The Coaches You Need to Watch for During March Madness

Part of what makes College Basketball so unique, is that even though we are all watching March Madness each and every year the players change. With that in mind, it is the coaches that become the guys we know and are so intrigued by. From John Wooden to Bobby Knight to Coach K, there have been so many legends in the coaching industry because of this spectacular tournament. With College Basketball, consistently being a battle of the coaches here are the ones you need to keep an eye out on.

1. Mark Adams (Texas Tech)

One of the bigger storylines of the offseason, was just how great of a hire Chris Beard was for Texas, especially considering they stole them from their in conference rival. Little did we know that Texas would be one of the more disappointing teams in College Basketball relative to their expectations, and the opposite could be said about Texas Tech. After famously refusing to go on the plane to Austin with Beard, former Associate Head Coach Mark Adams has kept and added to the culture already built.

Adams was able to bring in a handful of under the radar players from smaller schools including Bryson Williams (UTEP), Adonis Arms (Winthrop), Kevin Obanor (Oral Roberts) and Davion Warren (Hampton). Every night it seems to be a different guy who steps up for Texas Tech, as they have been struggling with injuries since the start of the season. Terrance Shannon Jr and Kevin McCullar, were expected to be the primary guys on the floor this season, but have been in and out of the lineup for what seems like the entire season with injuries. This is what has made Texas Tech’s season so impressive. The Red Raiders finished 25-9 including wins over Baylor and Kansas, with an incomplete starting lineup. Texas Tech is not the best offensive team, but Adam’s defensive game planning ability is so good, he finds a way to make it work with all of the depth he has. Texas Tech is one of the better stories in College Basketball this season, and Mark Adams will be a well known coaching figure, sooner rather than later.

• John Calipari (Kentucky)

Coach Calipari’s “Revenge Tour” is something that needs to be spoken about more, as it is about to become a major storyline in the month of March. Just one year after finishing 9-16 and missing the NCAA Tournament, Calipari has his Wildcats back on track for a deep Tournament run. Part of what has made this season so impressive for Kentucky is, Coach Cal really changed things up after last year’s disaster and he deserves credit for that.

After Kentucky fans were not thrilled with the team’s performance and demanded staff changes, Cal took them into account. By bringing in guys like Orlando Antigua and Chin Coleman the toughness and vibes around this Kentucky team have really changed. In addition, Calipari has always been known as the coach who loves to bring in the “One and Done” NBA player. Part of the criticism of John Calipari in the past, has been that he cares more about his players getting to the NBA than winning. However, Calipari did a great job adjusting to today’s era of College Basketball, while using the Transfer Portal to his full advantage. Kentucky’s highly ranked Freshman class did not get the job done last year, and it was apparent that Kentucky would not be winning many games, just based on the feel around the team. Fast forward a year later, and Caliapri has brought in guys like Oscar Tshiebwe, Sahvir Wheeler and Kellan Grady from other schools and it’s worked perfectly. Coach Cal, playing with a group of older guys that will always give it their all, while being very talented is something very fun to watch. With TyTy Washington also in the mix and looking healthy alongside these veterans, Coach Cal could be due for National Championship #2.

• Mark Few (Gonzaga)

Last year’s crushing ending is a testament to how good Mark Few and the Gonzaga program has been. ie, it was crushing because legitimate expectations have been built. There were plenty of people that thought if Gonzaga couldn’t win last year then they would never be able to cut down the nets. Whether Mark Few will ever get that National Championship is a question, however not having a National Championship yet has blinded a lot of people to see just how good of a coach this guy is. Despite not having won it all, the narrative that “Gonzaga doesn’t perform well in the month of March” is completely false. The Zags are the only program in College Basketball to make each of the last 6 second weekends.

