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NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 364 D-I head coaches for 2024-25 season

By Joey Loose

Apr 8, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley shakes hands with Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter before the national championship game of the Final Four of the 2024 NCAA Tournament between the Connecticut Huskies and the Purdue Boilermakers at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Apr 8, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley shakes hands with Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter before the national championship game of the Final Four of the 2024 NCAA Tournament between the Connecticut Huskies and the Purdue Boilermakers at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
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25. Chris Beard (Ole Miss) (Last year: 20)

Overall record: 191-85
Final Four in 2019

Volatile is a great word to describe Beard’s lengthy coaching career, one that has seen him lead eight different colleges already, including four D1 schools. Beard is a Texas alum and former Bob Knight assistant who was great as a junior college head coach and made history as head coach at Little Rock and Texas Tech. After a national title game run with the Red Raiders, he bolted to Texas but was removed less than two years later after domestic violence accusations. Beard was cleared and landed at Ole Miss last offseason and pulled together 20 wins in a decent first season in Oxford.

24. Sean Miller (Xavier) (Last year: 17)

Overall record: 465-184

Another head coach looking to bounce back, Miller was a Pittsburgh point guard who’s certainly become more well-known for his coaching acumen. His first stint leading Xavier in the 2000’s was full of prosperity before a 12-year run at Arizona that included three Elite Eight’s and a slew of Pac-12 titles. Miller returned to Xavier for a second stint starting in 2022 and got the Musketeers to the Sweet Sixteen in his first season. This past season was a step in the other direction, finishing under .500.

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

Overall record: 474-291

A well-established head coach, McDermott has done this for three decades, starting with D2 stints at Wayne State and North Dakota State. He had impressive results leading Northern Iowa, his alma mater, before flaming out quickly at Iowa State. However, McDermott has bounced back nicely since Creighton hired him in 2010. His Bluejays had a nearly flawless transition to the Big East and have missed just one of the last seven NCAA Tournaments. McDermott led Creighton to the Sweet Sixteen this past season, their third such trip since the pandemic.

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

Overall record: 88-20

Unquestionably one of the best rising names in coaching circles, Lloyd established himself on international stage long before his head coaching career. He spent more than two decades on Mark Few’s Gonzaga staff, not only helping to shape that program but bringing in a myriad of international recruits to Spokane. He finally left Gonzaga in 2021 and has had three sensational seasons with the Wildcats, winning 81% of his games and making a pair of Sweet Sixteen’s. We’ll just have to see how Arizona fits into the Big 12 in the years to come under Lloyd’s strong leadership.

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

Overall record: 177-58
Final Four in 2023

Long before his own head coaching journey, Dutcher played a major role in a national championship at Michigan in 1989 before bringing the Fab Five to Ann Arbor. Dutcher was a long-time assistant under Steve Fisher both with those Wolverines and with San Diego State. After helping Fisher build the Aztecs program from the ground up, Dutcher has done even more remarkable work as head coach since 2017. Year three was a pandemic-shortened 30-win campaign, though 2023’s run to the national title game certainly earns the spotlight. He then led the Aztecs back to the Sweet Sixteen last season.

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