March Madness 2010: The 10 Best Active NCAA Tournament Coaches

When you think of college basketball coaches, a few names likely come to mind. Bob Knight, Dean Smith, or Adolph Rupp, perhaps?

The 10 coaches you’re about to see aren’t too far off from that legendary status. Eight of them have won an NCAA Tournament, and all 10 of them have qualified for at least one Final Four.

Four of them have already been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Some of these guys have spent 25-plus years in the college basketball coaching fraternity—and one of them has spent the past 34 years with the same team.

There’s one thing that all these coaches have in common: Every coach on this list has a high Performance Against Seeding Expectations(positive PASE value), and you rarely want your team matching up with one of these 10 coaches in the NCAA Tournament.

With that said, let’s take a look at the 10 best NCAA Tournament coaches, presented in no specific order.

Billy Donovan, Florida

In 1996, the University of Florida hired a young coach named Billy Donovan to resurrect their slumping program.

Three NCAA championship games, two NCAA titles, and three regular season and SEC Tournament championships later...well, mission accomplished, to say the least.

While most will remember Donovan for his recent Gators teams, here's something that may catch you by surprise: 2006 wasn't Donovan's first title game appearance with Florida.

Donovan brought the Gators to the NCAA title game back in 2000, but Tom Izzo's Michigan State team ended up triumphant.

Donovan remained undeterred, and he eventually carved his way into the NCAA Tournament history books with back-to-back championships in 2006 and 2007, led by his "Fab Four" Class of 2008 (Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer, and Taurean Green).

His Gators started off 17-0 in 2006, won the SEC Tournament Championship, and dominated five of their six NCAA Tournament games on their way to the NCAA title.

In this era of college basketball, it's rare to have your kids return to school if they're projected NBA lottery picks. Donovan struck gold with his kids, as all four of them decided to return for a shot at back-to-back titles.

The Gators had a gigantic bullseye on them for all of 2007; instead of letting the pressure crush them, they completed the trifecta of an SEC regular season championship, an SEC Tournament title, and another run to the NCAA championship.

Donovan's 22-7 overall NCAA Tournament record gives him one of the best NCAA Tournament win percentages (.759) out of any active coach.

With two NCAA championships and three Final Four appearances in the past 15 years, he's worked his way up to have the fourth-highest PASE (0.702) out of any active Division 1 coach.

Mike Krzyzewski, Duke

To have a list of the Top 10 NCAA coaches and to not include Coach K would be like leaving out the Yankees on a list of the best MLB franchises. (For non-baseball fans, it’d also be similar to leaving Snooki and The Situation off a list of “Best Jersey Shore Characters.”)

Coach K has more NCAA championships (three), Final Four appearances (10), NCAA Tournament wins (71), and tourney win percentage (0.772) than any active coach in Division 1 basketball.

The Blue Devils haven’t missed the NCAA Tournament since 1996, and they’ve appeared in the past 24 of 25 March Madnesses.

His success hasn’t been limited to just the NCAA Tournament: Coach K has guided Duke to 11 ACC Tournament championships and 12 regular season ACC championships in his 30 years of being coach of the Blue Devils.

He's already been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (back in 2001), and he’s turned Duke into one of the perennial college basketball powerhouses of the past quarter-century.

The strange thing is… despite such accolades, Coach K surprisingly doesn’t rank in the Top 10 PASEs (0.381) out of active Division 1 coaches.

One theory behind that discrepancy: Because K’s teams enter March Madness with an average 2.3 seed, it’s nearly impossible for Duke teams to surpass their expected Big Dance win total every year. (A 2-seed has averaged 2.43 wins per tournament since 1985.)

Long story short, Coach K is the most accomplished coach on this list, and there’s no argument. (That doesn’t mean he’s been the best NCAA Tournament coach recently, as you’ll see later.)

