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Coaches' Corner
Active veteran coaches in NCAA competition
By Mike Douchant It's debatable whether there is any substitute for consistent season-long excellence, but a key criteria employed in evaluating coaches is how their teams perform in postseason competition. Following are the career NCAA playoff records of the 38 active coaches with at least 10 games in the Division I Tournament through 2000 and their highlights or lowlights (FF denotes Final Four appearances): Rank Coach, Current School Yrs. W-L Pct. FF. 1. Tom Izzo, Michigan State 3 12-2 .857 2Comment: Fourth-best winning percentage in NCAA playoff history (minimum of 10 decisions) behind Cincinnati's Ed Jucker (11-1, .917), La Salle's Ken Loeffler (9-1, .900) and San Francisco's Phil Woolpert (13-2, .867). First two defeats were against ACC Final Four teams (North Carolina in 1998 and Duke in 1999). 2. Mike Krzyzewski, Duke 16 50-14 .781 8Comment: Won all 11 NCAA playoff games against Big East and Big Ten teams from 1990 through 1994. He was the only coach to appear in as many as seven regional finals without a defeat until bowing to Kentucky in 1998. Coach K assembled an incredible streak of playoff victories over storied programs in a three-year span from 1990 through 1992 (St. John's, UCLA, Kansas, Kentucky, Indiana and Michigan). He won his first 26 East Regional games until bowing to Florida in 2000. 3. Steve Fisher, San Diego State 7 20-6 .769 3Comment: Won his first 12 NCAA playoff games decided by fewer than six points or in overtime. Hasn't won since 1994 after briefly moving ahead of former Cincinnati coach Ed Jucker for all-time best record (minimum of 10 decisions) with Michigan. Jucker was 11-1 (.917). 4. Tubby Smith, Kentucky 7 16-6 .727 1Comment: Only coach to take three consecutive teams to the Sweet 16 although they were each seeded sixth or worse (Tulsa in 1994 and 1995 before Georgia in 1996). In 1998, he became the only coach to win an NCAA title only two years after his predecessor (Rick Pitino) achieved the feat. 5. John Calipari, Memphis 5 11-5 .688 1Comment: Eliminated the first four times with Massachusetts by an average of 11.8 points although the Minutemen were close to home in the East Regional in three of those tourneys. 6. Jerry Tarkanian, Fresno State 17 37-17 .685 4Comment: Eliminated by UCLA in his first three appearances with Long Beach State from 1970 through 1972. He has had a total of 11 twenty-win seasons where he didn't participate in the NCAA playoffs. Tark the Shark hadn't been in the NCAA playoffs for nine years until appearing with Fresno State in 2000. 7. Roy Williams, Kansas 11 23-11 .676 2Comment: His first four defeats were against schools that won a national title at some point in their histories--UCLA, Duke, Texas-El Paso and North Carolina. The Jayhawks failed to reach the regional final as a No. 1 seed four times since 1992; that's as many as all the other top seeds combined. Williams has never lost a first-round game, but didn't reach a regional semifinal for three consecutive years from 1998 through 2000. T8. Jim Calhoun, Connecticut 14 26-13 .667 1Comment: Winningest Big East coach in playoff competition in the 1990s with l999 title climaxing eight Sweet 16 appearances in the decade, including six in a row. He won first-round games in back-to-back tourneys with Northeastern (1981 and 1982). T8. Jim O'Brien, Ohio State 5 10-5 .667 1Comment: Three of his first four playoff victories with Boston College were as #9 and #11 seeds against legends Dean Smith (North Carolina) and future Big Ten rival Bob Knight (Indiana/twice). O'Brien is the only active coach to win at least two-thirds of his NCAA playoff games (more than 10 decisions) despite having a losing career record in conference competition. 10. Rick Majerus, Utah 9 17-9 .654 1Comment: Never lost a first-round game with the Utes, but his first four playoff defeats with them were by an average of 21 points. Eliminated by championship game-bound Kentucky three consecutive years from 1996 through 1998. His second-round defeat against #10 Miami (Ohio) in 1999 was his first setback against a worse-seeded opponent. 11. Nolan Richardson, Arkansas 15 26-14 .650 3Comment: Would have reached the regional semifinals seven consecutive years if not for an 82-80 upset loss to Memphis State in 1992. Won just one of his first six NCAA Tournament contests before 1990, when the Razorbacks reached the Final Four. Prevailed in 13 of 14 playoff contests in one stretch in the mid-1990s. Lost an NCAA first-round game in 2000 for the first time since 1988. 