The College basketball tournament is going on now. So, it is good to rank the top college basketball coaches. Although a coach does not have to have his team in the 2025 NCAA Basketball Tournament, it certainly helps. This list is the opposite of the coaching hot seat, but some coaches are on the hot seat. However, the nearing conclusion of the college basketball season means we must appreciate the best coaching performances of the 2024-2025 season. Who are the top 5 coaches in college basketball?
Ranking the Top 5 College Basketball Coaches
1. Bruce Pearl, Auburn Tigers
Auburn has a double-digit amount of Quad 1 wins and was the number one overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Auburn is the third team Pearl has taken to the tournament. The Tigers have been dominant against a very tough Southeastern Conference. Pearl’s players love him. Regarding metrics and margin of victory, Auburn stacks up well on a historic scale.
2. Todd Golden, Florida Gators
Florida was a pretty good team last season. Still, the days of Billy Donovan-level excellence seemed to be a distant memory and a near-unattainable goal for a program that has been adrift since Donovan left a decade ago to pursue his NBA coaching dream. Todd Golden has the Florida Gators as a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament, which they could win. Todd Golden has brought the program back and has done it in a year when the Southeastern Conference has rarely been tougher. Todd Golden has to be on every shortlist for coach of the year. His players love him.
3. Rick Pitino, St. John’s Red Storm
Tournament loss to Arkansas notwithstanding, this was a great season for the St. John’s Redmen. They accomplished many things that the program had not accomplished in thirty years. St. John’s won the Big East championship outright, no sharing. They also won the Big East Tournament. Pitino has done this in only two years. He has been a Godsend for the Johnnies and their fans. He is gifted and continues to elevate his reputation as one of the best coaches of all time, and he is thriving in the Name, Image, and Likeness era.
4. Greg Gard, Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin is always a tough basketball team that has excellent coaching. Greg Gard has led a reinvention of the Wisconsin Badgers. This team creates lots of offense and plays great defense. As the mark of a good team, the Badgers shoot free throws well. The Badgers are no longer boring. This is new, modern, free-flowing Wisconsin. Greg Gard is a top college basketball coach.
5. Ben McCollum, Drake Bulldogs
Ben McCollum is simply a winner. He coached at Division II Northwest Missouri State before being hired by Drake last year and is now headed to NC State. McCollumn won his conference championship at NW Missouri for 11 straight years, from 2014 through 2024. He came to Drake and has immediately thrived at the Division I level. Drake was the darling of this year’s NCAA Tournament. McCollum had them as a tough out, and he is one of the best coaches in the country.
Honorable Mentions
There are a lot of good college basketball coaches around the country. It was difficult to develop a top-five list with five honorable mention candidates. The granddaddy of college basketball coaching, Tom Izzo of Michigan State University, is featured in this honorable mention list. He’s considered one of the greatest and has one of the strongest teams this season. It would be a great story if he wins a 27th tournament with his current team. The list includes but is not limited to Eric Olen (UC San Diego Tritons), Pat Kelsey( Louisville Cardinals), Mark Byington (Vanderbilt Commodores), and Tom Izzo (Michigan State Spartans).
Conclusion
Get ready for some big action, with some of these coaches as the NCAA Tournament winds down It will be interesting to see if some coaches can improve their stock. The coaching carousel will begin in just a few short weeks when the college basketball season ends. Who will improve, and who will flop?
