The Top Ten Coaches in Men's Division 1 College Basketball

College football season starts in a couple of weeks, which means it is time to start talking about college basketball. This season seems to be unique in that there is a lot of parity throughout the country, with no teams really standing firm at the top. That should make for an exciting season. With that, let’s discuss the top ten coaches in men’s Division 1 college basketball. 

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Top 10 Coaches in College Basketball

*in alphabetical order

Tony Bennett (Virginia)

Resume: 1 NCAA Championship, 1 Final Four, 6 Conference Championships, 2 AP and Naismith Coach of the Year, 6 Conference Coach of the Year. Wisconsin Green Bay’s all-time leading scorer. NCAA career leader in three-point accuracy. Played for the Charlotte Hornets. 

17 years as a head coach, 410 career wins. 72.3 career win percentage, 176-75 (70.1%) in the ACC.

John Calipari (Kentucky)

Resume: 1 NCAA Championship, 6 Final Fours, 16 Regular Season Titles, 3 Naismith and National Association of Basketball Coaches Coach of the Year, 1 AP Coach of the Year, 10 Conference Coach of the Year.

31 years as a head coach, 790 career wins, 75.9 career win percentage, 387-113 (77.4%) at Kentucky.

Mick Cronin (UCLA)

Resume: 1 Final Four, 4 regular season conference titles, 4 conference Coach of the Year.

20 years as a head coach, 462 career wins, 69.2 career win percentage, 99-36 at UCLA (73.3%).

Scott Drew (Baylor)

Resume: 1 NCAA Championship, 1 Final Four, 2 Big 12 Titles, 3 Big 12 Coach of the Year.

21 years as a head coach (20 at Baylor), 422 career wins, 64.5 career win percentage.

Mark Few (Gonzaga)

Resume: 2 Final Fours, 1 AP Coach of the Year, 2 Naismith Coach of the Year, 22 WCC Conference Titles.

Only been a head coach at Gonzaga. 24 years as a head coach, 689 wins, 83.6 career win percentage, 333-34 (90.7%) career WCC record.

Dan Hurley (UConn)

Resume: 1 NCAA Championship, 1 Final Four, 1 regular season conference title, 1 Conference Coach of the Year. Played at Seton Hall and averaged 14.3 points and 5.2 assists as a senior.

13 years as a head coach, 255 career wins, 61.4 career win percentage.

Tom Izzo (Michigan State)

Resume: 1 National Championship, 8 Final Fours, 10 Big 10 Regular Season Titles, 2 National Association of Basketball Coaches Coach of the Year. Basketball Hall of Fame (2016).

He has only been a head coach at Michigan State, where he was an assistant the 12 years prior. 28 years as a head coach, 686 career wins, 71.2 career win percentage, 333-160 (67.5%) in Big Ten.

Rick Pitino (St. John’s)

Resume: 2 National Championships, 7 Final Fours, 8 Conference Titles, 5 Conference Coach of the Year, 1 John Wooden, and National Association of Basketball Coaches Coach of the Year.

35 years as a head coach, 711 career wins. 71 career win percentage.

Kelvin Sampson (Houston)

Resume: 2 Final Fours, 7 Conference Championships, 1 AP and National Association of Basketball Coaches Coach of the Year, 8 Conference Coach of the Year.

34 years as a head coach, 731 career wins, 67.9 career win percentage, 232-74 (75.6%) at Houston.

Bill Self (Kansas)

Resume: 2 National Championships, 4 Final Fours, 17 Big 12 Regular Season Titles, 2 AP Coach of the Year, 6 Big 12 Coach of the Year. Played at Oklahoma State, averaged 7.9 points, 3.9 assists, and shot 47.6% FG as a senior.

30 years as a head coach, 787 career wins, 76.9 career win percentage, 276-68 (80.2%) at Kansas in Big 12 play.