What’s the best job in college basketball?
That discussion got turbo-charged last week when North Carolina moved on from Hubert Davis and began an open search to fill one of the premier jobs in the country. The news also jump-started a conversation between The Athletic and dozens of college coaches across the country. We surveyed 51 coaches, both head and assistant, asking them to rank their top five jobs in men’s basketball — preferably after setting aside their personal ties.
The Athletic last conducted this poll five years ago, in 2021, and the results were starkly different. Then, consensus was that Kentucky was the best job in the business, and it wasn’t particularly close.
There’s still a huge gap between No. 1 and 2 — but now it’s Duke ascending to the top spot. Three other blue bloods are bunched together behind them, well ahead of the rest of the field. To most working in college basketball, there’s a clear top tier of jobs, and the order might just be a matter of personal preference. There’s also something to be said for the ever-evolving landscape of college sports.
“The gap between traditional powers and some other programs has gotten smaller because of NIL and the portal,” said one mid-major coach. “For a long time, big fan bases were the superpower, but now those expectations can be a disadvantage. Fans don’t understand why a player would go to Auburn over Kentucky, Miami over North Carolina, Texas Tech over Kansas — but it happens all the time now. If you have the right NIL, you can get elite talent without the same level of pressure as the blue bloods.”
Many coaches surveyed said something along the lines of, “Whoever has the most money with NIL and rev-share — and it’s not me,” with the acknowledgement that those numbers likely will never all be known publicly. Still, we can assume all of the jobs listed below have significant financial support, which is what put them on this list in the first place.
1. Duke
Points: 233
Total votes: 51
First-place votes: 37
The Blue Devils have been to 40 of the last 42 NCAA Tournaments and won five national titles during that run, and thus, “In this generation, there’s nobody, no kid or his parent, that remembers Duke being bad,” one high-major assistant said. “And so Duke is historical to this generation.”
Duke is the brand, and has all of the resources to win in this era.
“It’s a different beast,” another high-major assistant said. “Organic NIL. Success with one-and-dones. Young head coach.”
In just the last 10 years, Duke has had 13 lottery picks, a list that includes some of the NBA’s biggest stars (Jayson Tatum, Zion Williamson, Paolo Banchero and Cooper Flagg). While Jon Scheyer has yet to win a title, he has won 70 games the last two seasons and seems to win just about every recruiting battle.
“There are no holes whatsoever at Duke,” a high-major head coach said. “From every angle, they have an argument they’re the best option.”
2. (tie) North Carolina
Points: 143
Total votes: 48
First-place votes: 5
The mystique and aura surrounding Michael Jordan’s alma mater hasn’t faded a bit, as one of the most decorated programs in college hoops sits in the heart of college basketball country surrounded by some of the nation’s top young talent. Multiple coaches said being able to hop in a car and drive to recruit is a huge plus.
One mid-major head coach referred to the Jordan brand and UNC’s rivalry with Duke as “iconic,” while a veteran high-major coach gushed about how “Carolina has everything” from fans to climate to facilities to resources. History is huge, too: UNC has been to 21 Final Fours, more than any other program, winning three titles in the last 25 years (2005, 2009 and 2017).
One of the most compelling arguments for why UNC ranked so high came from a mid-major head coach who pointed out that while Hall of Famer Roy Williams experienced tremendous success at both Kansas and UNC, he won three titles at UNC but couldn’t win any at KU (his Jayhawks finished runner-up twice during his stint in Lawrence).
2. (tie) Kentucky
Points: 143
Total votes: 46
First-place votes: 3
Is it the best job in America, or the most pressure-packed? Maybe both. The school with the second-most national championships (eight, behind UCLA’s 11) hasn’t won one since 2012, but the Wildcats have the resources to be in Final Four contention every year — hence Mark Pope reportedly paying $22 million for his (underachieving) roster this season. Still, there are few better environments in college hoops than a packed Rupp Arena, and most coaches would love to take their shot at leading the home team.
“With the right guy and right resources, it’s limitless what they can do,” one high-major assistant said.
Others mentioned that the “right guy” is nearly impossible to find, though. “That fan base is just ridiculous,” said a longtime high-major head coach. Coaches acknowledged Lexington is a unique place in need of a unique personality and because of that, might not be the right fit for everyone.
The historic Allen Fieldhouse is one separator for Kansas, which has arguably the best home-court advantage in the country. (Ed Zurga / Getty Images)
4. Kansas
Points: 142
Total votes: 46
First-place votes: 5
“To Bill Self’s quote, there’s no place like Kansas,” a high-major assistant said. “It’s just different. Outside of UCLA and Coach K, it’s the birthplace of everybody else’s programs. (Adolph) Rupp and Dean Smith. It’s like the source, and it’s still really good, and just different.”
Allen Fieldhouse. Opened in 1955 and full of history, it is arguably the greatest basketball venue in the world. Whenever anyone talks about the Kansas job, it’s always mentioned.
“Kansas is the best job because it plays in the greatest facility in basketball,” one mid-major coach said. “Steeped in tradition. Phog Allen Fieldhouse is a must-see, must-visit place. If you are a basketball traditionalist, there is no better place.”
