NCAA Tournament 2011: Top 10 Coaches Who May Never Get Back to the Final Four

Getting to the Final Four is one of the legitimate distinctions of success for NCAA Division I men's basketball coaches.

Coaches like Mike Krzyzewski make it look routine, as he has been there 11 times (tops among active coaches, second only to John Wooden's 12 Final Four appearances).

Even Butler's Brad Stevens, by making it twice (2010, 2011), already creates an expectation for himself and for others: "If that young whipper-snapper can get his mid-major team there twice, why in the heck can't our high-dollar coach get 'er done just once?" (Fake accent optional.)

The top-10 list of coaches, based on their number of Final Four appearances, is as follows:

John Wooden: 12

Mike Krzyzewski: 11

Dean Smith: 11

Roy Williams: Seven

Tom Izzo: Six

Denny Crum: Six

Adolph Rupp: Six

Bob Knight: Five

Guy Lewis: Five

Lute Olson: Five

Rick Pitino: Five

Okay...this is actually 11 coaches. I had to get in all of those who are tied with five appearances. That's quite a list, isn't it?

There's another list relating to Final Four appearances. This one is a list of the top 10 coaches who have been to the Final Four one time, but we're not sure when, or if, they will make it back again.

This is a collection of high-quality, big-time coaches who, surprisingly, just haven't been able to return to those most treasured games of the college basketball calendar.

And they are all out of this year's tournament.

Maybe next year...

10. Tom Crean: Indiana

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BLOOMINGTON, IN - DECEMBER 27: Tom Crean the Head Coach of the Indiana Hoosiers gives instructions to his team during the Big Ten Conference game against the Penn State Nittany Lions on December 27, 2010 at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo

Tom Crean, current Head Coach at Indiana University

Coaching Record

Overall (1999-Present): 218-162

Marquette (1999-2008): 190-96

Indiana (2008-2011): 28-66

Final Four

Marquette (2002-2003: 27-6)

The Golden Eagles were a No. 3 seed. They beat Holy Cross, Missouri, Pitt and Kentucky to get to the Final Four, where they lost to Kansas in the semifinals.

Outlook

Crean has had three challenging years at Indiana, with this last year being the best of the three. The Hoosiers finished the 2010-11 season with a 12-20 record (3-15 in the Big Ten).

Not sure how much patience the Hoosier Hopefuls still have for the rebuilding process.

They're used to winning lots of games in Bloomington, and it just hasn't been happening much for some time now.

9. Rick Majerus: St. Louis

Coaching Record

Overall (1983-Present): 490-206

Marquette (1983-1986): 56-35

Ball State (1987-1989): 43-17

Utah (1989-2004): 323-95

Saint Louis (2007-2011): 69-61

Final Four

Utah (1997-1998: 30-4)

The Utes (No. 3 seed) beat San Francisco, Arkansas, West Virginia and Arizona to get to the Final Four. In the semifinals, the Utes beat No. 1 seed North Carolina before losing to Kentucky in the championship.

Outlook

Majerus has not been able to establish the SLU program in his first four years as the Billikens' head coach. This past season was their worst year (12-19) since Majerus' arrival.

8. Lon Kruger: UNLV

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TULSA, OK - MARCH 18: Head coach Lon Kruger of the UNLV Rebels looks on from the sidelines during the second round game against the Illinois Fighting Illini in the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at BOK Center on March 18, 2011 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Coaching Record

Overall (1982-Present): 479-304

Pan American (1982-1986): 52-59

Kansas State (1986-1990): 81-46

Florida (1990-1996): 104-80

Illinois (1996-2000): 81-48

UNLV (2004-2011): 161-71

Final Four

Florida (1993-1994: 29-8)

The Gators (No. 3 seed) beat James Madison, Penn, UConn and Boston College to get to the Final Four. 

In the semifinals, the Gators lost to No. 2 seed Duke, 70-65.

Outlook

Kruger's teams have averaged 25 wins per season over the last five years, but have not made it out of the first round the NCAA tournament for the last three years.

While UNLV will most likely continue to be competitive in the Mountain West Conference, the question still remains: Will Kruger be able to put together a squad there that can make a deep run in the tournament?

