The perfect coaches in men’s college basketball historical past have the identical factor in widespread: quite a few Ultimate 4 appearances.
At current, a few of the greatest coaches within the sport have their respective groups within the Ultimate 4 of the 2025 NCAA Males’s Basketball Event, together with Kelvin Sampson (Houston) and Bruce Pearl (Auburn), accompanied by a pair of potential rising stars within the teaching ranks in Jon Scheyer (Duke) and Todd Golden (Florida). With that in thoughts, which coaches within the historical past of the game have made the ultimate weekend of the match essentially the most?
Listed below are the ten coaches with essentially the most Ultimate 4 appearances in NCAA Males’s Event historical past.
Word: Vacated appearances are usually not included. For instance, Rick Pitino would have seven if vacated appearances have been included.
10 coaches with essentially the most Ultimate 4 appearances in NCAA Males’s Event historical past
T-8. Man Lewis: 5
Lewis is essentially the most profitable coach in Houston historical past, boasting a program-record 592 wins over his 30 years on the helm. That span was headlined by 14 NCAA Event appearances, however, extra particularly, cracking the Ultimate 4 5 instances, together with in back-to-back years (1967 and 1968) after which in three consecutive seasons (1982-84). Within the latter half of the Nineteen Sixties, Houston boasted the likes of Elvin Hayes and Ken Spain, with it then that includes Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler within the early Eighties, amongst different future NBA gamers.
T-8. Bob Knight: 5
Knight took over the Indiana Hoosiers‘ males’s basketball program in 1971, and the remaining is historical past. Profitable a program-record 659 video games over a 29-year stretch, Indiana made the Ultimate 4 5 instances, made the NCAA Event in all however 5 seasons and received three Nationwide Championships. Teaching the likes of Isiah Thomas, Scott Might, Steve Alford and plenty of others, Knight is the lasting picture of Indiana basketball and made the Hoosiers one of many backbones of Big Ten males’s basketball.
T-8. Lute Olson: 5
In every single place Olson went, his staff was successful and within the nationwide title combine. After a 24-2 season at Long Beach State in 1973-74, Olson turned the pinnacle coach at Iowa and, after a bumpy first 4 years, helped the Hawkeyes make the NCAA Event in 5 consecutive seasons and the Ultimate 4 within the 1979-80 season. Olson then went to Arizona, which made the Ultimate 4 underneath him 4 instances over his 24-year reign and received the 1997 Nationwide Championship, the one title in program historical past. That championship staff featured a number of future NBA gamers, together with Mike Bibby and Jason Terry.
T-8. Jim Boeheim: 5
The Syracuse males’s basketball program has 2,109 all-time wins, and head coach Jim Boeheim is liable for 1,116 of these wins, which is much and away this system file. Taking on as head coach for the 1976-77 season, Boeheim sat on the throne at Syracuse for 43 years, with the varsity making the NCAA Event in 31-of-43 seasons, reaching the Ultimate 4 5 instances and successful the 2003 Nationwide Championship. Just lately introduced Corridor of Famer Carmelo Anthony helped prepared the ground for Syracuse in stated yr. After serving as an assistant coach for the Orange underneath Roy Danforth for eight years, Boeheim, who performed 4 seasons at Syracuse, spent his whole head-coaching profession with the Orange.
T-8. Rick Pitino: 5
In simply his second season at Providence (1986-87), Pitino’s Friars reached the Ultimate 4. Then, after a two-year stint teaching the New York Knicks, Pitino went to Kentucky, which reached the Ultimate 4 3 times and received the 1996 Nationwide Championship underneath him. Then, following a four-year stint with the Boston Celtics, Pitino turned the pinnacle coach at Louisville, which reached the Ultimate 4 3 times and received the 2013 Nationwide Championship underneath him. Nonetheless, two of these Ultimate 4 appearances and the 2013 title have been vacated because of an NCAA investigation relating to an alleged intercourse scandal involving the Louisville males’s basketball program with recruits. In all, although, Pitino has coached Donovan Mitchell, Antoine Walker, Terry Rozier, Russ Smith and plenty of different execs.
