Here is the quick reference of brackets with the links to this and each of the other brackets.
The final bracket to present is based on coaches with the greatest history of March Madness success pulling out the games when teams are fairly evenly matched. I start out sorting each team's coach by the furthest run they have made in the tournament. Here is that breakdown:
National Champs (6) – Baylor ( Scott Drew), Connecticut (Dan Hurley), Kansas (Bill Self), Kentucky
(John Calipari), Michigan St. (Tom Izzo), and Virginia (Tony Bennett).
Runner-up (3): Gonzaga (Mark Few), North Carolina (Hubert
Davis) and San Diego St. (Brian Dutcher).
Final 4 (5): Auburn (Bruce Pearl), Florida Atlantic (Dusty
May), Houston (Kelvin Sampson), Marquette (Shaka Smart) and Oregon (Dana Altman).
Elite 8 (5): Auburn (Bruce Pearl), Florida Atlantic (Dusty
May), Houston (Kelvin Sampson), Marquette (Shaka Smart) and Oregon (Dana Altman).
Sweet 16 (9)
1st Round Win (11)
Have not won an NCAA Game (29)
Then I rank them within their groups - picking John Calipari as No. 1 from the six with national titles because he is the only coach besides Rick Pitino to also take three different schools to the Final 4. In a few cases I leap frog out of a group. For example, Bruce Pearl's longest run was to the Final 4, but he has not only clearly had the best success of the five Final 4 coaches, but not only did he do that with an Auburn team missing its best player, but he has taken Milwaukee and Tennesse teams ranked around 40th to the Sweet 16.
Therefore I rank him 6th overall in March Madness success, ahead of the three who had Runner-up teams and two of the coaches with National Champs.
I rank even the 29 coaches who have yet to win a tournament game, with a number who have taken small schools to near upset.
Here is the final ranking, and when I apply this to each of the teams this year I end up with Calipari winning another title with Kentucky with Baylor's Scott Drew just missing his second title in four years. Despite ranking Pearl slightly ahead of Drew overall, I believe Drew coming off the title just three years ago lets him get the Bears just past Auburn before falling to Kentucky.
And that is our last bracket for your consideration in 2024.
Rnk | Team | Coach | Best | Ranked based on best runs or at least almost winning R1 |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Kentucky | John Calipari | 1 - Champ | KY 2012 title; only he and Pitino have led 3 schools ot Final 4 |
2 | Kansas | Bill Self | 1 - Champ | National titles in 2008 and 2022. |
3 | Michigan St. | Tom Izzo | 1 - Champ | Nat'l title 1979 and last title for any Big Ten team in 2000 |
4 | Connecticut | Dan Hurley | 1 - Champ | Nat'l title 2023 domination, all double digit wins. |
5 | Oregon | Dana Altman | 4 - Final 4 | 2017 Final 4, 2016 Elite 8, three Sweet 16s |
6 | Auburn | Bruce Pearl | 4 - Final 4 | Tough call 2019 Final 4; low ranked teams Sweet 16 (Milwaukee 2005) and Elite 8 (TN 2010 for 3rd Sweet 16. |
7 | Baylor | Scott Drew | 1 - Champ | National title 2021 |
8 | Virginia | Tony Bennett | 1 - Champ | National title 2019. |
9 | Gonzaga | Mark Few | 2 - 2nd | National Runner-up 2017 and 2021. |
10 | San Diego St. | Brian Dutcher | 2 - 2nd | Stunning National Runner-up 2023. |
11 | North Carolina | Hubert Davis | 2 - 2nd | National Runner-up in first season 2022. |
12 | Texas A&M | Buzz Williams | 8 - Elite | Elite 8 Marquette 2013 for 3rd straight Sweet 16, then Sweet 16 Va Tech 2019. |
13 | Houston | Kelvin Sampson | 4 - Final | OK Final Four 2002, Houston 2021. |
14 | Purdue | Matt Painter | 8 - Elite | 2019 Elite 8, Suite 16s 2022, 2018, 2017, 2010, 2019 |
15 | Florida Atlantic | Dusty May | 4 - Final | Stunning Final 4 in 2023 |
16 | Marquette | Shaka Smart | 4 - Final | Stunning VCU Final 4 in 2010 |
17 | Nevada | Steve Alford | 16 - Sweet | Sweet 16s SW MZ St 1999, UCLA 2014, 2015, 2017 |
18 | TCU | Jamie Dixon | 8 - Elite 8 | Pittsburgh 2009, Sweet 16s 2007 and 2004 |
19 | Creighton | Greg McDermott | 8 - Elite 8 | Elite 8 in 2023 |
20 | Tennessee | Rick Barnes | 8 - Elite 8 | Texas 2008 Elite 8 |
