Who Are The Winningest College Basketball Coaches?

A seismic change happened in the world of college basketball at the start of the 2022-23 season with the retirement of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. Coach K was a staple on the sidelines of the college hoops scene for 47 years, and now for the first time in a generation he isn’t there.

In his 47 years running first his alma mater Army West Point and then Duke, Krzyzewski won five national championships, was named the Naismith coach of the year three times and amassed an incredible 1,202 Division I wins.

Those 1,202 victories make him the winningest coach of all time in college basketball. It’s also made him the unmistakable and unquestionable GOAT in his field. 

1K wins later.....

🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🔵😈 pic.twitter.com/IjqXUGTkPM

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) November 12, 2017

Who Are the All-Time Winningest College Basketball Coaches?

*Data from NCAA Statistics as of January 18

Krzyzewski was the first to hit 1,000 Division I wins in his career as a head coach. He achieved that milestone in 2015 when Duke beat St. John’s 77-68 at Madison Square Garden. Two years later, Coach K would become the first to hit 1,000 wins with a single school when the Blue Devils beat Utah Valley 99-69.

Not only did Coach K win a whole heck of a lot but he developed players into stars for the next level. Notable NBA players that Krzyzewski help shape and mold include two-time NBA champion Shane Battier, two-time all-star Elton Brand and Hall of Famer Grant Hill.

Since Krzyzewski hit 1,000 wins as a head coach, he’s gotten some company on the 1K list. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim joined him in November 2022, picking up win No. 1,000 when the Orange downed Northeastern 76-48.

For the SECOND time in his career, Jim Boeheim has reached 1,000 career wins 🍊 pic.twitter.com/QwpfHkSJBF

— College Basketball Review (@CbbReview) November 20, 2022

Next in line to hit 1,000 career wins is West Virginia coach Bob Huggins, who currently has 926 victories to his credit. At the rate his side is winning games, the 69-year-old will likely hit 1,000 wins in about two and a half seasons after this one.

Winningest Active College Basketball Coaches

*Data from NCAA Statistics as of January 18

If anyone is going to catch Mike Krzyzewski at the top of the college basketball coaching wins leaderboard, it seems like it could be Jim Boeheim.

With 1,010 wins so far in his career, the Syracuse coach needs another 193 victories to pass Krzyzewski. With an average of 22 wins per year over his 47-year career, Boeheim would have to keep that pace up for another nine years. At 78 years old already, another nine years calling the shots seems unlikely. 

Kansas Jayhawks coach Bill Self might just have the best shot to pass Coach K on the all-time wins list.

Self has 779 wins over his 30-year career for an average of 26 wins per season. At that rate, Self could reach win No. 1,203 in 16 years. I know that’s a long time. But at 60, Self could reach that milestone by the age of 76. Krzyzewski coached until he was 75. Boeheim is 78 and still coaching. It’s possible Self could stick around another 16 years and pass Krzyzewski.

Winningest Coach in NCAA March Madness

*Active coaches

Mike Krzyzewski sits at the top of the March Madness wins list too – and by a healthy margin. Twenty-four wins separate Coach K and Roy Williams, who’s second on the list. 

Can anyone catch Krzyzewski? Well, Jim Boeheim, who leads all active coaches on the win list, needs another 41 victories to reach the top of the list. That’s basically the equivalent of winning six tournaments and making the Final Four in another. Unlikely.

Of course, Boeheim could win fewer on a per-tournament basis but that means it’ll just take that much longer to catch and pass Coach K. And, again, at 78 years old, that seems unlikely. Coach K looks to be safe at the top of this table for years to come.