987, 1996, 2003, 2013, 2016
• National championship in 2003

One of the legends of NCAA basketball, Boeheim has been the head coach at Syracuse since 1976, winning the national title with Carmelo Anthony back in 2003. He’s won nearly a thousand games with the Orange and has spent his entire career with the program, leading them to five Final Fours and a great run of success. The program has been less successful in recent years, though the Orange did turn in a Sweet Sixteen run in 2021, though last year’s 16-17 record was certainly a disappointment.

11. Rick Barnes (Tennessee) (Last year: 14)

• Overall record: 754-395
• Final Four in 2003

Barnes enters his eighth season on the sidelines of Tennessee, boasting a ton of success across a long head coaching career. He had solid stints at George Mason, Providence, and Clemson before a 17-year run at Texas. Barnes took Texas to 16 NCAA Tournaments, including a Final Four and a pair of Elite Eights, before landing at Tennessee back in 2015. Under his leadership, the Volunteers have blossomed into one of the more productive SEC programs, making a recent Sweet Sixteen and winning the SEC Tournament this past season.