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

Overall record: 252-115

No spring chicken, Underwood is certainly continuing to establish himself as one of the stronger head coaches in this game. A former junior college coach, Underwood was a prominent collegiate assistant before taking Stephen F. Austin to a pair of Tourney upsets in his first D1 head coaching gig. After a brief run at Oklahoma State, Underwood took the Illinois job in 2017 and has rebuilt the Fighting Illini program. The program has been cooking since the pandemic, making the last four NCAA Tournaments, notably reaching the Elite Eight this past March.

19. Jim Larranaga (Miami) (Last year: 18)

Overall record: 712-475
Final Four in 2006, 2023

Another very established coach, Larranaga was an assistant at Virginia when Ralph Sampson was breaking records back in the 1980’s. He’s had three long head coaching runs in his career, building decent success at Bowling Green before taking George Mason to that insane Final Four run in 2006. Five years later, Larranaga jumped to Miami and has literally become the most successful head coach in Hurricanes history, securing the program’s first Elite Eight in 2022 and first Final Four the year after. Unfortunately, his Hurricanes really flamed out this past season with a 14th place finish in the ACC14th-place.

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

Overall record: 347-172
Final Four in 2011

After early coaching stints at Clemson and Florida, Smart was just 31 when VCU brought him aboard for his first head coaching gig. Two years later, he was leading the Rams to an incredible Final Four run, establishing himself with several more postseason trips in the coming seasons. Smart jumped to Texas and underachieved, but has really bounced back nicely at Marquette, back in his home state of Wisconsin. His second season saw the Golden Eagles win the Big East title while this past year marked their first Sweet Sixteen in a decade.

17. Dana Altman (Oregon) (Last year: 19)

Overall record: 755-395
Final Four in 2017

Altman has been a head coach for more than 40 years, with early junior college experience before starting his D1 career at Marshall in 1989. He’d then spend time at Kansas State before an eventful 16-year run at Creighton. After a number of MVC titles, Altman jumped to Oregon in 2010 and hasn’t looked back. His Ducks did remarkable work in the Pac-12, and made the program’s first Final Four in generations back in 2017. This past year saw Oregon reach the second round of the Big Dance after a few mediocre seasons, while the attention now turns to life in the Big Ten.

16. Jamie Dixon (TCU) (Last year: 16)

Overall record: 488-233

Dixon played point guard at TCU back in the mid-80’s and has been as much of a star since returning to his alma mater as head coach. Long before that, his own coaching career saw several stops all over the country, notably working alongside Ben Howland. He would get his head coaching start by succeeding Howland at Pittsburgh, with eleven NCAA Tournament appearances over the next 13 years. Dixon made it back home to TCU in 2016, winning the NIT title in his debut season. He has done amazing things at a mediocre program and is coming off a third-straight trip into the Big Dance.

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