12. Denny Crum, Louisville 23 42-23 .646 6Comment: Won first six times he reached a regional final until 1997, but didn't advance that far in a 10-year span after compiling an 11-4 playoff mark from 1980-'83. In 1989, a team with four first-round NBA draft choices--Pervis Ellison, Kenny Payne, LaBradford Smith and Felton Spencer--was eliminated by Illinois by 14 points in the Midwest Regional semifinals. 13. Steve Lavin, UCLA 4 7-4 .636 0Comment: Three consecutive victories over Iowa State, Miami (Fla.) and Michigan were by a total of seven points. The Bruins were either a #5 or #6 seed three straight years from 1998 through 2000. 14. Jim Boeheim, Syracuse 20 31-20 .608 2Comment: No more than one playoff victory any year in his first eight appearances although those teams all finished the season with more than 20 triumphs. His six defeats from 1987 through 1992 were by an average of just four points before bowing in overtime in 1994. Three consecutive setbacks were in overtime (1993 through 1995). He won 10 of his first 13 contests as a #4 seed until bowing to 2000 champion-to-be Michigan State. T15. Lute Olson, Arizona 21 32-21 .604 4Comment: Only coach to go winless at the Final Four among the first 25 to reach the national semifinals at least three times until winning the 1997 championship. Despite playing in natural region (West) most of the time, the Wildcats incurred five first-round defeats before reaching the 1994 Final Four. Eleven of his setbacks were to teams seeded fifth or worse. T15. Eddie Sutton, Oklahoma State 21 32-21 .604 2Comment: The only coach to guide four different colleges to the playoffs has a winning tourney record with each school (Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma State) and directed all of them to a regional semifinal. His first four defeats from 1974-79 were by an average of only 3.5 points in games his teams outshot their opponents from the floor but lost despite hitting 57.4 percent of their field-goal attempts overall. He won his first eight first-round games with the Cowboys through 2000. Sutton has the most NCAA playoff victories of any coach who has never reached the championship game. T17. Bob Huggins, Cincinnati 10 15-10 .600 1Comment: First two defeats were against Michigan (70-64 with Akron in 1986 and 76-72 with the Bearcats in 1992) before overtime loss against North Carolina in 1993. Failed to reached regional semifinals the last four years. Sustained seven defeats against worst-seeded opponents. T17. Billy Tubbs, Texas Christian 12 18-12 .600 1Comment: Last eight NCAA playoff defeats with Oklahoma through 1992 were by six points or less, including three losses by two points. Hasn't won an NCAA tourney contest since 1990. 19. Dave Odom, Wake Forest 7 10-7 .588 0Comment: Eliminated in the opening round just once (1992). His first four defeats were by an average of 19 points. Settled for participation in the NIT three consecutive years from 1998 through 2000. 20. Jim Harrick, Georgia 14 17-13 .567 1Comment: Five NCAA Tournament defeats from 1983 through 1990 were against ACC schools (three while coaching Pepperdine). First-round setbacks in 1991 (Penn State) and 1994 (Tulsa) while coaching UCLA were against schools that had gone winless in the NCAA playoffs since 1955. 21. Gary Williams, Maryland 10 13-10 .565 0Comment: He is the only individual to win games while coaching schools from the three conferences with the best winning percentages in NCAA Tournament competition reflecting actual membership--ACC, Big East and Big Ten. He is the only coach to win games with as many as three different schools even when they were seeded ninth or worse. Incurred Maryland's first opening-round defeat in history in 1996. T22. John Chaney, Temple 16 20-16 .556 0Comment: First 10 defeats were against teams combining to average almost 29 victories in those seasons. Eliminated in the opening round four times this decade--St. John's (1990), Michigan (1992), Cincinnati (1995) and West Virginia (1998). The only year in the last 13 seasons that he didn't direct the Owls to the NCAA playoffs was 1989. Participated in more tournament games than any coach without reaching the Final Four. T22. Mike Montgomery, Stanford 8 10-8 .556 1Comment: In 1989, he guided the Cardinal to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 47 years. He didn't earn an NCAA playoff victory in his first 16 years as a head coach. Won opening-round game each of the last six seasons. T24. Jeff Jones, American University 5 6-5 .545 0Comment: An NIT title in 1992, the only year in his first five at the Cavaliers' helm that he didn't