Ranking college basketball coaches: UConn's Dan Hurley tops Houston's Kelvin Sampson, St. John's Rick Pitino

The 2026 version of CBS Sports' annual Top 25 And 1 preseason coaches ranking features a nearly 20% churn rate, as five coaches who didn't make last year's list are crashing the party this time around. But the ranking will look familiar at the top.

UConn's Dan Hurley is No. 1 for a third year in a row. In fact, this year's top three of Hurley, Kelvin Sampson (Houston) and Rick Pitino (St. John's) remains unchanged.  One of the top contenders to potentially crash that rarified air, Dusty May, left for the NBA after leading Michigan to a national championship. May's departure and Greg McDermott's retirement guaranteed there would be some attrition.

Mark Pope (Kentucky), Chris Beard (Ole Miss) and Shaka Smart (Marquette) are the other three coaches who do not appear in this year's Top 25 and 1 coaches ranking after making the 2025 version. All three failed to meet expectations in 2025-26. With plenty of other great candidates waiting at the door, they have been displaced for now.

As for big risers, Arizona's Tommy Lloyd and Illinois' Brad Underwood fit the bill. Both were ranked last year, but they made significant jumps this year after leading their programs to the 2026 Final Four.

NIL arms race: Matt Painter leads ranking of college basketball coaches outperforming their roster budgets

David Cobb

Here is our panel's collective ranking of the Top 25 and 1 college basketball coaches as the new season gets underway.

Rankings determined by voting from CBS Sports' Gary Parrish, Matt Norlander, David Cobb, Cameron Salerno and Isaac Trotter.

1. Dan Hurley, UConn

Hurley guided UConn to its third national title game appearance in a four-year span before the Huskies ran into a historically dominant Michigan team on the season's final night. While Hurley fell just short of becoming the first coach since John Wooden to win three national championships in four years, he's presiding over a dynasty. At 53, he could keep it going for quite some time. He was the unanimous No. 1 choice by our panelists. (Last year: 1)

2. Kelvin Sampson, Houston

Sampson reached 30+ wins for a fifth consecutive season in 2025-26, as he guided Houston to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars fell in the Sweet 16, but Sampson has taken them past the first weekend in seven straight years. The only thing missing from the 71-year old's resume is a national title. Even if it never comes, his revitalization of Houston is Hall-of-Fame caliber. (Last year: 2)

3. Rick Pitino, St. John's

Pitino guided St. John's to a second straight outright Big East title and a second straight conference tournament title in 2025-26. He is 61-12 (36-4 Big East) over the past two years. At 74, he's as imposing of a presence today as he was while leading Providence to a Final Four at age 34. On the heels of a Sweet 16 appearance, could Pitino be primed for one more Final Four run? (Last year: 3)

4. Todd Golden, Florida

Florida didn't back up its 2025 national championship with another title. But the Gators won the SEC by three games in 2026, which is an achievement even the vaunted 2025 team can't claim. Now entering his fifth season, Golden has the AP poll's preseason No. 1 team and the analytics-backed coaching style to maximize its ample potential. At just 41, the former Saint Mary's guard could be a force on the sideline for decades to come. (Last year: 7)

5. Matt Painter, Purdue

Painter's coaching excellence came further into focus with this month's deep dive from Matt Norlander and Isaac Trotter into how much teams are spending on their rosters. Purdue landed in the sixth of seven tiers, underscoring Painter's remarkable ability to do more with less. This could be something of a rebuilding year for the Boilermakers, but Painter's program never stays down long. (Last year: 5)

6. Tommy Lloyd, Arizona

Lloyd has won 80.4% of his games through five seasons and is coming off his best year yet. The Wildcats finished 36-3 while reaching the Final Four for the first time in 25 years. Arizona has become a prime destination for both international talent and highly touted freshmen. Lloyd pieced it all together perfectly last year with the best defensive team of his tenure. (Last year: 15)

7. Tom Izzo, Michigan State

In terms of his ability to produce great basketball teams, Izzo is aging like fine wine. He's 57-15 (32-8 Big Ten) over the past two seasons with a Sweet 16 and an Elite Eight. The Spartans exceeded expectations in both cases as Izzo reestablished Michigan State among the nation's top programs. His 2026-27 team enters the season ranked No. 6. Could it be his ninth Final Four team? (Last year: 8)

8. Bill Self, Kansas

Kansas no longer runs the Big 12 and has been eliminated on the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament in four consecutive years since winning the 2022 national title. Even still, some of the leanest years of Self's 24-year tenure would be considered great by the standards of almost any other coach. When you've won two national championships and 16 Big 12 titles, the definition of success can get skewed. (Last year: 4)

9. Jon Scheyer, Duke

Because Scheyer spent 13 years in the public eye as a player or assistant under Mike Krzyzewski, it can be easy to forget he's still a 39-year old first time head coach with just four seasons under his belt. In that context, his 70-7 (38-2 ACC) record over the past two years is even more impressive. He hasn't delivered a national championship yet. But it's only a matter of time. (Last year: 11)

