We’re less than 24 hours away from the first tipoff in the 2022 NCAA Tournament and a lot of teams have the potential to win it all.
For ESPN analyst Jay Bilas, 10 NCAA Tournament coaches stand out to him heading into it. He recently released his ranking of the top 10 coaches heading into March Madness.
Taking top billing is Duke’s Coach K. This will be his final NCAA Tournament and despite the Blue Devils’ disappointing finish in the ACC Tournament, they’re expected to give everyone a run for their money.
The rest of Bilas’ list consists largely of blue blood coaches who have won national titles or taken their programs closer than anyone else. In second he has Villanova’s Jay Wright, followed by Gonzaga’s Mark Few, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo and Kentucky’s John Calipari to round out the top five.
Bill Self of Kansas, Scott Drew of reigning national champion Baylor, Bob McKillop of Davidson, Rick Barnes of Tennessee and Bruce Pearl of Auburn rank six through 10 respectively. It’s a very strong list.
Here’s Jay Bilas’ full ranking:
Here are my top 10 coaches in this year’s tournament… pic.twitter.com/UXfxRfRA8z
— Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) March 16, 2022
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There are some noticeable absences that NCAA basketball fans have taken notice of. Some objected to the exclusion of Wisconsin coach Greg Gard and Arkansas coach Eric Musselman.
Others took exception to the order Bilas placed the teams in. The biggest controversy was putting Coach K over Jay Wright given how much more success Wright has had in recent years.
These 10 coaches will all get the chance to prove Bilas right – or wrong – in the days to come.
The NCAA Tournament begins on Thursday.