21 | Texas | Rodney Terry | 8 - Elite 8 | Texas 2023 Elite 8 |
22 | Long Beach St. | Dan Monson | 8 - Elite 8 | Gonzaga 1999 Elite 8 |
23 | Akron | John Groce | 8 - Elite 8 | Sweet 16 shocking Ohio 2012 |
24 | Illinois | Brad Underwood | 32- win | 2022, 2021, Stephen F Austin 2014, 2016 |
25 | Alabama | Nate Oats | 16 - Sw16 | Sweet 16s in 2021 and 2023 |
26 | Duke | Jon Scheyer | 32- win | 1st year 2023 crushed Oral Roberts |
27 | Wisconsin | Greg Gard | 16 - Sw16 | Sweet 16s first 2 seasons 2016, 2017 |
28 | Iowa St. | T.J. Otzelberger | 16 - Sw16 | Shocking Sweet 16 in 2022 |
29 | Arizona | Tommy Lloyd | 16 - Sw16 | Sweet 16 in 1st season 2022 |
30 | McNeese St. | Will Wade | 16 - Sw16 | Sweet 16 LSU 2019 |
31 | Clemson | Brad Brownell | 16 - Sw16 | Sweet 16 in 2018 |
32 | Nebraska | Fred Hoiberg | 16 - Sw16 | Sweet 16 in 2014 |
33 | Saint Mary's | Randy Bennett | 16 - Sw16 | Sweet 16 2010 |
34 | Northwestern | Chris Collins | 32- win | Won 1st round both NCAAs - 2017 & 2022 |
35 | Colorado | Tad Boyle | 32- win | on 1st round in 2012 and 2021 |
36 | Yale | James Jones | 32- win | Won first round in 2016 |
37 | Dayton | Anthony Grant | 32- win | VCU won 1st round in 2007 |
38 | Drake | Darian DeVries | 32- win | won first round in 2021 |
39 | Mississippi St. | Chris Jans | 32- win | won first round with New Mexico State 2022 |
40 | Texas Tech | Grant McCasland | 32- win | North Texas won first round 2021 |
41 | New Mexico | Richard Pitino | 32- win | Minnesota won first round 2019 |
42 | UAB | Andy Kennedy | 32- win | Mississippi won first round 2013 |
43 | N.C. St. | Kevin Keatts | 64 -close | NC-Wilmington 2016 almost stunned Duke, 85-93, then 2017 almost stunned Uva 71-76, NC State 2023 led Creighton 2nd half |
44 | Vermont | John Becker | 64 - close | In 2022 almost stunned Arkansas, 71-75, in 2019 almost stunned FSU 69-76, |
45 | Colgate | Matt Langel | 64 - close | in 2022 came close vs Wisconsin 60-67, in 2019 lost to TN 70-77 |
46 | Charleston | Pat Kelsey | 64 - close | in 2022 almost stunned Nat's runner-up SD State 57-63; with Winthrop 2021 held Nova to 63-73 and 2017 held Butler to 64-76 |
47 | Grand Canyon | Bryce Drew | 64 - close | for Valpo in 2015 almost stunned Maryland 62-65, and respectable 2013 loss to Michigan St. 54-65 |
48 | Florida | Todd Golden | 64 - close | for San Francisco in 2022 took Murray St. to overtime, 87-92 |
49 | Boise St. | Leon Rice | 64 - close | in 2023 lost 67-75 to Northwestern, and 2022 lost to Memphis 53-64 |
50 | Oakland | Greg Kampe | 64 - close | in 2011 almost stunned Texas 81-85, |
51 | South Dakota St. | Eric Henderson | 64 - close | in 2022 played Providence close, 57-66 |
52 | South Carolina | Lamont Paris | 64 - close | for Chattanooga 2022 lost heartbreak to Illinois 53-54 |
53 | Duquesne | Keith Dambrot | 64 - close | Akron 2009 lost 64-77 to Gonzaga |
54 | Utah St. | Danny Sprinkle | 64 - Lost | for Montana St in 2023 lost to K-State 65-77 |
55 | BYU | Mark Pope | 64 - Lost | in 2021 lost to UCLA 62-73 |
56 | Colorado St. | Niko Medved | 64 - Lost | in 2022 lost to Michigan 63-75 |
57 | W.Kentucky | Steve Lutz | 64 - Lost | for Texas A&M-CC in 2022 won playin then lost to Alabama 75-96 |
58 | Morehead St. | Preston Spradlin | 64 -Crush | in 2021 lost ot West Virginia 67-84 |
59 | Longwood | Griff Aldrich | 64 -Crush | in 2022 lost to Tennessee 56-88 |
60 | Howard | Kenny Blakeney | 64 -Crush | in 2023 lost 68-96 to Kansas |
61 | Montana St. | Matt Logie | 64 - Debut | 1st season, 1st appearance |
62 | Wagner | Donald Copeland | 64 - Debut | 2nd season, 1st appearance |
63 | Samford | Bucky McMillan | 64 - Debut | 4th season, 1st appearance |
64 | Grambling | Donte Jackson | 64 - Debut | 7th season, 1st appearance |
65 | Saint Peter's | Bashir Mason | 64 - Debut | 11th season at 2 schools, 1st appearance |
66 | James Madison | Mark Byington | 64 - Debut | 11th season at 2 schools, 1st appearance |
67 | Stetson | Donnie Jones | 64 - Debut | 13th season at 3 schools, 1st appearance |
68 | Washington St. | Kyle Smith | 64 - Debut | 14th season at 3 schools, 1st appearance |
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