Top 25 College Basketball Coaches

College basketball coaches have to wear many hats. They recruit, coach, mentor and develop. It’s a hard job that deserves recognition when done well. With that, here are the top 25 college basketball coaches.

Note: First-year coaches will not be included on the list. No matter how promising they look.

Here are last year’s rankings.

25-21

25. Mark Byington, Vanderbilt Commodores

After making the NCAA Tournament with James Madison, Byington took the Vanderbilt job and has made two straight. Breaking through to the Sweet Sixteen is the next step for Byington, but he seems like he could get used to making the tournament most seasons. 

24. Mick Cronin, UCLA Bruins

Last Year’s Rank: 22

UCLA won an NCAA Tournament game last season. They are still trying to recapture what they did from 2021-2023, when they went to a Final Four and two Sweet Sixteens. 

23. Sean Miller, Texas Longhorns

Last Year’s Rank: N/A

The regular season didn’t go to plan for the Longhorns, but they did make the Sweet Sixteen as an 11 seed. Miller has had some ups and downs during his times at Xavier, Arizona and Texas, but there are enough resources for him to have some success in Austin. 

22. Brian Dutcher, San Diego State Aztecs

Last Year’s Rank: 21

Although there were solid expectations for the year, the Aztecs missed the NCAA Tournament last season. Dutcher has 220 wins as a head coach and made the National Championship Game with the Aztecs, but will want to rebound this season. 

21. Jai Lucas, Miami Hurricanes

Last Year’s Rank: N/A

Lucas turned around Miami in just one season, as they went 26-9 in his first season as head coach. They won a tournament game and have now locked Lucas up in a contract as one of the coaches on the rise. 

20-16

20. Eric Musselman, USC Trojans

Last Year’s Rank: 17

Musselman has missed the NCAA Tournament in both of his seasons at USC. He did have some good tournament runs at Arkansas, but has had some bad luck, as star guard Rodney Rice was injured early last season and missed the majority of the season. He has moved down the list and another missed tournament will likely see him off of it completely. 

19. Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska Cornhuskers

Last Year’s Rank: N/A

The Nebraska basketball job is not an easy one, but Hoiberg has now made two out of the last three tournaments. In 2026, he made the Sweet 16, helping the school get its first NCAA Tournament victory along the way. Add that on top of his success at Iowa State earlier in his career and Hoiberg has a solid resume. 

18. Ben McCollum, Iowa Hawkeyes

Last Year’s Rank: N/A

McCollum made the NCAA Tournament with Drake and won a game. He followed that up by leading Iowa to the big dance and the Hawkeyes made the Elite Eight. After having success at the Division II level, McCollum has earned his stripes. 

17. Grant McCasland, Texas Tech Red Raiders

Last Year’s Rank: N/A

McCasland has had three straight NCAA Tournament appearances since taking the Texas Tech job. The Red Raiders looked like a threat to make the Final Four before star forward JT Toppin went down with an injury and missed the rest of the season. Having better health can help the Red Raiders advance further in the tournament, much like they did in 2025. 

16. TJ Otzelberger, Iowa State Cyclones

Last Year’s Rank: 15

Otzelberger’s Iowa State squad had a great regular season and had a no. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Then star forward Joshua Jefferson got injured and didn’t play the rest of the way. They made it to the Sweet 16, but could not go any further. It was a bad break for Iowa State and Otzelberger, who has a 177-124 record at Iowa State and can consistently compete in the Big 12. 

15-11

15. Brad Underwood, Illinois Fighting Illini

Last Year’s Rank: 16

Underwood got to the Final Four last season, the first of his career. He has put out some good teams for Illinois, as he has 193-110 record at the school. His ability to recruit foreign players has worked to his advantage. 

14. Rick Pitino, St. John’s Red Storm

Last Year’s Rank: 13

Pitino has turned St. John’s around and led the team to the Sweet 16. This comes after a good regular season in 2024-25, so he clearly has things on the right track. On top of his recent success, he has 915 career wins and two national championships. 

13. Rick Barnes, Tennessee Volunteers

Last Year’s Rank: 12

Barnes can’t seem to break through to the Final Four with Tennessee, but he did make another Elite Eight in 2026. He has 861 career wins and has been putting out good teams every year for Tennessee over the last several. 

12. Tom Izzo, Michigan State Spartans

Last Year’s Rank: 11

Izzo has made every NCAA Tournament since 1998 and is coming off a Sweet Sixteen season. He has a national championship under his belt and still seems to have more in the tank. 

11. Tommy Lloyd, Arizona Wildcats

Last Year’s Rank: 23

Lloyd has been building Arizona for a few seasons and has now reached his first Final Four. He has won 148 games in five seasons at the helm and looks like he could continue rising up this list. 

