Does the Big 12 have the best collection of basketball coaches? What to know about every coach in the conference

KANSAS CITY — The Big 12 has an impressive basketball reputation — and so do its coaches.

With the conference hosting its media days in Kansas City this week, the league’s 16 head coaches will take the stage to preview the upcoming season and talk up their teams.

Whether they’ve been Big 12 fixtures for years or are new to the league, here’s a breakdown of every head coach in the conference.

The legends club

Bill Self, Kansas

Lifetime record: 855-272 (648-167 at Kansas)

Few coaches have ever compiled a resumé as impressive as Self’s — two national championships, four Final Four appearances, 16 Big 12 regular season titles (including 13 in a row from 2005-17), 22 first round NBA draft selections and a spot in the National Basketball Hall of Fame.

Self ranks as the No. 12 all-time winningest men’s coach and is one of just eight coaches with multiple national championships in the past four decades.

The 63-year-old may be nearing the end of the road, saying he considered retiring after last season. Whenever Self does step away from the sideline, he’ll surely get a statue outside of Allen Fieldhouse.

Kelvin Sampson, Houston

Lifetime record: 828-362 (329-91 at Houston)

A coaching veteran of nearly 50 years, Sampson continues to be among the sport’s top program builders, defensive minds and overall winners.

Sampson is a two-time National Coach of the Year (1995 and 2024), earning the same honor at the conference level on 10 occasions and across five different conferences.

When Sampson arrived at Houston, the Cougars hadn’t won an NCAA Tournament contest in 30 years. He’s since taken Houston to two Final Fours, along with the national championship game in 2025. All he’s missing is a national title.

Scott Drew, Baylor

Lifetime record: 501-287 (481-276 at Baylor)

It’s hard to believe now, but Baylor was once a program completely devoid of prestige. Prior to Drew’s hiring in 2003, the Bears had reached the NCAA tournament just once since 1950.

A lengthy rebuild eventually led to Baylor becoming a perennial power under Drew, as he’s piloted the Bears to five Sweet 16s, three Elite Eights and a national championship in 2021. Other than Mark Few at Gonzaga, no one this century has pulled off a more impressive program transformation.

Baylor may be coming off its first non-winning season since 2007, but a talented incoming recruiting class should put Drew’s Bears back in the March hunt.

Tommy Lloyd, Arizona

Lifetime record: 148-36 (all with Arizona)

It may seem a bit premature to label Lloyd as a “legend,” but his brief head coaching tenure has proven historically prolific.

Lloyd holds the Division-I record for most wins in his first five seasons, including a 10-5 NCAA tournament mark with four Sweet 16 berths and a recent Final Four run.

Additionally, he spent two decades as an assistant at Gonzaga, during which time the Bulldogs ascended into a West Coast juggernaut. In 25 years with Gonzaga and Arizona, Lloyd’s teams have won more than 83% of their games.

Accomplished veterans

Jamie Dixon, TCU

Lifetime record: 527-261 (199-138 at TCU)

Just six wins away from becoming TCU’s all-time winningest coach, Dixon has spent the past decade bringing the Horned Frogs back to relevance.

Five of TCU’s 12 lifetime NCAA tournament trips have come under Dixon, including four appearances in the past five years. Dixon’s Horned Frogs even won the NIT championship in 2017.

Prior to landing in Fort Worth, Dixon averaged more than 25 victories per year at Pittsburgh, winning three Big East titles and reaching three Sweet 16s.

Johnny Dawkins, UCF

Lifetime record: 345-247 (189-132 at UCF)

Aside from Bill Self, the only other Basketball Hall of Famer at the helm of a Big 12 program is Dawkins.

The former Duke star and NBA veteran has been a steadying presence at UCF, especially in navigating the jump from the AAC to the Big 12. At Stanford, he made a Sweet 16 and won two NIT titles.

Dawkins owns UCF’s lone NCAA tournament victory, produced its first-ever NBA lottery pick and took the Knights back to the Big Dance last year.

Tad Boyle, Colorado

Lifetime record: 385-286 (329-220 at Colorado)

Boyle holds the unique distinction of arriving at Colorado during the school’s original Big 12 tenure, guiding the Buffaloes to the Pac-12 and then back to the Big 12 again.

While the Buffaloes’ recent results have been mediocre, Boyle has been quite solid in Boulder. He won at least 20 games in 10 of his first 14 seasons, with four NCAA tournament wins in six appearances.

Rising stars

T.J. Otzelberger, Iowa State

Lifetime record: 233-116 (124-53 at Iowa State)

Iowa State was a putrid 2-22 when it hired Otzelberger in 2021. A year later, he had the Cyclones in the Sweet 16, where they’ve returned two more times since.

Grant McCasland, Texas Tech

Lifetime record: 284-120 (74-31 at Texas Tech)

He grinded for years at the junior college and Division-II level, and now McCasland is winning more than 70% of his games for one of the Big 12’s top brands.

Kevin Young, BYU

Lifetime record: 49-22 (all with BYU)

No BYU coach has enjoyed more high-profile recruiting success than Young, who holds the school record for most wins through a coach’s first two seasons and has already reached the Sweet 16.

New faces

Randy Bennett, Arizona State

Lifetime record: 589-228 at St. Mary’s

BYU fans will surely remember this guy. After a quarter century at St. Mary’s, the Arizona native is returning home to lead the Sun Devils, who haven’t gotten out of the NCAA tournament’s first round since 2009.

Jerrod Calhoun, Cincinnati

Lifetime record: 297-159 at Fairmont State, Youngstown State and Utah State

Calhoun is the latest former Utah State coach to bounce elsewhere, going 55-15 in Logan before heading back to Cincinnati, where he began his coaching career more than two decades ago as a student assistant.

Casey Alexander, Kansas State

Lifetime record: 303-180 at Stetson, Lipscomb and Belmont

Alexander has posted nine consecutive campaigns of 20 or more wins, now taking over a Kansas State program reeling from the Jerome Tang era’s nosedive.

Important season ahead

Alex Jensen, Utah

Lifetime record: 10-22 (all with Utah)

One of the most beloved Runnin’ Utes in program history, Jensen and his roster of new transfers and international prospects will look to build Utah back to its past basketball glory.

Steve Lutz, Oklahoma State

Lifetime record: 106-68 (37-33 at Oklahoma State)

The Cowboys are in the midst of their longest NCAA tournament drought since the 1980s. Oklahoma State has gotten better each season under Lutz, but the pressure is heating up ahead of 2026-27.

Ross Hodge, West Virginia

Lifetime record: 67-38 (21-14 at West Virginia)

West Virginia captured the College Basketball Crown in Hodge’s first season in Morgantown, and now all eyes will be on if he can orchestrate another strong leap for the Mountaineers in Year 2.