participate in the NCAA playoffs, enabled him to become the only person to win NIT crowns as a player (Virginia, 1980) and a coach. His first four NCAA Tournament defeats were by an average of 12.5 points. T24. Tom Penders, George Washington 10 12-10 .545 0Comment: NCAA playoff defeats with Texas from 1988 through 1994 were against five teams combining to average almost 26 victories. Eliminated in the opening round just once (1992). His first six playoff triumphs were against better-seeded opponents. Penders (URI, Texas and GWU) is joined by Rick Barnes as the only coaches to take three different schools to the NCAA playoffs by their second season with each of them. 26. Lefty Driesell, Georgia State 12 15-13 .536 0Comment: Split his last six NCAA playoff games while coaching Maryland, with all of the contests decided by six points or less, before bowing by two with JMU against Final Four-bound Florida in the opening round in 1994. 27. Gene Keady, Purdue 17 18-17 .514 0Comment: Two tourney opening-round road games in a three-year span--at Memphis State in 1984 and LSU in 1986--didn't help his playoff record. None of his victories were against a team with a better seed until 1999. T28. Hugh Durham, Jacksonville 8 8-8 .500 2Comment: Hasn't won an NCAA playoff game since 1985. Lost last four NCAA tourney contests with Georgia through 1991 although two of them were in overtime. T28. Pete Gillen, Virginia 8 8-8 .500 0Comment: Incurred first-round defeats with Xavier against eventual national champions in back-to-back years (Kansas '88 and Michigan '89). Lost in overtime with Providence to eventual champion Arizona in 1997 Southeast Regional final. 30. Lou Henson, New Mexico State 19 19-20 .487 2Comment: Nine NCAA playoff defeats with Illinois from 1981 through 1990 were by an average of 3.2 points. He has only one playoff victory (1993) since guiding the Illini to the 1989 Final Four. Henson was eliminated three consecutive years by champion-to-be UCLA from 1968 through 1970 in his first stint with the Aggies. 31. Mike Jarvis, St. John's 8 7-8 .467 0Comment: First four playoff defeats with Boston University and George Washington were against #1 and #2 seeds, including future Big East Conference foe Connecticut twice. He never had a team seeded better than #9 with BU and GWU before earning a #2 seed in his first appearance with the Red Storm in 1999. 32. Cliff Ellis, Auburn 7 6-7 .462 0Comment: Eliminated with Clemson in back-to-back years by #1 seeds Arizona (1989) and Connecticut (1990). He's never reached a regional final. 33. Pat Kennedy, DePaul 8 6-8 .429 0 Comment: Lost his first two NCAA playoff games while coaching Iona by one point each (1984 against Virginia and 1985 against Loyola of Chicago) before moving to Florida State. He reached the regional semifinals in back-to-back years with the Seminoles (1992 and 1993) before failing to appear in the tourney his last four seasons with them. 34. Dave Bliss, Baylor 11 8-11 .421 0Comment: Lost by one point while coaching SMU against eventual champion Georgetown (39-38 in 1984), but most of his other defeats with the Mustangs and New Mexico were by double-digit margins. He has never reached a regional semifinal. 35. Gale Catlett, West Virginia 11 7-11 .389 0Comment: Registered just one NCAA Tournament victory in a 13-year stretch from 1985 through 1997. Nine of his teams entered the tourney with more than 20 victories but none reached a regional final. He is the only active coach with more than 15 decisions in both the NCAA and NIT (8-9) to compile losing career records in each event. 36. Don DeVoe, Navy 10 5-10 .333 0Comment: Setback in 1994 with Navy against top seed Missouri was nothing new. He bowed to a No. 1 seed three consecutive years from 1981 through 1983 while coaching Tennessee, with two of the defeats coming against Virginia. Compiled a 1-1 playoff record five straight years from 1979 through 1983. 37. Kelvin Sampson, Oklahoma 7 3-7 .300 0Comment: Lost only playoff game with Washington State and first four with the Sooners. First three defeats with OU were by an average of almost 14 points. Eliminated last three years by Big Ten Conference opponents. 38. Rick Barnes, Texas 8 3-8 .273 0Comment: Joined Tom Penders as the only two coaches to take three different schools to the NCAA playoffs by their second season with each of the institutions. Barnes, who previously took Providence and Clemson to the tourney, is the only coach other than George Raveling to register losing playoff records with three schools. He lost all three playoff contests with PC before dropping his first outing with Clemson. |