T-6. Adolph Rupp: 6
While you coach a staff for 41 years, you get a number of issues. In Rupp’s case, Kentucky’s residence enviornment, Rupp Enviornment, is called after him. A head-coaching profession spent fully in Lexington (1930-31 season to the 1971-72 season, minus 1952-53) noticed the Wildcats win 4 nationwide titles, make the Ultimate 4 six instances, make the NCAA Event 20 instances and win 13 SEC Event titles. Rupp completed with a program file 876 wins. Cliff Hagan, Louie Dampier, Frank Ramsey and Pat Riley have been a few of the numerous gamers that Rupp coached.
T-6. Denny Crum: 6
In Crum’s first season at Louisville (1971-72), the Cardinals reached the Ultimate 4, and it was a glimpse of what was to return, as they’d make the Ultimate 4 5 extra instances underneath the pinnacle coach throughout his 30 years within the place. Moreover, Louisville received two nationwide titles over that span, doing so within the 1979-80 season and the 1985-86 season. Darrell Griffith and Derek Smith helped Crum declare the primary title, and Billy Thompson and Pervis Ellison helped him win the second.
5. Tom Izzo: 8
Izzo was an assistant coach at Michigan State for 13 years, obtained the promotion to move coach in 1995 and has by no means regarded again. Simply wrapping up his thirtieth season on the job, Michigan State has made the NCAA Event in all however two full seasons (the 2019-20 season was reduce brief as a result of COVID-19 pandemic), made the Ultimate 4 eight instances and received the 2000 Nationwide Championship underneath Izzo, who boasts a program-record 737 wins and have become first within the Huge Ten in all-time wins. Morris Peterson and Mateen Cleaves led the Spartans to triumph in 2000, with Izzo additionally teaching Jason Richardson, Jaren Jackson Jr., Zach Randolph and Draymond Green, amongst others, over his profession.
4. Roy Williams: 9
Williams had iconic teaching stints at each Kansas (15 seasons) and North Carolina (18 seasons). At Kansas, Williams missed the NCAA Event simply as soon as (his first season), received a mixed 418 video games and made the Ultimate 4 in 4 seasons. Then, at North Carolina, Williams received 485 video games, made the Huge Dance in all however two seasons, reached the Ultimate 4 5 instances and received three Nationwide Championships. Paul Pierce, Kirk Hinrich, Harrison Barnes, Ty Lawson and Cameron Johnson are a few of the gamers whom Williams coached. Williams is second amongst North Carolina coaches in wins and third amongst Kansas coaches.
3. Dean Smith: 11
Name him “The Dean” of North Carolina, as Smith helped UNC declare two Nationwide Championships, make the NCAA Event in 27-of-36 seasons and make the Ultimate 4 11 instances. Moreover, the Tar Heels’ alumni underneath Smith rival any faculty with their respective coach, as Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Bob McAdoo, Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison and Jerry Stackhouse are simply a few of the high-profile gamers to swimsuit up for North Carolina between 1962 and 1998. Smith is first in North Carolina historical past with 879 profession wins.
2. John Wood: 12
John Wood is synonymous with UCLA basketball. Throughout his 27 seasons because the Bruins’ head coach (1948-49 season to the 1974-75 season), they received 80.8% of their video games (program-record 620 wins for a head coach), had double-digit losses in simply 5 seasons, made the NCAA Event 16 instances, reached 12 Ultimate Fours and received an absurd 10 nationwide titles over a 12-season stretch. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Invoice Walton, Gail Goodrich, Jamaal Wilkes and Sidney Wicks are simply a few of the gamers to return out of the Wood period at UCLA.
1. Mike Krzyzewski: 13
Mike Krzyzewski is Duke basketball. Heck, a profile view of the Blue Devils’ mascot is actually a doppelgänger of Krzyzewski. Absolutely, that is only a coincidence, although! The top coach at Duke for 42 seasons (1980-81 season to 2021-22 season), the Blue Devils received a mixed 1,129 video games — Krzyzewski’s 1,202 profession wins (he coached at Army for 5 seasons earlier than taking up at Duke) is essentially the most for a head coach in males’s school basketball historical past — made the NCAA Event 36 instances, reached the Ultimate 4 13 instances and received the Nationwide Championship 5 instances underneath Krzyzewski. The listing of future NBA stars that performed at Duke underneath Krzyzewski is countless, however Grant Hill, Elton Model, Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum and Zion Williamson are amongst these gamers.
Need nice tales delivered proper to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
Faculty Basketball
Get extra from Faculty Basketball Observe your favorites to get details about video games, information and extra
