Top 10 NCAA Tournament Coaches of All Time

Right now, basketball conference tournaments are going on all over the country, which is as clear a sign as any that March Madness has begun! Since there aren’t any super strong teams this year, this years NCAA tournament is going to be an exciting one so be sure to get the latest NCAA Basketball Odds found at BetUS. Stars will rise and fall as the Big Dance begins, and all along the way, the quality of coaching will guide some teams to victory and others to defeat. Because coaching has such a significant impact on how far a team goes in the NCAA, it’s worth taking a look back and reviewing the top 10 best NCAA tournament coaches of all time.

Jim Boeheim

At number 10 is Jim Boeheim. He’s spent 25 years at Syracuse, where he started out as a player and worked his way up to head coach. Along the way, he racked up three Final Four finishes and one national title.

Jim Calchoun

At number 9 is Jim Calchoun. He’s coached UConn for decades and racked up 45 tournament wins, three Final Four appearances, and two national championships along the way.

Tom Izzo

At number 8 is Tom Izzo. The head of Michigan State, he has taken his team to the Final Four six times and led them to one national championship in 2000. Through him, Michigan State also has 35 tourney wins.

Rick Pitino

At number 7 is Rick Pitino. He’s taken Louisville, Kentucky, and Providence to the Final Four and has five Final Four appearances and one national championship under his belt, along with 38 wins in the Big Dance.

Denny Crum

At number 6 is Denny Crum. Although his record today isn’t nearly as known as it once was, he did rack up 43 tourney wins along with six appearances at the Final Four and two national championships when he was at the helm of Louisville.

Roy Williams

At number 5 is Roy Williams. Since he switched to coaching North Carolina in 2003, he has taken the team to three appearances in the Final Four and two national championships; not bad for a job change.

Dean Smith

At number 4 is Dean Smith. Trained in Kansas, he took his magic to North Carolina, where he led his team to 65 tourney wins, 11 appearances in the Final Four, and two national championships over 36 years.

Bobby Knight

At number 3 is Bobby Knight. Regardless of his reputation as a tantrum-prone and sometimes abusive coach, his work at Indiana will go down in memory, as he took the team to the Final Four five times and to the top three times over his 30 year career there.

Mike Krzyzewski

At number 2 is Mike Krzyzewski, whose name is synonymous with Duke. Over the last 30 years there, he’s established the all time record for 77 wins in the Big Dance, along with 11 trips to the Final Four and four trophies at the top.

John Wooden

At the top of the list is John Wooden. Although he has passed away and the game is arguably different today than it was in his time, he did take the Bruins to 10 national titles, which no coach has met since his time. And for that, he easily tops the list.