We’re through the first week of the NCAA Tournament, and as always, it did not disappoint. With crazy upsets, multiple overtime games and plenty of brackets busted, the field is already down to 16. Now with four days to prepare for the next opponent, coaching becomes even more pivotal. Here’s how all 16 head coaches stack up against one another.
16. Brad Brownell — Clemson
Brownell entered this tournament with something to prove, and his Tigers have certainly made a statement thus far. Over his 14-year tenure with Clemson, the Tigers had only advanced from the Round of 64 once before this March. That happened in 2017-18 when the Tigers went to the Sweet 16. Clemson has impressed in both of its wins to reach the Sweet 16. A 21-point thrashing of New Mexico was followed by a win over No. 3 Baylor in which Clemson led wire-to-wire.
15. Kevin Keatts — NC State
You can celebrate an ACC Tournament victory, but the only thing anyone cares about in March is the Big Dance. And in Keatts’ 10-year career as a head coach, he had never made it out of the first round. In three years at UNC Willmington, he made the tournament twice and lost in the first round both times. In seven years at NC State, Keatts has made the tournament three times (this year being the third), and this is the first time his team has advanced past the Round of 64. The Wolfpack upset Texas Tech in the opening round and outlasted No. 14 Oakland in an overtime classic in the Round of 32. Now, Keatts and Co. will face Marquette in the Sweet 16.
14. John Scheyer — Duke
There is no easy way to take over the mantle from the legendary Coach K. In the ’22-’23 season, Scheyer led the Blue Devils to a 27-9 record and followed it up this year with a 24-8 record and a 4-seed entry in this year’s tournament. Although last year saw Duke bested by Tennessee in the Round of 32, Scheyer is off to an impressive start at a university that demands excellence. At only 36 years old, the former Blue Devil player is now doing an excellent job from the sidelines and has plenty of years to build off of this momentum. Duke finds itself in the Sweet 16 following back-to-back blowout wins — knocking off Vermont by 17 and James Madison by 38 points, respectively.
13. T.J. Otzelberger — Iowa State
T.J. Otzelberger is quickly becoming a hot name in coaching. A former high school coach, Otzelberger recently led Iowa State to victory in the Big 12 Tournament. Before making his way to Ames, Otzelberger spent time at South Dakota State and UNLV. While coaching the Jackrabbits, Otzelberger led South Dakota St. to the NCAA Tournament twice and went 70-33 over three seasons. His time at UNLV wasn’t as successful (29-30), but he has Iowa State headed in the right direction. Otzelberger’s team has now reached the Sweet 16 in two of his first three years in Ames.
12. Brad Underwood — Illinois
Brad Underwood has had successful stints coaching at both Stephen F. Austin and Oklahoma State (above 60-percent win rate and made the tournament all four years). His success at Illinois has taken a little longer to develop since taking over the program in 2017. However, the Illini have made the tournament the last three seasons, and are currently playing like a true national contender. The Illini dispatched Morehead State by 16 points in the Round of 64 and trounced Duquesne, 89-63, to reach the Sweet 16.
11. Brian Dutcher — San Diego State
After taking over the program in 2017, Dutcher has made the tournament in all but one season. Dutcher boasts an incredible 76.8% win percentage with the Aztecs and made his most impressive run last season — a loss to UConn in the National Championship. San Diego State shows impressive resolve under Dutcher, and this year looks to be another good one for the seventh-year head coach. Once again a 5-seed this year, the Aztecs beat Yale by 28 points to earn a rematch with UConn.
10. Hubert Davis — North Carolina
In his first year with North Carolina, Hubert Davis led the Tar Heels to the National Championship game — and was just a handful of plays from capturing the championship over the Kansas Jayhawks. Of course, the Tar Heels came up short — fumbling a sizable lead in the process — but their run through the NCAA Tournament was mightily impressive. Although UNC had a down season in ’23, they put the pieces back together this year and entered as the 1-seed in the West. After trailing Michigan State by 12 points early in the Round of 32, UNC went on to win by 16.
9. Greg McDermott — Creighton
McDermott has been with the Bluejays since 2010 and moved with them to the Big East Conference in 2013. In his first season in the powerful Big East, McDermott led Creighton to a second-place finish in the conference and to the Round of 32 in March. Creighton has made the tournament 8-of-12 seasons with McDermott at the helm, including an Elite Eight appearance and two Sweet 16 appearances in the last four years. McDermott boasts a 67.1% win percentage while at Creighton, and is looking to advance to a second Elite Eight in a row.
