NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 68 head coaches in 2024 NCAA Tournament
By Joey Loose
32. Chris Jans (Mississippi State)
4 NCAA Tournaments (1-4)
Jans played his college ball in the late 80’s at small Loras College before coaching at a number of small schools and junior colleges. He spent time coaching under names like Porter Moser and Gregg Marshall before his head coaching start at Bowling Green. Dismissed there after one year, he had a great 5-year run at New Mexico State, taking the Aggies to a Tourney upset over Connecticut in 2022. He’s now led Mississippi State to the Big Dance in both of his seasons leading the Bulldogs.
31. Pat Kelsey (Charleston)
3 NCAA Tournaments (0-3)
A native of Cincinnati, Kelsey played point guard at Wyoming and Xavier and spent long stints as an assistant at Wake Forest and Xavier before his head coaching career began. Prior to taking the job in Charleston he had nine successful years at Winthrop with a pair of trips to the Big Dance. His Cougars have quickly turned into a powerful mid-major, as Kelsey has led them to back-to-back regular season titles and CAA Tournament titles.
30. Brad Brownell (Clemson)
6 NCAA Tournaments (3-6)
It’s been a solid coaching career for Brownell, who already has more than twenty years of head coaching experience under his belt. He took over at UNC Wilmington back in 2002 after aiding Jerry Wainwright for many years. Brownell then led both those Seahawks and also Wright State to the Big Dance before arriving at Clemson in 2010. His Tigers have had great moments, like their run to the Sweet Sixteen from 2018, and are back in the Big Dance for a fourth time this season.
29. Andy Kennedy (UAB)
3 NCAA Tournaments (2-3)
Kennedy played most of his collegiate career at UAB and spent several years early in his career as an assistant on the Blazers’ staff. His head coaching career began as Cincinnati’s interim head coach after Bob Huggins’ departure before a 12-year stint at Ole Miss. He took the Rebels to several postseason bids and a few trips to the Big Dance, but has bounced back nicely at his alma mater. Head coach at UAB since 2020, Kennedy won a CUSA title two years ago and has them dancing for a second time after winning the AAC Tournament.