College Basketball: Veteran Coaches Excel as March Madness Approaches
A look at how experienced coaches are leading their teams to victory as the college basketball season heats up.
The top four conferences in college basketball this season, according to the NET, are the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Big East. The average age of the coach who has already locked up one of those league championships, or who has the best chance to do so soon, is 68.8.
This is a young man’s game?
Not really.
Rick Pitino has already secured the outright Big East title for St. John’s at the age of 72. Tom Izzo is on the verge of winning the outright Big Ten title for Michigan State at age 70. Kelvin Sampson has already won the outright Big 12 title for Houston at age 69. And Bruce Pearl has already won the outright SEC title for Auburn at age 64. Nobody can do anything forever, obviously. However, there is considerable evidence suggesting it’s possible to thrive as a college basketball coach into your 70s, assuming you adapt to the sport as necessary.
Auburn remains No. 1 in Monday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings for the 54th straight day, boasting a 27-2 record that includes a 16-2 mark in Quadrant 1 opportunities. As elaborated in Sunday’s Top 25 And 1, it confidently appears that the Tigers have secured the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Next Matches
Auburn’s upcoming game is Wednesday against Texas A&M. Following that, they will conclude the regular season on Saturday with a home match versus Alabama.
Top 25 And 1 Rankings
| Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auburn | – | 27-2 |
| 2 | Duke | – | 26-3 |
| 3 | Houston | – | 25-4 |
| 4 | Tennessee | – | 24-5 |
| 5 | Alabama | – | 23-6 |
| 6 | Michigan State | – | 24-5 |
| 7 | Florida | – | 25-4 |
| 8 | Iowa State | +3 | 22-7 |
| 9 | St. John’s | -1 | 26-4 |
| 10 | Wisconsin | -1 | 22-7 |
