Top 25 College Basketball Coaches Entering 2025-26 Season Ranked

25. T.J. Otzelberger

Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger has quickly established himself as one of the top defensive masterminds in the sport right now. In each of his four seasons with the Cyclones, their worst finish in KenPom's defensive efficiency ranking was 13th nationally, a testament to his defensive scheming being among the best in the nation, regardless of personnel.

NCAA Tournament appearances in each of his seasons in Ames is an exciting floor, but it's time to raise the roof at Iowa State and reach its first Final Four in a quarter century.

2. Kelvin Sampson

It might ruffle some feathers to rank Kelvin Sampson this high without a national title, but there’s arguably no coach in college basketball with a higher floor right now. Under Sampson, Houston has become a model of consistency and dominance, finishing in the KenPom top ten for four straight seasons.

He’s turned the Cougars into a perennial powerhouse, and with the trajectory he’s on, it feels less like if a championship is coming to Houston, and more like when.

Stay current on all breaking transfers and rumored landing spots on SportsGrid's CBB portal page.

3. Bill Self

It's starting to feel like the transfer portal era, along with some health complications, has caught up with Bill Self and Kansas as we sit in the midway point of the decade. Despite making some serious splashes in the portal over the past few seasons, the Jayhawks have disappointed compared to preseason expectations, failing to reach the second weekend since cutting down the nets in 2022. 

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4. Rick Pitino

Rick Pitino is a certified legend in college basketball, and somehow, he still looks like he’s in his prime. After running the MAAC at Iona and proving his coaching chops never faded, he’s now breathing life into the St. John’s rebuild with the same trademark fire and swagger that’s defined his Hall of Fame career.

He has remained. And if history’s any indication, Pitino’s not done making noise just yet. He has the Red Storm positioned to be a legitimate Final Four contender in 2025-26, with numerous talented transfers lining up to play at his program.

5. Matt Painter

Purdue has become a complete model of consistency under Matt Painter over the better part of the past decade. The Boilermakers have been a four-seed or higher in each of the past eight NCAA Tournaments, the only program to achieve this feat in that span. While Painter is still waiting for that maiden national championship, we know it's only a matter of time as he continues to put the program in positions of success.

Perhaps 2025-26 is another perfect chance to capture immortality, as Purdue should enter the season as the preseason #1 in the AP Poll.

6. Scott Drew

Scott Drew has pulled off one of the most remarkable turnarounds that college basketball has ever seen in his time at Baylor. The Bears' men's basketball program was absolutely nothing when he arrived in 2004, a program that was desperate for someone to stick around and build it into something meaningful. Over two decades later, he has notched two Big 12 regular-season titles, a 21-11 record in the NCAA Tournament, and the program's first-ever national championship.

You can almost always slot Baylor into the top three of the Big 12, regardless of the season, because of the stability that Drew has brought to a once lifeless program.

7. Tom Izzo

Tom Izzo’s championship ceiling may have dipped slightly in recent years, but the lore he has built at Michigan State remains one of the best in college basketball. The Spartans haven’t missed an NCAA Tournament since their debut season in 1997, a streak that shows no signs of ending anytime soon.

With one of the sharpest minds in the sport still calling the shots, Michigan State will continue to matter every March as long as Izzo’s on the bench.

8. Mark Few

We’re not holding the lack of a national title against Mark Few, nor should anyone. He’s one of the elite minds in college basketball and has turned Gonzaga into a national powerhouse, building the program’s identity entirely on hardwood success in a football-first landscape. Since taking over at the turn of the millennium, Few has led the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament every single season, never losing more than four conference games in any year.

If he adds a couple more Final Fours—and finally captures that elusive championship—Few’s legacy will stand among the true titans of the sport.

9. Bruce Pearl

Last season, we predicted that Bruce Pearl was on the verge of a breakout season at Auburn. He did just that, leading the Tigers to the national championship game. He’s already turned Auburn into a perennial SEC contender, and it’s only a matter of time before that dominance extends deeper into March.

The numbers tell the story best: in the 26 seasons preceding Pearl's arrival, Auburn made just three NCAA Tournament appearances. Since taking over in 2014, he’s taken them to five—including the program’s first-ever Final Four.

The foundation is built. Now, Pearl looks poised to finish the job.

10. Nate Oats

Previously a program known strictly for its dominance on the gridiron, Nate Oats has elevated Alabama's basketball program to a similar level of notoriety as its football team. Before Oats's arrival ahead of the 2019-20 season, the Crimson Tide had just one NCAA Tournament win in 13 seasons. They have accrued 11 tournament wins since then, largely thanks to his fast-paced, efficient offensive scheme that has revolutionized college basketball.

11. Todd Golden

Todd Golden comes crashing into this list after bringing a national championship to Florida in just his third season with the program. His development of players, talent acquisition in the portal, and overall offensive scheming all contributed to the Gators cutting down the nets in April.

He has quickly become one of the best young coaches in the country.

12. Dusty May

It's clear that Dusty May and Michigan were meant for each other. It felt like a perfect marriage throughout his opening season, helping lead the program to the Sweet 16 as a quick bounce back after Juwan Howard's firing.

The more he can curate the roster and instill his principles in Ann Arbor, the more the Wolverines will become nationally relevant on a regular basis.

