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As the NCAA Tournament heats up, the spotlight intensifies on the 16 coaches who've danced their way into the heart of March Madness. These play-callers have turned nail-biters into victories and underdogs into Cinderella stories. Their strategies are as varied as their personalities, with some drawing up plays that leave us speechless while others inspire their squads to new heights with sheer grit and heart.
So, let’s dive into the legacies of these sideline orchestrators who are just as pivotal to the Big Dance as the shotmakers themselves. These tactical geniuses have outsmarted and outlasted the competition, proving their mettle in the crucible of college basketball's most thrilling tournament.
In this article, we will break down each of the 16 coaches in order of power ranking.
1. Mark Few - Gonzaga, 716-164
One of the more respected coaches in the NCAA, Mark Few lands at the top of the power ranking list as he has led his Gonzaga team to the tournament in all 23 of the team's eligible seasons. He has led the Zags to two National Championship appearances and five Elite Eight appearances. Few has an NCAA Tournament record of 43-23. The only thing the coach needs is a championship win...
2. Dan Hurley - UConn, 288-163
It should be no surprise that Hurley is at the top of the list, coming in second. Despite not having more experience than some of these other coaches who have been doing it for longer, Hurley has been incredible for UConn since arriving and has already won a National Championship in 2023. With an NCAA Tournament record of 10-4 and a national title in 2023, Hurley sits second on the coach power rankings.
“Just keep blowing these teams out of this tournament” 👀
Dan Hurley is feeling confident after UConn’s dominant victory over Northwestern 🐺 pic.twitter.com/SUMZMqUfVx
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 25, 2024
3. Kelvin Sampson - Houston, 763-349
Sampson has been the coach for the Houston Cougars for some time now and has been very successful. He has a winning percentage of 68 percent in his career and an NCAA Tournament record of 26-18. Despite not having a national title, Sampson has two Final Four appearances and is looking to make another deep run with one of the better Houston teams he has ever had.
4. Matt Painter - Purdue, 469-206
Purdue's head coach Matt Painter is fourth in the power rankings. With an NCAA Tournament record of 19-14, Painter seems to have great teams, but his issue has been never reaching a Final Four. However, Painter has appeared in the Elite Eight four times and has been a No. 1 seed in back-to-back seasons.
5. Shaka Smart - Marquette, 246-171
Smart lands fifth in the coach power rankings as the head coach has done wonders for Marquette since taking the job after leaving Texas. Many remember Smart's tournament runs when he coached with VCU, but now he can make another deep run this season. Smart has an NCAA Tournament record of 8-9 and has won 246 games as a head coach. He brings energy to the table that some coaches aren't able to provide, making him one of the most likable coaches in the NCAA.
6. Brad Underwood - Illinois, 249-114
Underwood lands at the sixth spot as he has brought his Illinois team back to the Sweet 16. Underwood has had a ton of success in the regular season, winning the Big Ten tournament once again this season, but he has struggled to take that success to the next level. With just a 3-5 tournament record and zero Elite Eight or Final Four appearances, Underwood lands at the sixth spot.
7. Rick Barnes - Tennessee, 804-414
Despite Barnes' very successful regular-season coaching, his rank is low due to his lack of success in the tournament. Barnes has just one Final Four appearance, which was in 2003. The Volunteers coach has a ton of career wins but has been known to choke in the tournament.
8. Greg McDermott - Creighton, 603-354
McDermott follows in the rankings list as he wants to bring his team back to the Elite Eight for the second straight year with Creighton. McDermott has seen just one Elite Eight and two Sweet 16 appearances at Creighton and has a tournament record of 6-11. Another one of my favorite coaches is listed here due to less tournament success.
9. Brian Dutcher - San Diego State, 177-57
A coach with a ton of recent success, Dutcher’s Aztecs became the first Mountain West team to win a game in the Sweet 16, Elite 8, and Final Four. Dutcher was able to take San Diego State to the Final Four last season but came up short. Dutcher has an overall NCAA Tournament record of 7-4.
10. Nate Oats - Alabama, 210-96
In nine seasons as a D1 coach, Oats is looking to make his first-ever Elite Eight appearance with a win over North Carolina. Oats has certainly struggled regarding March Madness, sitting at a near .500 record of 7-6 and having an overall record of 210-96. He is a fantastic coach but places 12th on the power rankings.
11. Hubert Davis - UNC, 74-29
Davis has coached for three seasons at UNC after taking over for Hall of Famer Roy Williams, and he has done quite well so far. In his first two seasons, Davis led his Tar Heels to the National Championship but then missed the tournament completely the following season. Davis is an excellent coach, but he will need more time to pass up the future Hall of Famers who are ranked above him.
12. Jon Scheyer - Duke, 53-17
Another young coach who stepped into the shoes of a legend. After Coach K decided to hang it up, Scheyer did an excellent job. With an NCAA Tournament record of 3-1 in his career, Scheyer has kept the tradition of having a good Duke team alive. Still young in his coaching years, his knowledge of basketball is off the radar.
Love to put in that late March work at the crib
🗣️ @JonScheyer pic.twitter.com/5W1mOqrAk4
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 26, 2024
13. T.J. Otzelberger - Iowa State, 169-97, 4-4
In just two years at the helm, Otzelberger has led the Cyclones to a 41-27 record and two trips to the NCAA Tournament. In his first two years at the helm, Otzelberger became just the third coach in program history to take a team to the NCAA Tournament. He has been arguably one of the best coaches in the Big 12 this season and is looking to take his team the Elite Eight.
14, Tommy Lloyd - Arizona, 87-19, 4-2
Lloyd has spent three seasons with Arizona and has done an excellent job. In those three seasons, the Wildcats have won their conference tournament once and been crowned regular-season champions twice. With an NCAA Tournament record of 4-2, there is still a lot that Lloyd can learn, but he has a chance to make a deep run as Arizona looks like a true contender.
15. Brad Brownell - Clemson, 431-273
I have always enjoyed Brad Brownell, but he is at the bottom of this list because he has not had the past tournament success of the other coaches listed. Brownell has an NCAA Tournament record of 4-6 and has yet to make a Final Four.
16. Kevin Keatts - NC State, 208-121
Keatts has done an excellent job as the head coach for NC State, driving this year's team to a Sweet 16 push and even had an excellent team last season but just missed the invitation to the madness. Keatts has done a fantastic job in the past during his prep team days, but he has a chance to now write history for himself with a possible Elite Eight appearance!
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