4. Mark Few (Gonzaga)
25 NCAA Tournaments (44-25)
There’s virtually no more impressive or encompassing head coaching job than what Few has done transforming Gonzaga from a surprise Cinderella to a perennial national contender. He’s been with Gonzaga since 1989 and as head coach since 1999, taking the Bulldogs to every single NCAA Tournament since his promotion. Few has won 21 WCC Tournament titles, including this season, and a plethora of regular season and postseason wins. After all, nobody can forget those trips to the national title game in both 2017 and 2021.
3. Dan Hurley (Connecticut)
7 NCAA Tournaments (15-5)
While not the same type of player as his brother, Hurley played point guard at Seton Hall and became a notable high school coach in the state of New Jersey. In 2010, Hurley jumped to the college game and made strides at Wagner before similar success at Rhode Island. His big break came with UConn, who brought him aboard in 2018 and don’t regret that choice one bit. Hurley led the Huskies to back-to-back national championships in 2023 and 2024 and continues to lead a national power in the Big East.
2. John Calipari (Arkansas)
24 NCAA Tournaments (59-23)
Success always seems to follow Calipari throughout an impressive coaching career that dates back to time as an aide at Kansas in the early 80’s under Larry Brown. As a head coach, he took UMass and Memphis to (since-vacated) Final Fours and also spent time helming the New Jersey Nets. While at Kentucky, Calipari won the national title in 2012 and also took the Wildcats to four Final Fours in a five year stretch. He jumped to Arkansas two years ago, leading the Razorbacks to the Sweet Sixteen in his first season before delivering an SEC Tournament title this year.
1. Bill Self (Kansas)
26 NCAA Tournaments (57-24)
It’s hard to ignore what has been an incredible body of work across Self’s long coaching career. After his early work with Oral Roberts, he took both Tulsa and Illinois to Elite Eight runs back in the early 2000’s. Self has been the leader at Kansas since 2003 and responsible for a prosperous era of Big 12 and national success for the Jayhawks. He most notably won national titles in 2008 and 2022 and made four runs to the Final Four with a ton of Big 12 titles and other success and a long streak of trips to the Big Dance.