Fansided

Ranking every coach in the 2019 NCAA Tournament

By Mike Phillips

DURHAM, NC - FEBRUARY 18: Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski (L) of the Duke Blue Devils and Head Coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels talk prior to their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 18, 2015 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke defeated North Carolina 92-90 in OT. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC - FEBRUARY 18: Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski (L) of the Duke Blue Devils and Head Coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels talk prior to their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 18, 2015 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke defeated North Carolina 92-90 in OT. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /
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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MARCH 17: Bruce Pearl of the Auburn Tigers gives instructions to his team against the Tennessee Volunteers during the final of the SEC Basketball Championships at Bridgestone Arena on March 17, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MARCH 17: Bruce Pearl of the Auburn Tigers gives instructions to his team against the Tennessee Volunteers during the final of the SEC Basketball Championships at Bridgestone Arena on March 17, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

20. Ben Howland, Mississippi State

The Bulldogs are back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade, and Ben Howland deserves a ton of credit. Howland had a strong run at UCLA, advancing to three straight Final Fours from 2006-2008, but was fired in 2013 after the Bruins slumped in the Pac-12. Mississippi State brought in Howland to turn around their program, and he built from a 14-win year in 2015 to 23 and a 5-seed this season.

19. Bruce Weber, Kansas State

Bruce Weber is still best known for his run as the coach of Illinois, where he took the Illini to the national championship game in 2005, but he was fired after the 2012 season for failing to take Illinois close to those heights again. Illinois has struggled to replace Weber, who quickly landed at Kansas State and has taken the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament five times, including an Elite Eight run last year.

18. Chris Beard, Texas Tech

Beard is another rapid riser in the industry, parlaying a 30-5 run at Arkansas-Little Rock into the Texas Tech job in 2016. The Red Raiders have gone 71-30 since Beard took over for the departed Tubby Smith, including a 53-16 mark over the past two years punctuated by a trip to the Elite Eight a year ago.

17. Bruce Pearl, Auburn

The past few years have offered some redemption for Bruce Pearl, who has revived Auburn basketball. The Tigers were dead in the water for years until Pearl, who had lost his job at Tennessee due to NCAA rules violations, took over and turned the program around. Auburn won the SEC Tournament this season and is poised to make some serious noise in March.

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