The Razorbacks are heading to Providence, R.I., for the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Despite being in the "West Region", the Hogs are playing in the easternmost venue, potentially having to traverse the entire continent next week to play in the Sweet Sixteen or Elite Eight in San Francisco, Calif.
Nevertheless, all eyes will be on Providence as three of the best coaches in the conference duke it out on the national stage. Joey Loose of Busting Brackets ranked all 68 coaches heading into March Madness, and Providence has three in the top 10.
I’m still thinking about how the committee made this work of art and said, “eh, throw it in Providence.” Smh pic.twitter.com/ruk2vCsCYU
— Austin Farmer (@FarmersaurusRex) March 19, 2025
The Providence venue's star coaches
No. 7 John Calipari
Arkansas's own John Calipari comes in at No. 7. With 23 NCAA Tournament appearances, Coach Cal has 57 wins and 22 losses with a national championship under his belt.
"Certainly among the most productive coaches in recent memory, Calipari has Arkansas dancing in his first season with the Razorbacks but is clearly revered for his efforts in the past," wrote Loose.
While he's obviously known for his past success, which Loose alludes to, one could argue that this season with the Razorbacks is his best coaching job yet. To rebuild a program from one remaining player, start conference play 1-6, and turn it into a tournament team is nothing short of incredible.
However, his final seasons at Kentucky were filled with lackluster finishes, which undoubtedly pulled Calipari down a couple of spots. "Calipari made four trips to the Final Four with the Wildcats, including the 2012 national title, but didn’t have that same postseason success in his later years."
No. 6 Rick Pitino
Right in front of Coach Calipari is the leader of the West Region's 2-seed, St. John's Rick Pitino. An old rival with Calipari when he was at Louisville, Pitino has been a success at every stop. Kentucky, Louisville, Iona, St. John's — all a record of .744 or above with Pitino at the helm.
"A living legend of coaching college basketball, Pitino’s career stretches all the way back to a stint as interim head coach at Hawaii in 1976, Loose wrote. "He’s led multiple NBA franchises and taken three colleges to the Final Four, notably winning national championships at both Kentucky and Louisville... Pitino has taken the world by Storm with this St. John’s team, winning the Big East regular season and tournament titles."
A renewed rivalry between Pitino and Calipari is what everyone is hoping for, but first, the Razorbacks have to get through the No. 1 coach on the list before that matchup can happen.
No. 1 Bill Self
Bill is one of the winningest coaches in college basketball history. He led Tulsa and Illinois to multiple 20-plus win seasons, although he was only there for six years combined. However, at Kansas, Self has been nearly unstoppable. His record with the Jayhawks is 624 win and only 155 losses in 22 years.
"Self stands among the greats in the history of this sport," said Loose. "Kansas hired him in 2003 and has reaped the benefits, with a pair of national championships and a slew of Big 12 success both in the regular season and conference tournament."
Unfortunately, the last two years have been odd years for the Jayhawks' head coach, losing double-digit games in back-to-back seasons. "These last two seasons have been a step back but Self remains a major name, leading Kansas to at least one Tourney win in seventeen straight Tournaments."