Ranking top 10 NCAA basketball coaches of all time ft. John Wooden, Bobby Knight, and more

The masterminds behind the greatest NCAA basketball teams have always laid the foundation for their players to grasp the winning mindset. Throughout the years, college basketball coaches have proven to be the most experienced basketball minds. Whether it was the 70's UCLA or the early 90's Duke, each team had a structure set by the coaches.

There have been hundreds of college basketball coaches since the very start of the tournament. To determine the best coaches out of all, we should seek some help from the record books. It's not only about the wins and championships, for there are 120+ coaches with 500 or more wins. Apart from the obvious factors, the coach's experience also plays a role, which shows how dedicated the leader was.

Here are the top 10 NCAA basketball coaches of all time.

Top 10 NCAA Basketball Coaches of All Time:

10. Lute Olsen

Lute Olsen served as the head coach for the Arizona Wildcats for 24 (1983-2007) years. Olsen had already served the Hawkeyes as well as the 49ers. While only making a Final Four appearance at his best, Olsen would have things turned around in Arizona.

Just five seasons in, Olsen led the Wildcats to a Final Four appearance after being eliminated from the first round for three straight years. The Wildcats finally got their hands on the NCAA basketball title in 1997 under Olsen.

He stood on the sidelines for 10 more years before retiring. Olsen finished his career with a total record of 780-280 while winning 589 of those games for the Wildcats.

9. Jim Phelan

Phelan is one of the most respected basketball coaches in college basketball history. Jim spent a year at Mount St. Mary as an assistant coach.

In 1954, Phelan became the head coach of the Mountaineers. In 1964, Phelan led the Mountaineers to the NCAA basketball college championship, playing in the Mason-Dixon Conference.

Soon after, when the NCAA introduced three divisions in 1973, the Mountaineers played in Division II. Phelan would lead the Mountaineers to Division I, and the first round of the tournament at best. Jim retired in 2003, after serving 49 years as the head coach of the Mountaineers, with a record of 830-524.

8. Eddie Sutton

Sutton's very first NCAA appearance was with the Creighton Bluejays in 1974, when he led the team to the Regional third place. It was a rough patch for Sutton to start his career in college basketball. He then moved to Arkansas, where things would start pretty great.

The Razorbacks made a Final Four appearance, just four years after Sutton's arrival. Sutton and the Razorbacks went back and forth in the tournament for the next seven years, before Eddie moved to Kentucky. In his four-year tenure with the Wildcats, Sutton led the team to an Elite Eight appearance in his first year.

Sutton then moved to Oklahoma, where he would be rewarded the most. Coaching the Cowboys, Eddie made two Final Four appearances and saw multiple tournaments with Oklahoma. Eventually, he coached the San Francisco Dons for his last college basketball season. Sutton never won an NCAA basketball title, though left a memorable legacy.

7. Jim Calhoun

Calhoun was the Connecticut Huskies all-time head coach. After spending 14 years with the Northeastern Huskies, Calhoun moved to Connecticut, where he would change the image of the Huskies.

In 1990, Jim led the Huskies to an Elite Eight appearance. From then on, the Huskies made a name for themselves in the tournament.

In 1999, Jim Calhoun won his first NCAA basketball title. Though this was only the start, as the Huskies would have another title in 2004.

Seven years later, Calhoun won his third National title. He then started coaching the Saint Joseph Blue Jays, where he is still active. Calhoun made a name for the Huskies, contributing three titles to the club.

6. Jim Boeheim

Boeheim dedicated most of his life to bringing up the Orange. The Syracuse Orange had just started to make frequent appearances in the tournament under Roy Danforth. The Orange went as deep as Elite Eight, though things took a turn when Boeheim was promoted to head coach.

Under Boeheim, the Orangemen started to touch new heights. After a constant back and forth in the tournament, Boeheim led the Orangemen to their first NCAA basketball title in 2003. He stands second for the most career wins, with 1015 of them in hand.

5. Dean Smith

Dean Smith is one of the most renowned coaches in NCAA basketball history. Smith was the head coach for the North Carolina Tar Heels, where he spent the entirety of his career. Making 11 Final Four appearances and winning two national titles, one of which was led by the great Michael Jordan, Smith had one of the most successful college basketball records.

Retiring in 1997, Smith left with a record of 879-254. The eight-time ACC coach of the year spent 36 years in North Carolina. Not only that but during his career, Smith made a structured offense, allowing the players to be more creative on the offensive end.

4. Adolph Rupp

Rupp was one of the earliest college basketball coaches. Adolph used to play basketball as a kid back in the 1910s.

Having played for the Kansas Jayhawks, Rupp developed a greater understanding of the game, as he went on to coach high school teams. Rupp started coaching the Kentucky Wildcats in 1930.

The team won the Helms National Championship in 1933 and made its first Final Four appearance in 1942. Six years later, Rupp would lead the Wildcats to its first NCAA basketball title. The year later, the Wildcats repeated, winning yet another championship. In 1951, Rupp won his last title, but he went on to coach for 20 more years.

Adolph Rupp won five National Coach of the Year awards and collected 876 wins with just 190 losses in his career. Rupp was truly an inspiration for future college basketball head coaches.

3. Bob Knight

Bob Knight is known as the General, who coached the Indiana Hoosiers for most of his career. He started by coaching the Army, where he would mentor Mike Krzyzewski.

In 1971, Knight moved to Indiana to coach the Hoosiers. In his second season, Knight led the Hoosiers to the Final Four. The following year, the Hoosiers won the CCAT tournament, in which the teams who wouldn't participate in the Division I NCAA Basketball tournament or the National Invitational tournament were allowed to participate.

In 1976, Bob finally won his first NCAA basketball title. Five years later, the Hoosiers would win their second national championship. Then in 1987, Knight would win his third and final national title. His temper during practice and games was seemingly dangerous. For similar behavior, Indiana University parted ways with Knight.

In 2001, Knight moved to Texas to coach the Red Raiders. He didn't have much success there and retired in 2008 with 902 wins to his name. He was named the Big-10 coach of the year eight times. Knight is also the second-most winningest coach in Division I history.

2. Mike Krzyzewski

Mike Krzyzewski, famously known as Coach K, was initially in the US Army. Coach K was offered by multiple NBA teams, though he decided to stay put in college basketball. Widely known as the greatest NCAA basketball coach in history, Krzyzewski spent 42 years coaching the Blue Devils.

In his time at Duke, Mike led the Blue Devils to five national titles, thirteen Final Four appearances, and topped the ACC tournament fifteen times. He is a three-time Naismith College coach of the year and a five-time ACC coach of the year.

Coach K has the most wins in college basketball history, with 1129 wins under his name. His accomplishments with Team USA also put forth his name as the greatest basketball coach of all time.

1. John Wooden

John Wooden is the most successful college basketball coach of all time. Wooden is a 10-time NCAA basketball champion, who made a name for the UCLA Bruins. John once led the Bruins to seven straight titles. From 1964-1975, the Bruins won ten titles, and a third place in 1974.

Wooden is a 5-time NABC Coach of the Year and also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2003, the highest civilian award in the United States.

Off the court, Wooden was a philosopher known for the Seven Point Creed, which was famously followed by his players, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. John Wooden was truly the best coach, NCAA basketball has ever seen.

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Edited by Deepesh Nair