13. Rick Barnes

For how long Rick Barnes has been around college basketball, he really should be higher on this list. He is a consistent presence in the sport and has led both Tennessee and Texas to great heights for over two and a half decades. The thing that has continued to elude him is deep runs in the NCAA Tournament. Since making the Final Four in 2003, he has not been back despite reaching four Elite Eights since, including in each of the past two seasons.

14. Jon Scheyer

If there is a name to watch as a quick climber on this list, it's going to be Jon Scheyer. He has bettered his NCAA Tournament result in three consecutive seasons, most recently culminating in a trip to the Final Four. With the Boozer twins and a few impact transfers incoming for 2025-26, he'll have another crack at a national semifinal with the Blue Devils.

15. Mick Cronin

There was some serious hype surrounding Mick Cronin's move to UCLA in the 2019 offseason, but things just haven't quite clicked since he headed out west. After the Bruins' shockingly went from the First Four to the Final Four in 2021, the program hasn't gotten past the Sweet 16, and there have been some tumultuous moments between Cronin, the players, and the program.

He still deserves to be on this list, but he could be slipping quickly if he can't figure things out in Los Angeles.

16. Brad Underwood

Brad Underwood has done an unbelievable job raising the floor at Illinois since joining the program in 2018. The team has been inside the top 35 on KenPom at the end of every season since 2020, achieving a single-digit seed every year along the way.

His next step is bringing the Fighting Illini to a Final Four, a feat they haven't accomplished since winning it all two decades ago.

17. Tommy Lloyd

Three Sweet 16s in four seasons for Tommy Lloyd since taking over at Arizona is a pretty damn good start to his head coaching career. It's felt like the Wildcats have been a Final Four contender for each and every season he's been at the helm, but it's now time for him to get the program over the hump.

A few more years of just Sweet 16 appearances, and the fans in Tucson could quickly get impatient.

18. Grant McCasland

What a rise to stardom it has been for Grant McCasland since he took over at North Texas in 2017. After turning around that program in a matter of seven seasons, Texas Tech knew that he had what it took to keep the Red Raiders in the national spotlight going forward. He has done just that after getting them to the Elite Eight in just his second season.

The vibes are high in Lubbock as it seems like they have their man of the future pacing the sidelines.

19. Eric Musselman

Eric Musselman and Arkansas were in a real groove earlier this decade, reaching three consecutive second weekends in the NCAA Tournament as well as a pair of Elite Eights. After a disastrous 2023-24 season, Muss darted across the country for the USC job and now looks to build the program back up in the stacked Big Ten.

It may take some time, but his passion and intensity may be enough to help get the program back to its previous heights.

20. Shaka Smart

Shaka Smart's career trajectory felt limitless after improbably taking VCU to the Final Four back in 2011. It has now felt like a fluke more than anything, after a failed stint at Texas and this tenure at Marquette that feels stuck in neutral. Despite an incredibly talented class that largely stuck together throughout the past two seasons, the Golden Eagles couldn't get past the Sweet 16 in the Big Dance, falling short of expectations.

Perhaps the next wave of roster talent will bode better for Smart, or else he could feel his seat getting warmer by the minute in Milwaukee.

21. Brian Dutcher

Patience was a virtue for Brian Dutcher over the past few decades. From 1999 to 2017, Dutcher waited in the wings at San Diego State under Steve Fisher for 18 seasons before the program was eventually handed down to him. The Aztecs have not broken stride one bit under his watchful eye, reaching the national championship game for the first time in the program's history in 2023.

Set to join the new Pac-12 next year, there could be even more new heights achieved by Dutcher & Co. in the future.

22. Mark Pope

Mark Pope is a name that should be rapidly climbing everybody's lists. After being brought in from BYU to replace John Calipari, there were questions about whether Pope was ready for a job as demanding as Kentucky's. The former Wildcat delivered right away, getting the program back into the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019 and immediately winning the hearts of Big Blue Nation.

He'll need to maintain that standard to please perhaps the most demanding fan base in the country, and he has the group to continue doing so in 2025-26.

23. Dana Altman

If this list were made five years ago, Oregon's Dana Altman surely would have cracked into the top 15 and maybe even the top ten. The harsh truth is that the Ducks have lacked a bit of national relevancy over the past few seasons, and it's led to just two NCAA Tournament wins in four years.

Altman has to find that magic he was working with in the 2010s to get Oregon to contend in the Big Ten, or his seat could be getting a little warm in the future. 

24. Sean Miller

Sometimes the best thing you can do is return to your roots. That's exactly what Sean Miller did in the 2022 offseason by heading back to Xavier, his first head coaching job at the Division I level. He brought the program an immediate injection of success, notching three NCAA Tournament wins in as many seasons.

He's now back at a top-tier program with Texas, a place that has been starved of a consistent face on the sidelines since Rick Barnes was at the helm. This could be the start of a long-term relationship if all goes well.

25. T.J. Otzelberger

Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger has quickly established himself as one of the top defensive masterminds in the sport right now. In each of his four seasons with the Cyclones, their worst finish in KenPom's defensive efficiency ranking was 13th nationally, a testament to his defensive scheming being among the best in the nation, regardless of personnel.

NCAA Tournament appearances in each of his seasons in Ames is an exciting floor, but it's time to raise the roof at Iowa State and reach its first Final Four in a quarter century.