Roy Williams, UNC

Roy Williams has the distinction of being second all-time in coaching wins at two different NCAA powerhouse schools: Kansas (behind Phog Allen) and North Carolina (behind Dean Smith).

His teams have also won two NCAA Tournament championships in the past five years (2005 and 2009), and appeared in seven Final Fours overall.

In his 14 years at Kansas, his Jayhawks appeared in (and lost) two national championship games, and only two of his 14 teams earned lower than a 4-seed in the Big Dance.

Williams carried over his success to UNC when he left Kansas in 2003, as he’s appeared in 20 straight NCAA Tournaments. (When UNC doesn’t go dancing this year, there’s a good chance that hell might freeze over.)

But one of Williams’ most incredible accomplishments is the fact that a Roy Williams-coached team has never lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Think about that for a second: 20 straight NCAA appearances, zero first-round KO’s.

In 2001 Roy was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007, joining former ACC coach Mike Krzyzewski (inducted in 2001).

His 55-18 NCAA Tournament record puts him second in tourney victories (behind only Coach K), and his Big Dance winning percentage (.758) ranks fourth for active NCAA coaches.

Williams was lovingly known as “the best coach to have never won an NCAA Tournament” before 2005. After these past five years, he’s simply known as one of the best NCAA Tournament coaches and college basketball coaches in history.

Jay Wright, Villanova

Undoubtedly, Jay Wright is the least accomplished coach on this list, with only seven total NCAA Tournament appearances. Still, Wright has put the NCAA Tournament on notice like few others could with his Villanova squads from the past few years.

In the past five years, Wright's Wildcats have made four Sweet 16s, two Elite 8s, one Final Four (2009), and they were a No.1 seed in the 2006 NCAA Tournament.

Few coaches can boast about that type of success at any point in their career; for Wright to accomplish such a feat in the "one-and-done" era that's existed since the NBA banned high school players from immediately entering the draft is nothing short of remarkable.

Wright's successes were a result of strong recruiting classes, a gritty, foul-heavy style of play, and some unorthodox lineups, including a four-guard starting lineup in 2006.

For now, Wright's "one shining moment" in the NCAA Tournament came just last year, when Scottie Reynolds slashed right through Pittsburgh defenders in the waning seconds of their tied Elite 8 game, giving the Wildcats a two-point win at the buzzer.

A great coach makes sure his best player has the ball in the final seconds of a close game; Wright couldn't have drawn up that final play any better than his players executed it.

His PASE of .436 ranks in the Top 15 of all active D-I coaches. When I say that Wright's the least accomplished coach on this list, that's not for lack of effort.

Given 10-15 more years at Villanova, and it wouldn't be a surprise at all to hear Wright's name discussed along the likes of Roy Williams, Coach K, and Billy Donovan.

Bill Self, Kansas

Much like many of the other coaches on this list, Bill Self’s NCAA Tournament successes have spread out over many years and over several teams.

Self’s teams have appeared in five Elite 8s overall, and Self’s Kansas Jayhawks took down the NCAA championship in 2008 after (Super) Mario Chalmers knocked down a buzzer-beating three-pointer against Memphis that sent the championship game into overtime.

Self got his NCAA Tournament career started with Tulsa back in the late 1990s, and Self propelled the Golden Hurricanes to their first Elite 8 in school history in 2000.

He jumped to the head coaching job at Illinois from 2001-2003, and he must have carried Tulsa’s momentum to the Illini.

Illinois made the Elite 8 in 2001 (giving Self back-to-back Elite 8s), the Sweet 16 in 2002, and the Round of 32 in 2003. (They also won two Big 10 regular season championships and a Big 10 Tournament title in Self’s three years as coach.)

Self left for Kansas after 2003 once Roy Williams jumped from Kansas to North Carolina, and he kept on rolling as a coach. The Jayhawks qualified for the Elite 8 in his first season as coach (2004) and made it back to the Elite 8 in 2007.