8. Rick Barnes — Tennessee
Rick Barnes has been a staple in the college basketball world for over 40 years. Barnes segued a solid stint with Clemson into a high-profile job with the Texas Longhorns. Barnes was excellent in Austin, leading the Longhorns to the NCAA tournament in 16 out of 17 seasons with one Final Four appearance. It took some time for him to get acclimated at Tennessee, but the Volunteers have seemingly hit their groove in recent years. One thing is for certain with Barnes-led teams — they will play their hearts out and compete on every possession on the defensive end. Barnes has three Sweet 16 appearances with the Volunteers (including two in a row) and looks to take his 2-seeded Vols even deeper into the tournament this year.
7. Tommy Lloyd — Arizona
Just three years in, and we’re already ranking Tommy Lloyd among the best coaches in college basketball. Following in the footsteps of Sean Miller’s success at Arizona was no easy task. But, Lloyd immediately took to his new role and has the Wildcats as one of the preeminent powers out West. In his first season as head coach, Lloyd led Arizona to a 33-4 record and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Year two saw Lloyd take the Wildcats to 28-7 and return to the tournament. This year, Lloyd’s Wildcats are at the top of the PAC-12 again and will enter the Sweet 16 as a healthy favorite against Clemson. Lloyd’s offensive game plan has been among the country’s best, as Arizona’s up-tempo attack has caused consistent problems for opponents.
6. Shaka Smart — Marquette
It didn’t take long for Shaka Smart to reestablish himself at Marquette. After a “disappointing” tenure with the Longhorns, Smart is back to doing what he does best — getting the most out of a program. While Marquette had enjoyed previous success under Tom Crean and Buzz Williams, this is a program that has high hopes of returning to their former glory of the 1970s (champs in ’77, runner-up in ’74). In his first year, Smart took the Golden Eagles back to the tournament after missing out on it the year prior. Last season, Smart improved on that and took his team to the Round of 32. This year, with the No. 2-seed Golden Eagles, Smart has an excellent opportunity to reach the Final Four.
5. Nate Oats — Alabama
Oats has helped make Alabama basketball relevant during his five seasons at the football-centric school. The attitude and culture of the program have gone from being content with posting a winning record to expecting to challenge for an SEC title — as well as making deep runs in the NCAA Tournament. After winning 31 games last season, the Tide took a hit getting knocked out of the Sweet 16 by San Diego State. Oats has been excellent at recruiting and finding players who can best run his system. He formerly built up Buffalo’s program into relevance and is now doing the same with the Crimson Tide.
4. Matt Painter — Purdue
One of the bright offensive minds in the country, Matt Painter has been a stalwart in the Purdue program. Through highs and lows, Painter has been consistent in his ability to create schemes and rotations based on his personnel. When he’s had a talented roster, Purdue has been a Big Ten powerhouse. Since taking over in ’05, Painter has won 68.7% of his games and earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament 14 times. Though he has yet to reach a Final Four, 2024 could be the season Painter and the Boilermakers finally get over the hump.
3. Kelvin Sampson — Houston
If he wasn’t already, Kelvin Sampson’s current run with Houston has cemented him as one of the very best coaches in the country. Sampson was lights out at his previous stops. While at Oklahoma, Sampson led the Sooners to NCAA Tournament appearances in 11-of-12 years including a Final Four visit in 2002. Following a short stint at Indiana — where he went 43-15 — Sampson moved onto the NBA where he resided as an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets. Sampson returned to the collegiate ranks in 2014, taking over the Houston program. Houston has won at least 20 games nine years in a row and has made runs to the Sweet 16 or better five years in a row (no postseason in 2020).
2. Dan Hurley — UConn
Dan Hurley played point guard for Seton Hall from 1991-96, and from there his coaching path has been an interesting one. After stints at Rutgers (assistant), St. Benedict’s Prep (start of head coaching career), Wagner, and Rhode Island, Hurley found his way to UConn. After a 16-17 record in his first season with the Huskies, his teams have only gotten better and better. Hurley now boasts a 137-58 record while at UConn including three trips to the tournament in a row and an NCAA Title last season. As the No. 1 team in the country, Hurley and the Huskies are attempting to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since Florida did it in 2006-’07.
1. Mark Few — Gonzaga
The Zags are still searching for that elusive National Championship, but Few remains the right man to guide them to the promised land. Since Few took over the Gonzaga program in 1999-2000, only Kansas has won more games than the Bulldogs during that span. Gonzaga has never won fewer than 23 games in any of Few’s seasons, and he’s produced some of the top players in the college game. Now, all he’s missing is that National Championship, though two title game appearances since 2017 are nothing to scoff at. Few and Co. have been excellent through two games and now have a daunting matchup with Purdue.