“I’ve coached at Kentucky. I’ve coached at Pauley Pavilion. I’ve coached at Duke. There’s a difference,” one high-major head coach said. “Walking in the Phog Allen Fieldhouse, it’s just different, especially if they respect you. If you’re not very good, you’re gonna get killed anyway, but it’s not as overwhelming.”
The Jayhawks have made 36 straight NCAA Tournaments — the longest streak in the sport — and have been the most consistent winner in the last four decades. In this new era, they still have the financial commitment to win big and the best home-court advantage in the sport is the cherry on top.
5. UConn
Points: 33
Total votes: 21
Five years after it didn’t receive a vote in our last poll, UConn has busted down the door into the blue blood category in college hoops. While the Huskies haven’t won the most consistently, no program has performed better in March and April in the modern era. The Huskies won their first national title in 1999 and now have six titles with a chance at a seventh this weekend. No other program has won more than three since UConn won its first. It speaks volumes that Dan Hurley turned down the Los Angeles Lakers to remain the coach at UConn.
Hurley’s program has clearly become the best of the Northeast, and one advantage is its football program isn’t in a power conference, meaning more resources go to hoops. Some coaches mentioned location as the only downside — Storrs, Conn., is a small town with not a lot close by — but you could argue the lack of distractions works in UConn’s favor. Basketball is life there.
6. Arizona
Points: 28
Total votes: 18
“To an entire geographical region,” said one high-major assistant, “they are the school out West.”
It’s true. The Wildcats, who are back in the Final Four after a 25-year drought, boast tradition, location and maybe, most importantly, weather. The sun shines 365 days a year in Tucson, a major selling point to high school and transfer portal recruits (consider that while other teams huddled inside to avoid freezing temperatures, Arizona had its Selection Sunday watch party outside beneath palm trees).
UA was the last West Coast team to win a national title (1997), though other Western schools have been to the Final Four in the last two decades. To one high-major assistant, that’s actually part of the appeal. “They’re a blue blood, but without the pressure of one,” he said. The Wildcats boast one of the most passionate fan bases in college hoops and they regularly pack the McKale Center, which probably could use a facelift. The positive, facilities-wise, is that UA has a gorgeous practice facility that’s a quick, sunny walk just across the street.
7. Michigan
Points: 12
Total votes: 8
The last time we did this exercise, Michigan ranked 13th. Recent success has obviously influenced the voters. Having one of the best rosters in college basketball, which is not cheap, hints that Michigan is well-resourced, and that’s what matters as much as anything in this era. Michigan appeared as high as third on one ballot.
The Wolverines have lured an elite coach in Dusty May, and even though football is king in Ann Arbor, they have a passionate fan base and history of success. If they can win their second national title in the next week, it wouldn’t be surprising if they moved a couple of spots higher if we conduct the same exercise a year from now.
8. (tie) Florida
Points: 8
Total votes: 4
That Florida is on this list is proof of recency bias, considering the Gators didn’t get a single vote in 2021. Todd Golden winning a national championship in his third year, after never finishing in the top three in the West Coast Conference when he was head coach at San Francisco, speaks to the NIL support Florida has — even at a school where football will always come first. One mid-major head coach said he could see an argument for schools like UF, in states like Florida, which doesn’t have income tax, being at an advantage the longer NIL is around because “their dollars go further.”
8. (tie) Texas
Points: 8
Total votes: 4
First-place votes: 1
“I’d think about Texas over Kentucky,” a veteran high-major coach said. “I mean, that guy (Mark Pope) is under the gun already with those fans. And Texas has all the money. But Texas is just like Michigan, basketball’s never gonna be better than fifth there, because football is one, two, three and four.”
Is that such a bad thing? Some coaches will tell you no. They want fans who care, but maybe not too much. What’s important is a big salary pool for the roster, and Texas might be No. 1 in college athletics when it comes to resources. The Longhorns also have a recently opened state-of-the-art arena that is as cool as any in the sport — it also doubles as a concert venue, and Matthew McConaughey helped design it. Sean Miller had a good job at Xavier, but he was lured to Texas because that job is a great one. Do not be surprised if Miller gets Texas back to being one of the most consistent winners in the sport.
The history at UCLA — seen outside of Pauley Pavilion with John Wooden’s statue — is one reason the Bruins are still considered a top-10 job after a 31-year title drought. (Luke Hales / Getty Images)
10. UCLA
Points: 5
Total votes: 2
In some ways, it feels like this program is on the list mostly out of tradition, given that the Bruins have 11 national championships and 18 Final Four appearances. UCLA is known as one of the biggest brands in college basketball, even if it hasn’t won a title since 1995. The weather in Los Angeles is a huge draw, though all the pro teams — and other forms of entertainment/distraction — can be tough from a fan-support standpoint if you’re not putting a great product on the floor. That the Bruins now have to regularly fly across the country for conference games is a downer, too.
Others receiving at least one vote: Michigan State, Indiana, Purdue, Arkansas, Illinois, Texas Tech
— Brendan Marks, Joe Rexrode and Justin Williams contributed to this report.
