56. Alan Huss (High Point)
0 NCAA Tournaments
It’s been a quick start as a collegiate head coach for Huss who has done marvelous things in his first two seasons at High Point. A former high school coach, he caught on in the college game with stints at New Mexico and Creighton, his alma mater, before the Wildcats handed him their top job in 2023. He’s already responsible for 56 wins, a pair of regular season titles, and the Big South Tournament crown, taking High Point to one of their best stretches in program history.
55. Scott Cross (Troy)
1 NCAA Tournament (0-1)
UT Arlington’s decision to fire Cross back in 2018 remains an absolute head scratcher, but he keeps having the last laugh. After great work with those Mavericks across several decades as a player and coach, including a trip to the Tourney in 2008, Cross has repeated the feat at Troy. He’s led the Trojans since 2019 and has won at least 20 games for a fourth straight year alongside this year’s Sun Belt Tournament title.
54. Takayo Siddle (UNC Wilmington)
0 NCAA Tournaments
An eventful journey in his early coaching career has culminated in this moment for Siddle. A former player and assistant under Kevin Keatts, including for Keatts’ first three years at NC State, Siddle bounced back to UNC Wilmington as their new head coach in 2020. He’s surpassed 20 wins in each of his last four seasons, including a CBI title a few years ago. This year’s team was the one to win the CAA Tournament for the first time since Siddle was an assistant in 2017.
53. Travis DeCuire (Montana)
2 NCAA Tournaments (0-2)
It’s a return to form for DeCuire, the former Grizzly player who has Montana dancing once again. His coaching career took him several places, including a stint as an assistant at Cal, before returning home as Montana’s head coach in 2014. The Seattle native won a pair of Big Sky titles in his first five seasons, though Montana faltered a bit in recent years. Bouncing back after last year’s CBI run, his Grizzlies won the Big Sky Tournament for the third time and dance for the first time in six seasons.