This list of all-time greatest men’s college basketball coaches consists of eight Hall of Famers with several of them having courts, or even awards, named after them. Although many of the coaches racked up regular-season wins, they all earned their spot on this list
because of their success in March.
10. Rick Pitino
Pitino has bounced around a bit, coaching at Boston University, Providence, Kentucky and Louisville, while also having stints in the NBA with the Knicks and Celtics. But he’s had success at every college stop — being the only men’s coach to lead three different schools to the Final Four (Providence, Kentucky and Louisville). The Wildcats won the NCAA title under Pitino in 1996.
9. Tom Izzo
The longest tenured coach in the Big Ten has the least amount of wins on this list, but Izzo has had a lot of success since becoming the Michigan State head coach in 1995. The Spartans have made the NCAA Tournament the last 13 years and has made five Final Four appearances — including winning the title in 2000.
8. Roy Williams
In 15 seasons at Kansas, Williams had a 80.5 winning percentage and made four Final Fours. But a national title eluded Williams until he left the Jayhawks for his alma mater North Carolina in 2003. Since taking the job in Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels have won two NCAA championships. Luckily for Kansas fans, the Jayhawks also won a title since the departure of Williams.
7. Jim Boeheim
Boeheim has been a part of Syracuse basketball since playing guard for the Orangemen in 1962. He took over as head coach in 1976 and since then has climbed to second among active coaches on the wins list. Boeheim has been one of the most consistent coaches — having an NCAA record 32 20-win seasons during his 34 years as head coach. He’s had three title game appearances, in three separate decades, and one national championship in 2003.
6. Jim Calhoun
Calhoun had a successful stint at Northeastern, making the NCAA Tournament five of his last six years. But everyone knows Calhoun for what he did to make UConn a national power. He’s made the Final Four three times with the Huskies, winning the title in 1999 and 2004, and is right behind Boeheim in career wins. Under Calhoun, UConn has also produced a long list of NBA stars.
5. Mike Krzyzewski
The leader in wins among active coaches, Krzyzewski has led the Blue Devils to three national championships and 10 Final Fours. He began his coaching career at Army and came to Duke in 1980. From 1998-2006, the Blue Devils made nine straight Sweet 16 appearances. And on top of all the success with Duke, Coach K led Team USA to a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics.
4. Bob Knight
The General won 902 games, more than any other Division I coach. Although he may be better known for his antics on the court, he won three national championships at Indiana. His coaching career started at Army, coaching Krzyzewski at one point, and Knight coached the USA men’s Olympic team to a gold medal in 1984. The Hoosiers made 15 straight NCAA Tournaments before Knight was relieved of his duties in 2000. He ended his career at Texas Tech.
3. Adolph Rupp
In 41 years of coaching, Rupp won 876 games — third most behind Knight and Dean Smith. He won 82.2 percent of his games to make Kentucky one of the elite college basketball programs. The Wildcats won four NCAA championships — three within a four-year span (1948-51) — and one NIT title under Rupp. He was named national coach of the year four times.
2. Dean Smith
Roy Williams, George Karl and Larry Brown are just a few names on Smith’s robust coaching tree. The former North Carolina coach is second on the all-time wins list, ending his career with 879 victories. Smith won two national titles and appeared in 11 Final Fours during his 36 years in Chapel Hill. He won at least 25 games in 22 seasons and coached 25 first-round NBA draft selections.
1. John Wooden
Wooden coached one of the most dominant sports teams of all-time. UCLA won 10 championships in a 12-year span from 1964-1975. Wooden’s 10 titles are six more than any other men’s basketball coach. Those championship teams only lost 10 games in those 10 seasons and went undefeated four times. The Wizard of Westwood won 664 games in his coaching career, spending two seasons at Indiana State.