Finally, in his fifth try at the Elite 8 in 2008, a Self-led squad broke through and managed to win the game, going on to win the whole shebang.

Up until two years ago, Self was “the guy who couldn’t get over the Elite 8 hump.” Now, Self’s one of the most feared tournament coaches going forward, and true to form, his Jayhawks are one of the favorites to win the NCAA Tournament this year.

Rick Pitino, Louisville

Rick Pitino is the only men’s coach in NCAA history to have led three different teams (Providence, Kentucky, and Louisville) to the Final Four. That alone makes him a lock for this list.

Pitino broke onto the NCAA Tournament scene in 1987, announcing his arrival by bringing his Providence Friars to the Final Four. (Guess who led his Friars that year? Point guard Billy Donovan, who would later become an assistant coach under Pitino at Kentucky.)

Pitino jumped to coaching in the NBA (Knicks) for two seasons, before returning to the collegiate level in 1989 to take over the head coaching job at Kentucky.

He rewarded Kentucky by qualifying for six straight NCAA Tournaments between 1992-1997; in that span, his Wildcats (who were never lower than a 3-seed) made five Elite 8s, three Final Fours, two national championship games, and won it all in 1996.

After another ill-advised stint in the NBA (with the Celtics) between 1997 and 2001, Pitino returned to college once more, this time with Kentucky’s cross-state rival, Louisville.

Since hopping to the Cardinals, his teams have qualified for six of the eight NCAA Tournaments, including three Elite 8 appearances and one Final Four.

Pitino’s 38-12 all-time NCAA Tournament record gives him a .760 win percentage, which only trails Coach K’s .772. His PASE is also through the roof (.662), which is sixth-best for active coaches.

Five Final Fours and one national championship make Pitino an absolute lock for this list.

Jim Calhoun, UConn

One of only four active Division I coaches with 800-plus regular season wins, Jim Calhoun has carved his way into college basketball history with his incredible regular season and NCAA Tournament successes.

Before arriving at UConn in 1986, Calhoun coached Northeastern to five NCAA Tournament appearances in his final six seasons. (Ironically, Northeastern’s mascot, like UConn’s, also happened to be a Husky.)

But Calhoun won’t be remembered for his time at Northeastern; he’s famous for what he’s accomplished since becoming the coach at UConn.

With UConn, he’s been to 12 Sweet 16s, eight Elite 8s, three Final Fours, and won two national championships (1999, 2004) in 23 years as head coach.

Calhoun’s teams have appeared in 18 of the total 24 NCAA Tournaments since the tourney field was re-aligned to include 64 teams in 1985.

His UConn teams have also managed to win nine Big East regular season championships and six Big East Tournament titles during Calhoun’s tenure; like the rest of the guys on this list, Calhoun’s accomplished far more with his teams than unforgettable NCAA Tournament runs.

Calhoun has a 42-16 all-time NCAA Tournament record, giving him a tourney win percentage of .724 (good for sixth out of active coaches). Much like Coach K, Calhoun’s PASE of 0.278 seems surprisingly low—that is, until you consider that his teams have entered the Big Dance with an average 4.3 seed.

It’s tough to exceed expectations when so much is expected of your team every year. (A four-seed averages 1.52 victories per tournament.)

Calhoun was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005.

Jim Boeheim, Syracuse

Out of all the coaches on this list, Jim Boeheim can boast about having the longest tenure at a single school out of anyone. But that’s not all he can puff his chest out about.

Boeheim, who’s coached Syracuse for the past 34 seasons, has brought the Orange to 25 NCAA Tournaments in that time. His Orange have appeared in three national championship games (1987, 1996, 2003), winning it all in 2003 with freshman phenom Carmelo Anthony.

In their 25 tournament appearances under Boeheim, the Orange have advanced to 13 Sweet 16s and four Elite 8s, along with their three title games.

