NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 68 head coaches in 2024 NCAA Tournament
By Joey Loose
24. Hubert Davis (North Carolina)
1 NCAA Tournament (5-1)
Davis starred at North Carolina under Dean Smith more than thirty years ago, becoming a 1st round pick in the 1992 NBA Draft. He’d spend a dozen years playing in the NBA and then began work for ESPN. His coaching career began back in 2012 when he joined Roy Williams’ staff at his alma mater, winning a national title in his fifth season. He was promoted to the top job for the Tar Heels when Williams retired in 2021, leading the Tar Heels to the national championship game in his first season. They’re dancing again this season.
23. Greg Gard (Wisconsin)
5 NCAA Tournaments (6-5)
An entire life built on basketball in the state of Wisconsin, Gard played and assisted Bo Ryan at Wisconsin-Platteville before following him to Milwaukee and Madison in subsequent seasons. Gard helped lead the Badgers to Final Fours in 2014 and 2015 before succeeding Ryan later that year. He’s completed nearly nine seasons with Wisconsin and has led the Badgers to a couple of Sweet Sixteen’s. The Badgers are back in the Big Dance after a rough season last year.
22. Dusty May (Florida Atlantic)
1 NCAA Tournament (4-1)
A former student manager to Bobby Knight at Indiana, May drew national attention for what he and his team accomplished last season. Long before that he worked as a collegiate assistant at several different schools, including in the SEC at Florida under Mike White. His head coaching career began with these Owls in 2018 and his fifth season was an insane breakthrough, taking Florida Atlantic to 35 wins and a run to the Final Four. The Owls underachieved this season but he’s got them back in the Big Dance for a second straight trip.
21. Buzz Williams (Texas A&M)
9 NCAA Tournaments (10-9)
It’s been a thrilling ride for Williams, who has served as an assistant and head coach at numerous schools over the last three decades. A former student assistant at UT Arlington, his head coaching career began briefly at New Orleans before launching at Marquette, taking the Golden Eagles to an Elite Eight and a pair of Sweet Sixteen’s. He then made history at Virginia Tech, leading the Hokies to their first Sweet Sixteen in 2019. This is now year five at Texas A&M and a second-straight trip to the Big Dance.