40. Darian DeVries (Indiana) (Last year: 46)
Overall record: 169-68
DeVries played collegiately at Northern Iowa and then spent two decades on staff at Creighton before his own head coaching career would begin. He certainly picked up plenty from that time with the Bluejays before a masterful 6-year run leading Drake. His first head coaching stint saw him 150 games in six years, including three trips to the NCAA Tournament. Last offseason, DeVries jumped to West Virginia and had a 19-win season but now takes on a bigger challenge with the Hoosiers, hoping that he can turn the tide in Bloomington.
39. Chris Mack (Charleston) (Last year: 36)
Overall record: 302-142
After some recent struggles, Mack is hoping the third stop of his head coaching career goes far better. The Cleveland native was a high school coach early on who gained experience under Skip Prosser and Sean Miller before being promoted to Xavier’s head coaching job. Nearly a decade later he left for Louisville after taking the Musketeers to 8 NCAA Tournaments, including an Elite Eight and four Sweet Sixteen’s. Mack’s work with the Cardinals was underwhelming, though he just won 24 games in the first year of his bounce back effort at Charleston.
38. Hubert Davis (North Carolina) (Last year: 27)
Overall record: 101-45
Final Four in 2022
Davis starred at North Carolina under Dean Smith, becoming a 1st round draft pick back in 1992. He played for over a decade in the NBA and spent time as an analyst before joining Roy Williams’ staff with the Tar Heels in 2012. Nine years later, Davis was chosen to succeed Williams upon his retirement and these last 4 seasons have been a wild ride. Davis took North Carolina to the title game in his first year but has underperformed since then, even with another Sweet Sixteen run in 2024. Last year’s 23-14 mark doesn’t look awful but it came in a really rough year for the ACC.
37. Chris Jans (Mississippi State) (Last year: 40)
Overall record: 206-84
There were four early stops in Jans’ head coaching career at junior colleges, though he’s also been an assistant at a number of places. He most notably helped Greg Marshall shape Wichita State before his brief work as head coach at Bowling Green. Jans really got things going at New Mexico State, taking the Aggies to four WAC titles, three trips to the NCAA Tournament, and an upset win in 2022 before taking Mississippi State’s opening shortly thereafter. Now, he’s totaled 21 wins with a trip to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first three years with the Bulldogs.
36. Kevin Willard (Villanova) (Last year: 49)
Overall record: 335-249
A former college point guard under his father Ralph, Willard’s earliest coaching experience came with Rick Pitino, aiding him with the Boston Celtics and at Louisville. Willard’s first head coaching work was solid at Iona before a fantastic 12-year run at Seton Hall, taking the Pirates to five NCAA Tournament appearances. Willard is fresh off three seasons in the Big Ten at Maryland just took the Terrapins to the Sweet Sixteen this past year. He’s starting a new challenge at Villanova, hoping he can be the one to get this once fantastic program back into national prominence.
35. Thad Matta (Butler) (Last year: 26)
Overall record: 486-207
Final Fours in 2007, 2012
Several years have suddenly passed since Matta’s Final Four runs, but the Butler alum keeps trucking on in his coaching career. As a head coach, he won a lot of games in brief stints leading Butler and Xavier, taking the Musketeers to the Elite Eight back in 2004. Matta then spent 13 years helming Ohio State with those Final Four’s and plenty of trips to the Big Dance before announcing his retirement. He jumped back into coaching again at his alma mater but hasn’t quite turned Butler into a Big East contender, coming off a 15-20 campaign.
34. Mark Pope (Kentucky) (Last year: 52)
Overall record: 211-120
A captain on the 1996 NCAA Tournament championship team at Kentucky, Pope would spend nearly a decade playing professional basketball before making his mark on the college game again. After a few stints as an assistant, his head coaching career started by turning Utah Valley into a contender in the WAC. Pope then took over at nearby BYU, winning 110 games in five years and leading the Cougars successfully into the Big 12. Kentucky came calling last offseason and Pope rewarded their faith, taking the Wildcats to the Sweet Sixteen in his debut.
33. Greg Gard (Wisconsin) (Last year: 37)
Overall record: 213-117
A Wisconsin man through and through, Gard has spent his entire career coaching his home state, with a long association with Bo Ryan. Gard spent more than 20 years coaching under Ryan at Wisconsin –Platteville, Milwaukee, and Wisconsin, along the ride for those two Final Four’s with the Badgers. Ryan retired in December 2015 and Gard has helmed the Badgers ever since. He took the program to Sweet Sixteen’s in his first two seasons and has a couple Big Ten titles, but he’s still looking for another breakthrough in Madison, even fresh off a career-best 27-win season.
32. Brad Brownell (Clemson) (Last year: 34)
Overall record: 459-281
After early work in his native Indiana, Brownell spent several years at UNC Wilmington and was eventually promoted to head coach of the Seahawks back in 2002. What followed were successful 4-year stints both there and at Wright State, taking both those mid-majors to the Big Dance. Brownell has now been head coach at Clemson for 15 years and just recently took the Tigers to the Elite Eight. He’s steadily helmed this team to several postseason bids and is coming off a 27-win season while tying for 2nd place in the ACC race.
31. T. J. Otzelberger (Iowa State) (Last year: 29)
Overall record: 194-108
A Milwaukee native who gained early experience at the high school level, Otzelberger actually caught on at Iowa State and served under three different head coaches with the Cyclones. His head coaching career began with great work at South Dakota State, taking the Jackrabbits twice to the NCAA Tournament, before a brief stay out at UNLV. Iowa State brought him back to town as head coach in 2021 and he has since led them to four straight NCAA Tournaments and continued relevancy in the Big 12, including a pair of Sweet Sixteen berths.