This year the hope for Gonzaga is Chet Holmgren being that difference maker who can take over a game that they didn’t have last year. Historically, Drew Timme has struggled with the NBA Caliber big man that gets up in his grill, so the Zags will need Holmgren and his playmaking ability for a deep run. In addition, Point Guard Andrew Nemhard is someone with a ton of experience in College Basketball, especially playing in the big games. Seeing the season Gonzaga has put together as the #1 overall seed, right after losing pros like Jalen Suggs, Corey Kispert and Joel Ayayi is not something easy to do. Gonzaga has also historically gotten a lot of hate for playing in a weaker conference, which makes them “overrated” in many people’s minds. This year was the WCC’s best year, with 3 teams making the NCAA Tournament and Gonzaga still ran through the league like a buzzsaw. Mark Few’s dominance of the West Coast Conference is one of the more impressive, extended runs by any coach with any program. This could finally be his years, with some payback on his mind.

• Penny Hardaway (Memphis)

Sometimes going through adversity is the best ingredient for a deep tournament run, due to the fact that your team is so tough and confident that nothing could phase you. Memphis has already gone through more than some adversity this season, after starting off 9-8 overall including losses to SEC bottom feeders Georgia and Ole Miss. Things seemed to be completely off the rails, on February 20th when Memphis lost to SMU and Head Coach Penny Hardaway went on a rant for the ages. Penny called out the media for creating negative energy around his team when they are young and not fully healthy. While it may have sounded like an excuse at the time, Memphis has played their best basketball of the Hardaway era since, and are looking dangerous heading into the NCAA Tournament.

It was a big season for Memphis, considering they issued the NCAA Tournament last year in disappointing fashion and brought in the most heralded recruiting class in College Basketball. There were some early issues as Memphis also brought back basically everyone from last year’s team that played their best basketball in March and won the NIT. AS unfortunate as this may sound, Memphis has been a different team since the absence of 5 star Freshman Emoni Bates. There is a very good chance Emoni will one day be a very good basketball player, however it was clear that he isn’t ready to play major College Basketball right now and that’s ok. With the chemistry in full swing, Penny has a chance to officially make Memphis Basketball cool again, with a long tournament run. A possible matchup with Goznaga in the round of 32, would be one of the premier matchups of the tournament.

• Mike Krzyzewski (Duke)

The legendary Coach K is about to enter his 35th and final NCAA Tournament as Head Coach of Duke. The farewell tour has been one of the more polarizing things in the sport, since the start of the season. With more people watching College Basketball now opposed to any other time of year, it seems likely those polarizing conversations will continue. No matter what your opinion of Coach K is, there is no denying he is one of the best coaches of all time and is always very intimidating to play in a big game setting. In some ways, that intimidation has rubbed off a little bit on this Duke team, considering their performance in recent big games. The Blue Devils shockingly lost Coach K’s final home game to North Carolina and got blitzed by Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament Finals.

Duke, on paper, has a legitimate argument for the most talented roster in all of College Basketball, with at least 4 future  NBA First Round Picks in their starting lineup. The issue is with this Duke team being so young, it is very rare that they all hit their stride at the same time. Despite being ranked in the Top 10 for a majority of the season, Duke has had some head scratching losses including close games to Miami, Florida State and Virginia. Meanwhile, they will have other moments, where they look like the best team in the entire country. Duke does have experience facing off against the #1 seed in their region Gonzaga, as the Blue Devils beat them in November. With that being said, a possible future matchup with Texas Tech in the Sweet 16 could be a tough one. At no point this season has Duke shown they would be able to survive a team as tough as that one, and I expect it to continue. No matter how it ends, Coach K needs to do a better job putting his players in a better position to win games, because this Duke team is still good enough to win it all.

• Fran McCaffrey (Iowa)

One of the best parts of March Madness but also sports, is seeing someone break a narrative that no one else thought was possible. That was exactly what happened in the NFL Playoffs this year, when Matthew Stafford led the Rams to a Super Championship, winning the first 3 playoff games of his career in the process. There are some similar vibes, with Fran McCaffrey and the coaching job he has done with this Iowa team.

I’ve been someone who’s been very skeptical of Fran McCaffrey’s teams and their ability to make deep tournament runs in the month of March. Historically, Fran’s teams have developed the reputation of playing their worst basketball of the season at the absolute worst time. With that being said, this Iowa team is playing so well right now that there is a legitimate argument to be made they are currently the second best team in the Midwest region behind Kansas. Aside from Kansas being there in the Sweet 16 there is not a team in Iowa’s way playing remotely close to better than the Hawkeyes right now. McCaffrey is due for a long tournament run, considering he is approaching 250 career wins and has never made a second weekend.