10-6

10. John Calipari, Arkansas Razorbacks

Last Year’s Rank: 10

Calipari made another Sweet Sixteen in 2026, adding to his impressive Hall of Fame career. He has won 905 career games and keeps on bringing big-name recruits, so he could see more success in the future. 

9. Nate Oats, Alabama Crimson Tide

Last Year’s Rank: 8

Alabama made the Sweet Sixteen last season, which was another solid year for Nate Oats. He has 266 career wins and made the Final Four in 2024. His coaching style leans heavily into analytics, which has kept him ahead of the curve.

8. Matt Painter, Purdue Boilermakers

Last Year’s Rank: 7

Purdue reached the Elite Eight last season, which ended a great era of Purdue basketball. Painter has won 755 games and is fully capable of retooling the roster for the future. 

7. Scott Drew, Baylor Bears

Last Year’s Rank: 5

Drew won a national championship a few seasons ago, but has failed to compete at an elite level. Last season, Baylor missed the tournament despite having some NBA-level talent. Drew is still a great coach with 501 career wins, but could use a bounce-back season.

6. John Scheyer, Duke Blue Devils

Last Year’s Rank: 9

Scheyer continues to put good seasons out, as Duke made the Elite Eight in 2026. That followed a Final Four in 2025. Scheyer has a 124-25 career record. He’ll have to work on closing out games, as that has cost him several victories during his young coaching career. 

5-1

5. Mark Few, Gonzaga Bulldogs

Last Year’s Rank: 4

Gonzaga’s roster last season had issues, but Few still led them to a 3-seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Although they didn’t advance past the second round, Few has a long history of tournament runs. Gonzaga has made every NCAA Tournament since 2000 and Few has 773 career wins. 

4. Todd Golden, Florida Gators

Last Year’s Rank: 6

He won the title in 2025 and then last year Golden led Florida to a No. 1 seed. Although they were upset in the second round, the Gators had a good season. Now, they have a talented roster with plenty of returnees who could help them go on another deep tournament run. 

3. Kelvin Sampson, Houston Cougars

Last Year’s Rank: 3

A title still eludes Sampson, but he has done just about everything else. He has turned around Houston, getting to two Final Fours. Coming off a Sweet Sixteen season, Sampson has 754 career wins under his belt. 

2. Bill Self, Kansas Jayhawks

Last Year’s Rank: 2

With 855 wins under his belt and two national championships, Self has a long list of accomplishments. Last season, Kansas dealt with Darryn Peterson being in and out of the lineup, but still got a no. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks will need Self to be in good health for the season, as they have some good young talent. 

1. Dan Hurley, Connecticut Huskies

Last Year’s Rank: 1

The back-to-back titles two years ago bolster Hurley’s case to be at the top of this list. After a second-round exit in 2025, Hurley made the National Championship Game last season and has a solid roster heading into 2025-2026. 

Also in Consideration

Randy Bennett, Arizona State Sun Devils

Bennett has posted 589 career wins, but now takes on a new challenge at Arizona State. 

Chris Beard, Ole Miss Rebels

Beard has made just one tournament at Ole Miss and falls out of the rankings after the team won 15 games last year. 

Mark Byington, Vanderbilt Commodores

Byington and the Commodores have had two good regular seasons and made two tournaments, but a deeper run can help him break the top 25. 

Jerrod Calhoun, Cincinnati Bearcats

Calhoun had success at Youngstown State and then made two NCAA Tournaments at Utah State. Now, he’ll have the challenge of resurrecting the Cincinnati program, his alma mater. 

Greg Gard, Wisconsin Badgers

Gard has made three straight NCAA Tournaments, but the Badgers were upset in the first round last season. 

Dennis Gates, Missouri Tigers

Gates has made three out of the four NCAA Tournaments at Missouri, but a deeper run can help him gain more respect. 

Pat Kelsey, Louisville Cardinals

Kelsey has made two straight NCAA Tournaments at Louisville and has notched one tournament win, so more postseason success is needed. 

Ryan Odom, Virginia Cavaliers

Whether it is at UMBC, Utah State, VCU or Virginia, Odom has had success. Leading Virginia to a no. 3 seed was an accomplishment to build on. 

Mark Pope, Kentucky Wildcats

Pope drops from the rankings after a second-round exit in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Injuries impacted the team, but he’ll need to find more success this season after reaching a Sweet 16 in his first year with the Wildcats. 

Josh Shertz, Saint Louis Billikens

Schertz made his first NCAA Tournament with the Billikens, but lost to the eventual champions, Michigan. He was a hot commodity on the coaching market, but opted to stay at Saint Louis. 

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