1. Tom Izzo - Michigan State
Accomplishments: -2000 National Championship
-14 consecutive NCAA Tournament Appearances
-6 Final Four Appearances
-6 Big Ten Titles
Comments:
No brainer selection at number 1. He is one of the top coaches in the country let alone the Big Ten. His March record in incredible.
2. Thad Matta - Ohio State
Accomplishments:
-Head Coach at Butler 2000-01, Xavier 2001-04, Ohio St since 2004
-12 straight 20 win seasons
-4 Big Ten Titles in 7 years
-2007 NCAA Runner Up
-2008 NIT Championship
Comments:
Thad Matta has proven to be one of the best recruiters in the country. He has coached a number 1, 2 and 4 NBA draft pick in his 7 seasons. In his 12 seasons as head coach he has won at least 20 games every year. His only blemish on his record is the lack of a NCAA title. Stay tuned as that might not be too far away.
3. Bo Ryan - Wisconsin
Accomplishments:
-Head Coach at Wisconsin-Milwaukee 1999-2001, Wisconsin since 2001
-10 Straight NCAA Tournament Appearances
-Has never finished below 4th in the Big Ten Standings in 10 seasons
-4 Sweet 16 appearances, 1 Elite 8 appearance
Comments:
The consistency that Bo Ryan has established at Wisconsin is pretty amazing. To make the NCAA Tournament in all 10 years as head coach and to make the Kohl Center the toughest arena for visitors in the Big Ten is impressive. No Final Fours keep him below Matta. Wisconsin always seems to be overlooked at the beginning of the year, but find away to compete for the conference title.
4. - Matt Painter - Purdue
Accomplishments:
-Head Coach of Southern Illinois 2003-04, Purdue since 2005
-2010 Big Ten regular season co-champions
-2009 Big Ten tournament champions
-5 straight NCAA tournament appearances
Comments:
Pudue has finished in the top two of the conference in the last four seasons. Painter has lead Purdue to two Sweet 16 appearances. While Tubby Smith, Bruce Weber and John Beilein may have a longer list of accomplishments as head coaches, Painter has been the better Big Ten coach. Matt Painter just signed a contract extension to keep him a Boilermaker for a long time.
5. Tubby Smith - Minnesota
Accomplishments:
-Head Coach at Tulsa 91-95, Georgia 95-97, Kentucky 97-07, Minnesota since 2007
-1997 NCAA Championship
-16 NCAA Tournament Appearances
-80-53 record at Minnesota
Comments:
It is difficult to image a NCAA championship winning coach being just the 5th best coach in the conference, but Smith is just 32-40 in Big Ten games as Minnesota head coach. In fact his fifth place ranking maybe too high considering the recent struggles and Minnesota has not passed the 1st round with Smith.
6. Bruce Weber - Illinois
Accomplishments:
-Head Coach at Southern Illinois 1998-2003, Illinios since 2003
-NCAA Runner up in 2005
-2 Big Ten Championships
-8 NCAA Tournament Appearances
Comments:
I have a hard time putting Bruce Weber at number 6, because I don't think there are too many coaches that would have done less with the talent that Weber has had. Consistently under-achieving since 2007, Weber may need a big season to keep his job. I'm betting he won't. The 2005 season is worth noting because they only lost 2 games.
7. John Beilein - Michigan
Accomplishments:
-Head Coach at Canisius 1992-97, Richmond 1997-2002, West Virginia 2002-07, Michigan since 2007
-Has led four different teams to the NCAA Tournament
-2005 Elite 8 with West Virginia
-2 Round of 32 appearances with Michigan
Comments:
Before last season, it looked like Michigan's program was headed downward. A surprising 4th place finish in the Big Ten and two NCAA tournament wins in 3 years has Michigan competitive again. Beilein has done well without high expectations, and 2011-2012 will be the year Michigan should challenge for league title. Beilein is still just 32-40 in Big Ten games.
8. Tom Crean - Indiana
Accomplishments:
-Head coach at Marquette 1999-2008 and Indiana since 2008
-2003 Final Four with Marquette
-5 NCAA Tournament Appearances
Comments: Tom Crean as a Big Ten coach has been a Big Time failure. The numbers prove it. Indiana is 8-46 in Big Ten games in Crean's 3 seasons. To be fair, Crean inherited a mess. Despite the condition of the program, 8 conference wins in 3 seasons is awful. Tom Crean has had one great season as a head coach, and that was 2003. His run to the final four keeps him above McCaffery and Carmody, but it might not for long. Season number 4 for Crean at Indiana will be huge. I think he is a good coach, but right now the record proves he belongs very low in these rankings.
9. Fran McCaffery - Iowa
Accomplishments:
-Head coach at Lehigh 1985-88, UNCG 1999-05, Siena 2005-10 and Iowa since 2010
-5 NCAA Appearances, 3 in a row with Siena from 07-10
Comments:
Fran McCaffery was a great hire for Iowa. He could be in the top 5 of this list in two years. He will need time to recruit, but Iowa will be back.
10. Bill Carmody - Northwestern
Accomplishments:
-Head Coach at Princeton 1996-2000 and Northwestern since 2000
-2 NCAA Tournament appearances with Princeton
-3 straight NIT appearances with Northwestern
Comments:
Surprisingly, Caromdy trails just Tom Izzo for the longest tenure of current Big Ten coaches. 3 straight NIT's is impressive for Northwestern considering the history. Carmody is a good coach at a bad program. He might just get his first NCAA appearance for Northwestern soon.
My rankings above are based on accomplishments with a heavy emphasis on recent history. I think that Izzo, Matta and Ryan are among the best in the country. I believe that Painter will be an elite head coach. Weber and Crean have a lot of prove in a hurry.
As far as where Ed Decelles would have ranked on this list, I would say probably 10th. Carmody has the most difficult job in the league and McCaffery will bring Iowa back within two years.
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