There is not a single player in College Basketball, playing better than Iowa’s Keegan Murray. The world saw just exactly how good Murray is this past weekend in the Big Ten Tournament, while leading Iowa to their first Conference Tournament Title since 2006. After a disappointing ending to one of the best seasons in school history a year ago, the narrative has completely shifted. Iowa started off the season 14-7 overall, but have won 12 out of their last 14 games, all against elite competition. After last year’s disappointment of getting knocked out in the Round of 32 with what many thought the best team in school history, this Iowa squad has a chance to change the narrative for good. 

• Eric Mussleman (Arkansas)

Muss is a prime example, of a coach that has burst onto the scene of March Madness in recent years and the more you see him the more you love. This is the same guy known for taking off his shirt and waving it on the floor after big wins. In addition it was not an easy season for Muss, as he had to undergo Rotator Cuff surgery in late December, which forced him to wear a sling for a few weeks. Luckily for Arkansas, as soon as that sling came into play, the Hogs started to play their best basketball. Mussleman has been known to be a little bit ahead of the curve when it comes to building his teams through the Transfer Portal. Mussleman has turned guys like Cody Martin, Caleb Martin, and Jalen Harris into pros after taking them in from the portal. That is about to happen two more times very soon, when it comes to 2 members of this Arkansas team in JD Note and Stanley Umude, who both came from small schools respectively.

After starting off their season 10-5 overall and 0-3 in the SEC, Arkansas has won 15 out of their last 17 games since. As impressive as that sounds, the fact that they did that during SEC Conference play, while playing against the best competition in College Basketball tells us everything we need to know about Muss as a coach. This is the same guy that led Arkansas to the Elite 8 last year, in only his second year in Fayetteville. The Hogs have had some specific moments that triggered a thought in my head of “This could be a special year.” Whether it was beating Kentucky and Auburn in front of a raucous Bud Walton Arena crowd, or going into Florida and winning for the first time since 1995, Arkansas has had some great moments. With guys like JD Notae and Jaylin Williams leading the way for the Hogs, Muss could get to his First Final 4.

• Kevin Nickleberry (LSU)

It isn’t very often that someone’s Head Coaching debut with a new school, will also come in the NCAA Tournament With that being said, nothing that has occurred with LSU Basketball recently is surprising anymore, as the Tigers will enter the NCAA Tournament without their original Head Coach for the second time in 4 years. The school fired Head Coach Will Wade on Saturday, after they received their Notice of Allegations from the NCAA, and the evidence in there was not pretty.

Assistant Coach Kevin Nickelberry will be the one stepping into the head seat, and luckily he has experience doing it. The 57 year old has had many stops around the coaching industry, including 12 years as a Head Coach combined at Howard and Hampton. What makes this LSU team so intriguing, is despite not having a Head Coach they did get a really good draw. The Tigers will face an Iowa State team that has not been playing well for months now, and a likely game with Wisconsin in the Round of 32 isn’t the worst matchup. This is especially the case with Badgers star player Johnny Davis, likely not 100% healthy. Even with the game being in Milwaukee, there is a scenario where LSU can out athlete Wisconsin enough to frustrate them.

Will Wade has gotten a lot of hate from many around College Basketball in the past few years and rightfully so. However there is no denying that once he got the players to campus, he was a very good basketball coach that got the most out of everyone. The Tigers just finished their 4th consecutive 20+ win season, since Shaq was on campus. LSU was a significantly better team in the regular season with Point Guard Xavier Pinson in the lineup and he looks as healthy as he’s been in a while. In addition, LSU was able to make the Sweet 16 in 2019 without Coach Wade. With someone experienced like Nickelberry roaming the sidelines, it wouldn’t be shocking to see history repeat itself. March Madness is all about the craziest stories possible coming true, and LSU making a run just after losing their coach falls right in line.