NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 362 D-I head coaches for 2023-24 season

30. Fran McCaffery (Iowa) (Last year: 31)

• Overall record: 512-353

A former point guard at Penn, McCaffery has been in coaching for a long time and was already head coach at Lehigh back in the mid-80’s. He’d spend a long stretch as an assistant at Notre Dame before successful head coaching stints at UNC Greensboro and Siena, getting a pair of Tourney wins with those Saints. Iowa brought him aboard in 2010 and he’s led the Hawkeyes to the Big Dance seven times, including each of the last four Tournaments. It’s been business as usual recently for a Hawkeyes team that continues to pump out talent.

29. Buzz Williams (Texas A&M) (Last year: 33)

• Overall record: 329-202

A native Texan, Williams fits right in at Texas A&M, but there have been many stops before College Station. He assisted at six different programs, including briefly with the Aggies under Billy Gillispie, before starting as head coach at New Orleans. Later on, he’d take Marquette to an Elite Eight and made history with a Sweet Sixteen bid at Virginia Tech back in 2019. Texas A&M called him back to the Lone Star State weeks later and he’s turned around another program. The Aggies nearly won the NIT in 2022 before finally getting back to the Big Dance this past season, finishing 2nd place in the SEC.

28. Leonard Hamilton (Florida State) (Last year: 25)

• Overall record: 626-475

Hamilton played college ball at Tennessee-Martin way back in the early 70’s and has been a coach for more than 50 years. He won a national championship as an assistant at Kentucky before successful head coaching stints at Oklahoma State and Miami. After flaming out in a brief stint leading the Washington Wizards, Hamilton took over at Florida State way back in 2002. The Seminoles have had great success in the ACC over the last two-plus decades, including an Elite Eight and two Sweet Sixteen’s in the last six years alone. Unfortunately, the Seminoles struggled to a 9-23 record last year.

27. Brad Underwood (Illinois) (Last year: 22)

• Overall record: 223-106

Native to Kansas, Underwood played ball at Kansas State and was a junior college head coach in the state before a long stint on staff at Western Illinois. He was back at his alma mater on Frank Martin’s staff (following him to South Carolina) before head coaching stints at Stephen F. Austin and Oklahoma State. Underwood’s work with the Lumberjacks remains legendary, but his efforts at Illinois have been iconic as well. Hired in 2017, he’s helped turn around a dormant Illini program, winning Big Ten titles in two of the last three seasons; all of which ended in NCAA Tournament appearances.

26. Ed Cooley (Georgetown) (Last year: 29)

• Overall record: 334-222

There’s plenty of buzz at Georgetown this year since Cooley was hired this offseason. A former player and assistant at Stonehill, he spent a decade assisting Al Skinner at Rhode Island and Boston College before getting his head coaching start at Fairfield. He was hired by Providence in 2011 and is coming off a very solid 12-year stretch with the Friars, taking the program to seven NCAA Tournaments, including a Sweet Sixteen and Big East title in 2022. He inherits a Georgetown program that’s frankly been a mess for years with high hopes of a turnaround.

25. Greg McDermott (Creighton) (Last year: 26)

• Overall record: 449-281

McDermott has spent nearly three decades as a collegiate head coach and has been successful for most of the journey. He had good runs at Wayne State and North Dakota State before getting his D1 start with Northern Iowa. After flaming out at Iowa State, he took over at Creighton in 2010, leading the Bluejays into the new Big East just three years later. He’s won conference titles in both the MVC and Big East, has made eight appearances in the Big Dance, and is coming off his best season: taking Creighton to the Elite Eight this past season with a really talented roster.

24. Brian Dutcher (San Diego State) (Last year: 48)

• Overall record: 151-47
• Final Four in 2023

A graduate of Minnesota and a former grad assistant at Illinois, Dutcher actually starred with a different Big Ten school, spending nearly a decade as an assistant at Michigan, winning the national title in 1989. He was a longtime associate of Steve Fisher, helping him build San Diego State’s program on his bench for nearly two decades. When Fisher retired in 2017, Dutcher inherited the program and has taken the Aztecs to the next level. Their 30-win campaign in the pandemic-shortened season was already profound, but Dutcher took San Diego State to the national championship game this past season.

23. Tommy Lloyd (Arizona) (Last year: 30)

• Overall record: 61-11

Lloyd split his playing career among three non-D1 schools in the Pacific Northwest and wasn’t exactly a known commodity. He joined Mark Few’s staff at Gonzaga back in 2000 and would grow into an incredibly important role as the Bulldogs developed into a national power. After twenty years as a full-time assistant, Lloyd finally got his head coaching opportunity at Arizona. Not only is his record impressive, but he’s won a pair of Pac-12 Tournament titles and took the Wildcats to the Sweet Sixteen in his first season.

22. Shaka Smart (Marquette) (Last year: 34)

• Overall record: 320-162
• Final Four in 2011

Early on, Smart was an assistant coach, spending time at Dayton, Akron, Clemson, and Florida. VCU gave him his first head coaching shot when he was just 31 years old and he delivered, taking the Rams to that insane Final Four run back in 2011. Smart had six-year stints with both VCU and Texas, really struggling with the Longhorns. He’s bounced back nicely since Marquette brought him back to his home state of Wisconsin two years ago, winning 29 games and the Big East title this past season.

21. Thad Matta (Butler) (Last year: 16)

• Overall record: 453-172
• Final Four in 2007, 2012

Matta played college ball at Butler and has had multiple stints with the Bulldogs, while also making waves elsewhere. He began his head coaching career at Butler back in 2000, bolting after just a season for Xavier. After four trips to the Big Dance with those schools, Ohio State brought him aboard and he led the Buckeyes to the Final Four in 2007 and 2012. After retiring from the game, he was lured back to Butler this past offseason and has a rebuild on his hands. Year one was just a 14-18 mark.