March Madness reached its climax with the No. 2-seeded UConn Huskies’ 73-72 win against the No. 1-seeded Duke Blue Devils in the Elite Eight on Sunday. Despite a tournament relatively free of upsets, the 2026 NCAA Tournament has not disappointed in terms of entertainment, as a highly competitive Final Four has been set.
Which NCAA Coach Has the Most Final Four Appearances?
Alongside the Huskies, the No. 1-seeded Michigan Wolverines, No. 1-seeded Arizona Wildcats, and No. 3-seeded Illinois Fighting Illini will battle for a chance to win the national championship.
Of the four participants in this year’s iteration, apart from UConn coach Dan Hurley, only Michigan’s Dusty May has reached the Final Four before. This begs the question: Which men’s Division I coach has the most Final Four appearances in March Madness history?
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Former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has the most Final Four appearances in March Madness history, with 13 in his storied 42-year career at the helm of the Blue Devils before he retired in 2022. Krzyzewski converted his Final Four appearances into five national championships, the second most in the history of men’s Division I basketball.
He is closely followed by legendary UCLA Bruins coach John Wooden, who retired with 12 Final Four appearances. He converted those into 10 national championship wins in 27 seasons, including seven in a row between 1967 and 1973.
The exclusive list is completed by former North Carolina Tar Heels coach Dean Smith, with 11 Final Four appearances, and by former Kansas Jayhawks and North Carolina coach Roy Williams, with 9.
During an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday, Krzyzewski revealed his feelings about his former team’s performance, which led to them missing out on his successor Jon Scheyer’s first Final Four.
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“It was heartbreaking,” Krzyzewski said. “I am telling you. Even though I haven’t coached for four years now. It was a great, great basketball game. Not a good one. It was a great game. I could not fall asleep last night. I felt like I was a part of that. And then you’re thinking about all these individual kids and how you are going to take care of them.”
Of the active coaches in college basketball, only St. John’s Red Storm coach Rick Pitino, with seven, and Michigan State Spartans coach Tom Izzo, with eight, appear in the top 10 of coaches with the most Final Four appearances. Both Pitino’s and Izzo’s teams were eliminated before this season’s Final Four.