Under Boeheim, ‘Cuse has also won eight Big East regular season championships and five Big East Tournament championships. Boeheim’s compiled 827 regular season wins to date, which ranks second among all active coaches (behind Coach K).

He’s got a post-1985 NCAA Tournament record of 37-19, which is good for a .661 all-time tourney win percentage. (Only 11 active coaches can boast a better Big Dance win percentage.)

His PASE (.263) suffers the same fate of Calhoun’s and Krzyzewski’s: It’s difficult to surpass expectations when the bar’s already set so high. (Boeheim’s teams enter the NCAA Tournament with an average 4.2 seed.)

Boeheim was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005, and served as the 2007-08 president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Long story short, Boeheim’s one of the most revered coaches in the NCAAs, and he’s rightfully earned a reputation as such, given his incredible regular season and postseason successes over the years.

Ben Howland, UCLA

While Rick Pitino’s the only coach to ever take three different programs to the Final Four, Howland’s one of the rare coaches to ever bring three different programs to the NCAA Tournament.

Howland started with Northern Arizona in the Big Sky Conference back in the mid-to-late 1990s. He led Northern Arizona to the Big Sky Tournament championship in 1998, which gave them their first berth in the NCAA Tournament in school history.

He jumped to Pittsburgh after the 1998-99 season, where he turned the Panthers into a national contender in four quick seasons.

After not qualifying for the postseason in his first season at Pitt, Howland led the Panthers to back-to-back Big East regular season championships and Sweet 16 appearances in 2002 and 2003.

After UCLA dismissed Steve Lavin following the 2003 season, Howland couldn’t turn down the temptation of the West Coast.

After missing the postseason in his first season with the Bruins, and a first-round KO in his second season, Howland started one of the most dominant three-year tourney runs in recent memory.

Led by future NBA players like Jordan Farmar, Aaron Afflalo, Russell Westbrook, and Kevin Love, Howland’s UCLA teams ran off three straight Final Four appearances, including a national championship appearance in 2006.

The Bruins are in the midst of a down year, after a large number of UCLA players defected early to the NBA, but don’t expect Howland to be down and out for long.

With his aggressive, slow-down, man-to-man defense, Howland’s UCLA Bruins should be making NCAA Tournament noise for years to come.

Tom Izzo, Michigan State

In my humble opinion, this guy is the best active NCAA Tournament coach. Coach K may trump Izzo in the NCAA Tourney W's column, but Izzo's resume contains one of the most impressive NCAA Tournament accomplishments of any active coach.

If you've been a four-year player for Tom Izzo at Michigan State, you have played in (at least) one Final Four. No other active Division 1 coach can claim the same.

Izzo took the Michigan State job in 1995, and after qualifying for the NIT in his first two seasons as head coach, the Spartans haven't missed an NCAA Tournament since.

The highlight of Izzo's coaching career came between 1999-2001, where he guided the Spartans to three straight Final Fours. In 2000, Izzo's Spartans took home the national championship after beating Billy Donovan's Florida squad.

Don't think his only successes came in the NCAA Tournament—Izzo took down four straight regular season Big Ten championships from 1998-2001, and his Spartans won back-to-back Big Ten Tournament titles in 1999 and 2000.

Anyone can strike gold with one set of players, but Izzo's ability to reload and make two more appearances in the Final Four in the 2000s (2005 and 2009) is damn near unprecedented.

Schools like UNC, UConn, and Duke get most of the media love, but the Spartans (were the team of last decade), and that all starts with the head coach.

Izzo has the unparalleled ability to build a successful program and continually reload with players that can raise hell come March Madness.

Izzo's dominance of the sport is reminiscent of John Wooden's UCLA squads, John Thompson's Georgetown teams from the early 80s, or Coach K's early-90s Duke teams.

With a 31-11 overall NCAA Tournament record, Izzo has the highest PASE of any active Division 1 coach, at 0.864. With five Final Fours and a national championship under his belt in the past 11 years, Izzo rightfully deserves that honor.