10. Nate Oats, Alabama

Oats is presiding over the greatest era of Alabama basketball history as he enters his eighth season. The Crimson Tide have made six straight NCAA Tournament appearances and have advanced beyond the first weekend five times. His trademark up-tempo style perennially produces one of the nation's top offenses and NBA Draft picks. (Last year: 6)

11. Mark Few, Gonzaga

Few is shepherding Gonzaga into a new era, as the Bulldogs join a revitalized Pac-12 for the 2026-27 season after running the WCC for 27 years under his direction. No coach is more synonymous with a program than Few is with Gonzaga, which has grown from a mid-major into a perennial power under his direction. (Last year: 9)

12. Brad Underwood, Illinois

Underwood grinded through the junior college and low-major ranks before finally getting a high-major head coaching opportunity in his 50s. His Illinois rebuild, which started in the pre-portal era, didn't happen overnight. But Underwood kept chipping away and got the Illini to the 2026 Final Four. Few, if any, are better at mining the international waters for talent. (Last year: 19)

13. John Calipari, Arkansas

Entering his third season at Arkansas, Calipari is winning the breakup with Kentucky. He's made two Sweet 16s with the Razorbacks, and his third team is ranked No. 12 in the AP preseason poll. At 67, Calipari continues attracting elite talent and letting it shine.  (Last year: 14)

14. TJ Otzelberger, Iowa State

Otzelberger has sculpted five straight top-15 defenses over his first five seasons at Iowa State while reaching three Sweet 16s. He doesn't have a top-line budget, but he finds the right fits and then builds gritty winners. His sixth team is beginning the season at No. 6 in KenPom's rating and should compete for the Big 12 title. (Last year: 21)

15. Grant McCasland, Texas Tech

McCasland is 74-31 (38-18 Big 12) through three seasons at Texas Tech with an Elite Eight appearance (2025). If not for a season-ending injury to star forward JT Toppin, last year's squad was primed to make another deep run. (Last year: 18)

16. Rick Barnes, Tennessee

Tennessee has made four Elite Eight appearances in program history. Barnes is responsible for three of them over the past three seasons alone. Those runs have quieted the chatter about his March struggles as he's built the Volunteers into one of the nation's steadiest winners. (Last year: 13)

17. Scott Drew, Baylor

Drew inherited a moribund program in 2003 and built a national champion in less than two decades. The past five seasons since the Bears' 2021 title haven't been as fruitful. But even if he never nears the mountaintop again, Drew's build at Baylor will go down as one of the greatest in college basketball history.  (Last year: 10)

18. Mick Cronin, UCLA

Cronin is entering Year 8 at UCLA after spending the last two years guiding the Bruins through their transition from the Pac-12 to Big Ten. UCLA is 47-23 (26-14)  during that span with a pair of second round NCAA Tournament exits. (Last year: 23)

19. Sean Miller, Texas

Miller's first season at Texas resulted in a Sweet 16 run after the Longhorn barely squeaked into the field. But this is a vote of confidence in what he's building after successful runs at Xavier (twice) and Arizona. (Last year: unranked)

20. Ben McCollum, Iowa

McCollum is proof that great coaches can come from any level. After a prolific 15-year run at Division II Northwest Missouri State, he's entering his third season as a Division I coach with four NCAA Tournament wins already under his belt. (Last year: 26)

21. Mark Byington, Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt's two-year turnaround under Byington is a sight to behold after he inherited a 9-23 team following the 2023-24 season. He is 47-22 with a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances after taking James Madison to the second round of the Big Dance in 2024. (Last year: unranked)

22. Ryan Odom, Virginia

Odom inherited a 15-win team and won 30 games in his first season after arriving from VCU. The architect of UMBC's historic 2018 upset of No. 1 seed Virginia is now leading the Cavaliers back to national prominence. (Last year: unranked)

23. Pat Kelsey, Louisville

Kelsey will need to go past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament sooner or later. But he's totally revitalized a Louisville program that fell into disrepair under Kenny Payne. The Cardinals have loaded up to make a run this season. (Last year: 20)

24. Randy Bennett, Arizona State

After 25 years at Saint Mary's, Bennett is now trying his hand with a high-major program. Arizona State is a challenging job, but so was Saint Mary's when Bennett took over and built it up from nothing. (Last year: 24) ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

25. Jai Lucas, Miami

Lucas burst onto the scene with a 26-9 (13-5 ACC) debut campaign. As a young, first-time head coach he was a total wild card entering the year. The 37-year old is quickly putting most questions to rest. (Last year: unranked)

And 1: Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska

What Hoiberg has done over the past three seasons stands out, highlighted by the first two NCAA Tournament wins in Nebraska history in 2026. It's the first time in program history Nebraska has won 20+ . (Last year: unranked)