Some of the coaches we've listed here can be found on lists of the best coaches in college basketball
Athlon
15. Gregg Marshall, Wichita State
Record at Wichita State: 174-71 (.710)
NCAA Tournament: 6-10, one Final Four
Number to note: Marshall’s last four teams at Wichita have ranked in the top 40 in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency on KenPom.com.
Why he’s ranked here: Since March 1, 2013, three teams have defeated Marshall’s Wichita State teams — one won a national title (Louisville), one reached the title game (Kentucky) and one had Doug McDemott (Creighton, twice).
19. Jay Wright, Villanova
Record at Villanova: 286-149 (.657)
NCAA Tournament: 13-11, one Final Four
Number to note: Villanova’s Big East title in 2014 was the Wildcats’ first outright conference title since 1982. Nova hasn’t won a conference tournament since 1995.
Why he’s ranked here: After a brief dip in 2011-12, Villanova has returned to where Wright has had the program for most of his tenure. Villanova went 16-0 vs. Big East opponents not named Creighton during the 2013-14 regular season.
21. Tim Miles, Nebraska
Record at Nebraska: 34-31 (.525)
NCAA Tournament: 0-2
Number to note: Miles ended combined NCAA Tournament droughts of 25 seasons at Nebraska (16) and Colorado State (nine) in addition to laying the groundwork for Division I newcomer North Dakota State.
Why he’s ranked here: The Big Ten is as good as ever, and Nebraska is a relevant program here. The next step is to pick up the Cornhuskers first NCAA Tournament win.
23. Lon Kruger, Oklahoma
Record at Oklahoma: 58-38 (.604)
NCAA Tournament: 14-15, one Final Four
Number to note: Oklahoma ranked 17th in tempo last season. Kruger didn’t have a top-100 team in that category since 2005.
Why he’s ranked here: Got a problem? Lon Kruger will solve it. He’s led clean-up jobs at Florida, UNLV, Kansas State and now Oklahoma and taken all of them (plus Illinois) to multiple NCAA Tournaments.
39. Tom Crean, Indiana
Record at Indiana: 101-97 (.510)
NCAA Tournament: 8-7, one Final Four
Number to note: Indiana won one road game in Crean’s first three seasons. The Hoosiers have won 14 in three seasons since.
Why he’s ranked here: Indiana’s collapse from spending most of 2012-13 at No. 1 to missing/declining the postseason altogether is a major concern. The same can be said of the alarming rate of off-court issues. Still, Crean brought Indiana back from 6-25 in his first season.
43. Archie Miller, Dayton
Record at Dayton: 63-38 (.624)
NCAA Tournament: 3-1
Number to note: Dayton improved its road record from 5-16 in Miller’s first two seasons to 7-4 last season.
Why he’s ranked here: Sean’s younger brother has made himself a hot coaching candidate in his own right wins over Ohio State and Syracuse on the way to the Elite Eight last season.
47. Tommy Amaker, Harvard
Record at Harvard: 139-71 (.662)
NCAA Tournament: 4-4
Number to note: With wins over New Mexico and Cincinnati the last two seasons, Harvard is the first Ivy team since the field expanded to 64 to win games in back-to-back NCAA Tournaments.
Why he’s ranked here: After a mediocre tenure at Michigan, Amaker has found a home at Harvard, where he’s won four consecutive league titles.
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ESPN
8. Gregg Marhsall, Wichita State
19. Jay Wright, Villanova
22. Tommy Amaker, Harvard
26. Archie Miller, Dayton
There's nothing like an Elite Eight run to boost your stock, huh? The panel may be falling for a little bit of recency bias here, but there's no question Miller belongs on the list. In 2013-14, he took a team that started conference play 1-5 and turned it into one that would upend Ohio State, Syracuse and Stanford -- and galvanize a joyous, resolute Flyers fan base -- in the year's most memorable tournament run.
31. Lon Kruger, Oklahoma
The uncreative love to bust out the "Death. Taxes. Bo Ryan." catchphrase anytime Wisconsin wins a game, but what about Kruger? Kruger's teams are always solid no matter where he is, and his Oklahoma tenure -- which began in the wake of some pretty serious Jeff Capel-era recruiting violations -- has seen Kruger steadily lead the Sooners further and further up the solidity ladder. Dude is a
great coach.
32. Tim Miles, Nebraska
A couple of years ago,
Tim Miles was the funny coach with the funny Twitter feed, the guy most likely to be sitting alone at Big Ten media day while simultaneously making fun of himself for sitting alone at Big Ten media day. (Five years ago, at Big 12 media day, that coach was Fred Hoiberg. My how things change.) Now, after taking the Cornhuskers to their first NCAA tournament since 1998 in just his second season, Miles is a bona fide rising star in the profession. He's turning Nebraska into a real program, and he has the long-run backing of the athletics department, and the elite facilities, to finish the job.
43. Chris Mack, Xavier
Mack has been steady at Xavier, missing the tournament just once in his four years. He did an especially nice job with a young team in 2013-14, but will have to replace NBA-bound sophomore guard Semaj Christon.
50. Randy Bennett, Saint Mary's
Bennett, meanwhile, has elevated Saint Mary's to consistent tournament contention alongside rival Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference, even if 2013's recruiting violations and the subsequent four-year probation cast a shadow over that success.