7. Mike Montgomery: California

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LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 10: Head coach Mike Montgomery of the California Golden Bears reacts in the first half while taking on the USC Trojans in the quarterfinals of the 2011 Pacific Life Pac-10 Men's Basketball Tournament at Staples Center on March 10,

Mike Montgomery, current Head Coach at University of California

Coaching Record

Overall (1978-Present): 611-281

Montana (1978-1986): 151-80

Stanford (1986-2004): 393-167

Cal (2008-2004): 64-37

Final Four

Stanford (1997-1998: 30-5)

The Cardinal (No. 3 seed) beat College of Charleston, Western Michigan, Purdue and Rhode Island to get to the Final Four. 

In the semifinals, the Cardinal lost to No. 2 seed Kentucky, 86-85. 

Outlook

Cal does not have a longstanding history of basketball success.

In Montgomery's second season, the Bears won their first conference title in 50 years.

You would think it would be easier to build a quality program at a large, state university in the Pac-10 than at an academically-challenging school like Stanford.

For some reason, I doubt that Montgomery is going to be able to elevate the program to being a major force any time soon.  

6. John Thompson III: Georgetown

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WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 5: Head coach John Thompson III of the Georgetown Hoyas reacts to call during a college basketball game against the Providence Friars on February 5, 2011 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. The Hoyas won 83-81. (Photo by

John Thompson III, current Head Coach at Georgetown University

Coaching Record

Overall (2000-Present): 228-113

Princeton (2000-2004): 68-42

Georgetown (2004-2011): 160-71

Final Four

Georgetown (2006-2007: 30-7)

The Hoyas (No. 2 seed) beat Belmont, Boston College, Vanderbilt and North Carolina to get to the Final Four. 

In the semifinals, the Hoyas lost to No. 1 seed Ohio State, 67-60. 

Outlook

JT3 continues to put a good team on the court at Georgetown.

With the mammoth expansion of the Big East, it is even hard to make it through the conference schedule, let alone moving on to the national scene.

5. Bruce Weber: Illinois

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TULSA, OK - MARCH 20: Head coach Bruce Weber of the Illinois Fighting Illini yells from the sidelines during the third round game against the Kansas Jayhawks in the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at BOK Center on March 20, 2011 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Bruce Weber, current Head Coach at the University of Illinois

Coaching Record

Overall (1998-Present): 296-140

Southern Illinois (1998-2003): 103-54

Illinois (2003-2011): 193-86

Final Four

Illinois (2004-05: 37-2)

The Fighting Illini (No. 1 seed) beat Fairleigh Dickinson, Nevada, UW-Milwaukee and Arizona to get to the Final Four. 

In the semifinals, Illinois throttled No. 4 seed Louisville, 72-57 before losing to North Carolina, 75-70 in the finals. 

Outlook

Weber's Illinois teams continue to move up and down the Big Ten ladder, placing from second to ninth in the last five years.

In those five years, the Fighting Illini have only made it to the second round in the NCAA tournament (2011).

Doesn't seem like they can get back over the hump.

4. Jay Wright: Villanova

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NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 08: Head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats gestures from the bench against the South Florida Bulls during the first round of the 2011 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament presented by American Eagle Outfitters at Madison Squ

Coaching Record

Overall (1994-Present): 346-195

Hofstra (1994-2001): 122-85

Villanova (2001-2011): 224-110

Final Four

Villanova (2008-2009: 30-8)

The Wildcats (No. 3 seed) beat American, UCLA, Duke and Pitt to get to the Final Four. 

In the semifinals, Villanova lost to No. 1 seed North Carolina, 83-69.  

Outlook

Wright has won an average of 22 games per season while at Villanova.

It is difficult to escape from the middle of the Big East pack and to consistently elevate the program to the upper levels of college hoops.

3. Rick Barnes: Texas

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KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 12: Head coach Rick Barnes of the Texas Longhorns looks on against the Kansas Jayhawks during the 2011 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament championship game at Sprint Center on March 12, 2011 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Coaching Record

Overall (1987-Present): 524-257

George Mason (1988-1994): 108-76

Clemson (1994-1998): 74-48

Texas (1998-Present): 322-123

Final Four

Texas (2002-2003: 26-7)

The No. 1 seed Longhorns defeated UNC-Asheville, Purdue, UConn and Michigan State en route to the Final Four.

