Top 10 Big Ten basketball coaches in position for 2025-26: Elite coaches compete for top spots

The Big Ten introduced new teams to the conference last season, stocking the college basketball ranks with even more coaching talent. In a group this deep, there are high-level coaches who can regularly get their team into the NCAA Tournament regularly.

Indiana starts a new era by poaching Darian DeVries and handing him to keys to a historic program. Maryland made a head coaching change with Buzz Williams, with Iowa also going a different direction with Ben McCollum.

Ranking the Top 10 coaches in any of the four power conferences is a difficult task, as a multitude of factors determine how the coach is viewed in the moment. There are historical markers throughout a coach’s career which cement them in a certain tier, while recent records and recruiting success play a major factor in remaining on top.

Entering the 2025-26 college basketball season, here is a look at how the Top 10 Big Ten coaches stack up against their peers entering this season.

1. Matt Painter – Purdue

At Purdue, Matt Painter has proven himself as one of the best and most consistent coaches in college basketball. Coming off a big season which proved he could replace top-end players with a combination of options taking on a bigger role, his stock should be as high as ever before.

Painter is one of the best development coaches in college basketball, continuing to operate in an old model which few others coaches can achieve with players working their way slowly from the bench to a star role.

2. Tom Izzo – Michigan State

From a historic perspective, Tom Izzo belongs on top of this list. The Hall of Fame coach has proven time after time in his career that he is among the elite coaches in college basketball history. He also continues putting up big results on the floor, getting his team into position to battle when the NCAA Tournament starts.

After a reluctance to lean on the transfer portal in the new college basketball model, he slowly started implementing the changes in a way he felt more comfortable with than how others use it. That has started to create a happy medium which could extend his run at the top of the sport for years to come.

3. Dusty May – Michigan

Dusty May became coveted by college basketball programs across the country when he turned FAU into an NCAA Tournament contender and developed underrated prospects into potential NBA talents across multiple seasons. He delivered on every level in Year One at Michigan, making a deep run again.

The recent track record for May is at the top of the sport, with plenty upward potential as he shapes the program further into his image with additional time to scout and recruit players. There is a high probability he continues to move up this board in the coming seasons.

4. Brad Underwood – Illinois

Brad Underwood has made a rise through the coaching ranks over the past several seasons, continuing to assert Illinois as a top program which constantly competes at the top of the Big Ten. He has also steadily placed players in the NBA after spending time in his system, a critical part of future recruiting.

As college basketball continues to change, Underwood has adapted from his JuCo days to Stephen F. Austin, Oklahoma State and now Illinois. Hard-nosed basketball always travels, and apparently attracts the attention of top European prospects looking to gain college experience before testing the NBA Draft waters.

5. Mick Cronin – UCLA

Mick Cronin continues to operate as one of college basketball’s most fiery personalities, working to build the UCLA program to the level he wants it on a consistent basis. His track record speaks for itself, with plenty successful runs which he must now turn into a consistent string of seasons.

As the roster-building quickly swings back to where it should be after a hole two seasons ago, there is no reason to believe they should slide anywhere in the Big Ten. However, with big investment from rival programs comes a challenge of holding on.

6. Darian DeVries – Indiana

Darian DeVries has been one of the top coaches in college basketball for a number of seasons now, working his way from the mid-major level to the Big 12 and now into the Big Ten to take over Indiana. The opportunity to recruit for a historic program which is hungry for success left him with plenty reasons to make a quick move and start building again.

Again bringing his son from one stop to the next, the early days of Indiana’s roster build got off to a slow start. However, he finishes with a rotation which looks ready to contend in the Big Ten and will hope to break through into the NCAA Tournament in Year One.

7. Greg Gard – Wisconsin

Greg Gard is a model of consistency in his ability to bring in Big Ten quality players and put together a roster ready to march through the conference on the way to an NCAA Tournament appearance. The two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year has missed the NCAA Tournament just twice in his career, picking up where Bo Ryan left off when he handed over the keys to the program.

Wisconsin is not the most glamourous program in the country, or even in the Big Ten, but the ability to develop players and find hidden gems in the transfer portal has allowed them to compete. Greg Gard continues to ride the success and looks to build on it.

8. Buzz Williams – Maryland

Buzz Williams makes what has come to be an expected move from one school to the next after a successful run, taking on the new challenge of building the Maryland program after a public back-and-forth between a coach and AD who are both gone. With a clean slate, he again looks to build his type of program in a new location.

The success at each stop speaks for itself, with Williams constantly turning his team into a perineal NCAA Tournament contender. The hard-nosed style allows him to coach hard and build a team with the best in college basketball each season.

9. Ben McCollum – Iowa

Ben McCollum continues to prove the doubters wrong, coming from the Division II ranks into Division I, and now to the high-major level quickly. Along the way, he has shown loyalty to his players and his system by bringing them along for the ride.

After building one of the best mid-major rosters last season, McCollum again brings a core of players with him in a slow, unique offense which has given opponents trouble repeatedly. The ability to lean into a specialized path fits well at Iowa moving forward.

10. Eric Musselman – USC

After a bizarrely turbulent season at Arkansas, Eric Musselman made a move back to the West Coast to coach USC in the Big Ten. He had ups and downs while missing the NCAA Tournament again, leaving questions about how quickly he can flip the program into a successful model.

Bringing in a top-rated freshman along with a talented transfer class again provides Musselman with the opportunity to rebuild his stock in the college basketball world with a return to postseason success. As he continues to flip rosters year-over-year, projecting the trajectory is one of the most difficult tasks.

Big Ten coaches looking to break into Top 10

Niko Medved – Minnesota
Fred Hoiberg – Nebraska
Chris Collins – Northwestern
Jake Diebler – Ohio State
Dana Altman – Oregon
Mike Rhoades – Penn State
Steve Pickiell – Rutgers
Danny Sprinkle – Washington

Listed alphabetically by school.

With a stacked list of coaches still looking to push their way into the top tier, the margins are very thin. Even entering the season, this list could see multiple big shifts change the way each coach is viewed against their competition.