March Madness 2021: 5 coaches in line to win their first NCAA Championship

These five coaches are in line to win their first national championship in March Madness.

While March Madness can make players like Carmelo Anthony and Christian Laettner legends, the NCAA Tournament is also a tremendous proving ground for coaches. Hall of Famers like Mike Krzyzewski and Roy Williams have cemented their legacies by winning national championships while Jay Wright took his reputation to another level after guiding Villanova to two national titles in a three-year span.

There are a lot of unfamiliar names near the top of the college basketball mountain right now, offering new opportunities for coaches to join the elite fraternity of national champions. Let’s take a look at five coaches with a great opportunity to cut down the nets for the first time, starting with Gonzaga’s Mark Few.

Coaches who can win their first national championship in March Madness

5. Nate Oats, Alabama

Alabama is more well known for its success on the gridiron but Nate Oats has done a tremendous job microwaving the Crimson Tide’s basketball program. After a 16-15 finish in his first year, Oats led the Crimson Tide to the SEC’s regular-season title behind a sharp-shooting offense and one of the nation’s most efficient defenses.

The SEC champs could get a very dangerous second-round draw against UConn, the Big East’s hottest team, before a potential showdown with Texas in the Sweet 16. Getting through Michigan won’t be easy either so Alabama has their work cut out for them.

4. Juwan Howard, Michigan

There may not be a better coaching job in America this season than what Juwan Howard has done for Michigan. The Wolverines were picked to finish sixth in the stacked Big Ten prior to the season but ended up taking home the conference’s regular-season title thanks to a gritty team that has overachieved thanks to some excellent coaching from Howard.

Isaiah Livers’ injury could be problematic for Michigan, which has to navigate the East Region featuring a very difficult two-seed in Alabama, which is one of the most rugged defensive teams in the country. Texas and Florida State are also strong three and four seeds, so if the Wolverines get to the Final Four they will have earned it.

3. Scott Drew, Baylor

The 1B to Gonzaga’s 1A for most of the season, Baylor has built on a strong season a year ago to become a juggernaut out of a loaded Big 12. Scott Drew has done a tremendous job over his 18 years with the Bears, taking over a program shrouded in controversy at the end of the Dave Bliss era and morphing Baylor into a legitimate superpower in college basketball.

The South Region has some dangerous moments for Baylor, including a potential second-round showdown with North Carolina as well as Texas Tech and Ohio State looming on the other side of the bracket. The Bears are talented enough to handle all challenges, making this an interesting path for Drew’s team to navigate.

2. Brad Underwood, Illinois

One of the hottest teams coming into the tournament is Illinois, where Brad Underwood has done a tremendous job reviving the Fighting Illini. Illinois hadn’t reached the NCAA Tournament since 2013 but Underwood got the Illini in a position to go last season before the postseason was canceled and has helped a talented team live up to the hype as a no. 1 seed with a dynamic duo of Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn.

The Big Ten Tournament champs have a rough road ahead of them in the Midwest Region, beginning in the second round where they could face off with Loyola-Chicago, a very dangerous mid-major that was underseeded based on their metrics. Cade Cunningham and Oklahoma State are a threat in the Sweet 16 while Houston is a very real threat to knock off the Illini in the Elite Eight so the committee did no favors to Underwood here.

1. Mark Few, Gonzaga

The clear favorites to cut down the nets in March Madness, Gonzaga has assembled one of the most efficient offenses that college basketball has ever seen and taken down quality competition all year long. Few has done a tremendous job with the Bulldogs, turning the program into a national powerhouse and guiding Gonzaga to an undefeated regular season for the first time in school history.

The Bulldogs got a pretty favorable draw in the West region, getting Iowa as their two-seed after beating them in the regular season, and beatable teams on the next two lines in Kansas and Villanova. It would be a massive upset if Gonzaga isn’t around until the Final Four at a minimum.

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