10 college basketball coaches with the best March Madness records ft. Coach K, John Wooden and more
College basketball reveres the architects of March Madness victory.
The coaches who win titles gain just as much notoriety as the players. In fact, as they're not limited to four years, some coaches are even more famous.
The eve of the NCAA Tournament is a great time to rank college basketball icons and profile March Madness wizards. Here's a shot at the 10 best college basketball coaches.
Ten college basketball coaches with the best March Madness records
10. John Calipari
Calipari's 57 NCAA Tournament wins are fifth best all-time. His six Final Four appearances ties for seventh.
Calipari is one of only two coaches to take three different teams to Final Fours. His one NCAA title is the biggest knock on him, but he's the active leader in NCAA Tournament wins.
9. Rick Pitino
Pitino's seven Final Four appearances is sixth all-time. He won NCAA titles in 1996 and 2013, even if the NCAA refuses to acknowledge the latter.
Like Calipari, he took three different programs to Final Four appearances. Pitino has 54 NCAA Tourmanent wins, but some of those are also off the books due to probation. Make no mistake, Pitino can coach.
8. Bill Self
Self is a coach on the rise. He has 55 NCAA Tournament wins, which ties for seventh all-time.
He has reached just four Final Fours but has two NCAA titles. Given his relative youth, Self is the only active coach who seems to have the potential to make a run at Coach K's NCAA Tournament win record.
7. Jim Calhoun
Calhoun sneaks up on people as a great coach. His 49 career Tournament wins is eighth best, and he made a relatively humble four Final Four appearances.
However, in those four Final Fours, he won three NCAA titles. Calhoun's work is even more impressive in light of UConn's lack of pre-Calhoun hoops excellence.
6. Bob Knight
Knight's best claim to greatness is his three NCAA titles, which only six coaches have ever accomplished.
He won 45 NCAA Tournament games and reached a relatively meager five Final Fours. If Knight's career had continued on its progression from the 1970s and 1980s, he'd have even higher on this list.
5. Adolph Rupp
Rupp is difficult to evaluate because he did much of his damage in an era with a very short NCAA Tournament field.
The fact remains that Rupp won four NCAA titles (third most even) and reached six Final Fours makes him one of nine coaches to do so.
Rupp's legacy is complicated by the racial climate of his times and the makeup of his rosters, but he was an excellent coach.
4. Dean Smith
The knock on Dean Smith is that he won just two championships.
He ranks third all-time in NCAA Tournament wins (65) and Final Four appearances (11). Even with two titles, Smith is one of only 16 coaches to win that many, many of whom benefitted from shorter NCAA Tournaments, uneven eras of competition and pre-NBA talent retention. Dean Smith was a legend.
3. Roy Williams
This ranking might seem high, but Williams has earned his keep.
His 77 NCAA Tournament wins are the second-most in history, while his nine Final Fours are fourth best. He's also one of only six coaches to win three NCAA titles, with two of those coaching before the NCAA Tournament reached six rounds.
Williams spent much of his career in Dean Smith or Coach K's shadow, but he was a great.
2. Mike Krzyzewski
Coach K has his share of NCAA Tournament accolades. His 101 career Tournament wins laps the second-place coach by 24 victories.
That's four NCAA titles worth on its own. His 13 Final Four appearances are also an NCAA record, while his five national titles are the second most. Coach K rewrote the college basketball record books.
1.John Wooden
One record even coach K couldn't approach was Wooden's 10 NCAA titles.
Yes, that's double the second place winner and five times the total of any active coach. Wooden reached a dozen Final Fours, which is almost impressive, but not as impressive as closing out 10 of 12 with the title.
Seven NCAA titles in a row is a college basketball record that will likely never be broken.