28. Will Wade (McNeese State)
5 NCAA Tournaments (4-5)
This adventurous coaching career has written a new chapter, as Wade drew headlines for an FBI probe during his most recent tenure at LSU. An assistant on VCU’s Final Four run in 2011, Wade became head coach at Chattanooga, then took over VCU before landing at LSU, taking both the Rams and the Tigers to the Big Dance. This is his first year bouncing back at McNeese State, leading the Cowboys to 30 wins and their first Southland Tournament title in more than twenty years.
27. Steve Alford (Nevada)
11 NCAA Tournaments (11-12)
Alford has been a collegiate head coach for the last 33 seasons, with much of that experience at the D1 level. He took Missouri State to a Sweet Sixteen before stalling at Iowa. He then built great success at New Mexico before leading UCLA to three Sweet Sixteen’s in a six-year stint. Alford returned to the MWC when Nevada hired him in 2019 and he’s broken through in recent years, getting the Wolf Pack into the Big Dance for a second straight season; can he win a Tournament game at a fifth different program?
26. Jon Scheyer (Duke)
1 NCAA Tournament (1-1)
A former star and national champion as a player, Scheyer spent eight years on Mike Krzyzewski’s staff before succeeding him as Duke’s head coach back in 2022. A talented recruiter, Scheyer won a second national title as an assistant nearly a decade and now looks for his breakthrough success as head coach. He took Duke to the second round in year one last season and hopes for even better this season.
25. T. J. Otzelberger (Iowa State)
4 NCAA Tournaments (2-4)
Originally from Wisconsin, Otzelberger was a point guard at Wisconsin-Whitewater and then a high school coach in the state. He caught on at Iowa State as an assistant under three different coaches before beginning his head coaching career at South Dakota State in 2016. He’d take the Jackrabbits twice to the Big Dance before a two-year stint leading UNLV. Otzelberger was called back to Ames in 2021, leading the Cyclones to the Sweet Sixteen in his first season and a Big 12 Tournament title this season.