In the semifinals, Texas faced No. 3 seed Syracuse. Even though the Orangemen built a comfortable lead in the second half, the Longhorns cut the margin to four with 1:08 remaining in regulation.

Because of clutch free-throw shooting, Syracuse iced the game, beating Texas, 95-84.

Outlook

Year in and year out, Barnes brings in some of the best recruiting classes in the nation. His Longhorn teams have averaged 25 wins per season, been to the Sweet Sixteen twice and the Elite Eight twice.

But Barnes' teams are developing a reputation for fast starts and fast fades.

In 2008-09, Texas began 15-4 and then finished 8-8. 

In 2009-10, UT opened 17-0 and then finished 7-10.

This year, the Longhorns started 23-3, only to close out 5-5.

In Barnes' 2002-03 Final Four season, the Longhorns finished out 12-4.

If Barnes is going to get the Longhorns back to the Final Four, he will absolutely need to break this pattern of late-season decline.

2. Thad Matta: Ohio State

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CLEVELAND, OH - MARCH 20: Head coach Thad Matta of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts on the bench during the game against the George Mason Patriots during the third of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Quicken Loans Arena on March 20, 2011 in Clev

Coaching Record

Overall (1983-Present): 292-88

Butler (2000-2001): 24-8

Xavier (2001-2004): 78-23

Ohio State (2004-2011): 190-57

Final Four

Ohio State (2006-07: 35-4)

The Buckeyes (No. 1 seed) beat Central Connecticut State, Xavier, Tennessee and Memphis to get to the Final Four. 

In the semifinals, Ohio State beat No. 1 seed Georgetown, 67-60 before losing to Florida in the finals, 84-75. 

Outlook

Every single one of Matta's teams, at all three schools where he has coached for the last 11 years, have each won at least 20 games in a season. That's success!

His Buckeye teams have averaged 27 wins per season, going 63-11 the last two seasons.

It looked as if Ohio State was a lock to make it to this year's Final Four, but Kentucky had other plans.

With the recruiting that Matta and his staff continue to do, you would think that they could rattle off one trip to the Final Four after another.

But, they still need to get there by winning on the court.

1. Bill Self: Kansas

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SAN ANTONIO, TX - MARCH 27: Head coach Bill Self of the Kansas Jayhawks reacts during the southwest regional final of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament against the Virginia Commonwealth Rams at the Alamodome on March 27, 2011 in San Antonio, Texa

Coaching Record

Overall (1993-Present): 444-151

Oral Roberts (1993-1997): 55-54

Tulsa (1997-2000): 74-27

Illinois (2000-2003): 78-24

Kansas (2003-Present): 237-46

Final Four

Kansas (2007-2008: 37-3)

The Jayhawks (No. 1 seed) beat Portland State, UNLV, Villanova and Davidson to get to the Final Four. 

In the semifinals, Kansas took apart No. 1 seed North Carolina 84-66.

The Jayhawks followed that by beating Memphis 75-68 in overtime to win the championship. 

Outlook

It's hard to argue with Bill Self's overall success.

He is one of three active coaches who have led three different teams to the Elite Eight. Rick Pitino and John Calipari are the others.

Over the last five seasons, Self's KU teams have won 165 games, an average of 33 wins a year. This puts him ahead of Mike Krzyzewski of Duke (164 wins, 32.8 a year from 1998-2002) and Jerry Tarkanian of UNLV (163 wins, 32.6 a year from 1987-1991) for the best five-year record of any men's basketball coach in Division I history.

However, as successful as they have been, Self's Jayhawks have had their share of puzzling tournament defeats.

Virginia Commonwealth took them out this year. Northern Iowa ended their season last year. The Jayhawks made first-round exits in both 2005 (Bucknell) and 2006 (Bradley).

Depending on whether or not any current players enter this year's NBA draft, Kansas could be one of the top teams in college basketball again next year.

And, because of that, you would expect them to make their way through the opening rounds, the Sweet Sixteen and then the Elite Eight.

But, that's what we expected them to do this year...and then there was No. 11 seed VCU!