Big Ten head coaches power rankings entering the 2026 Big Ten Tournament (13. Niko Medved, Minnesota)

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Per Rodney:

13. Niko Medved, Minnesota​

2025-26 record: 15-16 (8-12 Big Ten)

Niko Medved built Colorado State into a consistent Mountain West contender and led the Rams to NCAA Tournament appearances before arriving in Minneapolis. His first season at Minnesota showed gradual improvement as the year progressed.

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Big Ten head coaches power rankings entering the 2026 Big Ten Tournament

Ranking all 18 Big Ten basketball head coaches entering the 2026 Big Ten Tournament as Michigan, Michigan State and Nebraska headline the conference.
bustingbrackets.com bustingbrackets.com

Go Gophers!!
 







GopherBlood777 said:
11 seed with arguably the most limited roster in the conference but is the 13th best coach. Guess he needs to pay his B1G dues first.
Click to expand...
Make this make sense:
"

13. Niko Medved, Minnesota​

2025-26 record: 15-16 (8-12 Big Ten)

Niko Medved built Colorado State into a consistent Mountain West contender and led the Rams to NCAA Tournament appearances before arriving in Minneapolis. His first season at Minnesota showed gradual improvement as the year progressed."

12. Buzz Williams, Maryland​

2025-26 record: 11-20 (4-16 Big Ten)

Buzz Williams has built a strong resume across several programs. He led Marquette to the Sweet 16 in 2013 and guided both Virginia Tech and Texas A&M to NCAA Tournament appearances. His first season at Maryland was difficult, but Williams has proven he can rebuild programs.
 


Until Niko can replicate something similar to Coach P and finish 4th in the Conf when no one expects it, then a Minn coach is never going to get respect based on recent track records.
 



GopherBlood777 said:
11 seed with arguably the most limited roster in the conference but is the 13th best coach. Guess he needs to pay his B1G dues first.
Click to expand...
Yeah, not going to give the article a click but that seems pretty ridiculous.

Then again, a lot of what passes for sports "journalism" these days doesn't amount to much more then someone from a fan site somewhere throwing crap out there.
 

I asked Ai to weigh in feeling confident Niko had to be higher...nope. But, the order is different...
I like 1 and 2 on this list and not much else.

Ai: Based on the 2025-26 season results (through early March 2026), this power ranking reflects a major shift in the Big Ten, with new hires making a massive immediate impact, particularly 2026 co-Coaches of the Year Fred Hoiberg and Dusty May.

2026 Big Ten Men's Basketball Coach Power Rankings
  1. Dusty May (Michigan) - Led a historic turnaround in Ann Arbor, winning the 2025-26 Big Ten regular-season title with a 19-1 conference record, breaking the league record for most wins.
  2. Fred Hoiberg (Nebraska) - Co-Coach of the Year in 2026 (via coaches). He led the Cornhuskers to a 26-5 record, finishing second in the Big Ten after being picked 14th in the preseason.
  3. Matt Painter (Purdue) - Remains the standard for consistency. His 2025-26 team was the preseason No. 1 and finished in the top tier of the conference.
  4. Tom Izzo (Michigan State) - Continues to compete for top spots and finished in the top tier (25-6 in 2025-26).
  5. Brad Underwood (Illinois) - Maintained a high-level team that finished top-three in the Big Ten (24-7).
  6. Mick Cronin (UCLA) - Kept UCLA in the upper echelon of the conference in their second year in the league.
  7. Ben McCollum (Iowa) - Successfully transitioned from D-II, leading the Hawkeyes to a top-tier finish in his first season.
  8. Darian DeVries (Indiana) - Revamped Indiana, with the team finding success behind his high-powered offensive system.
  9. Greg Gard (Wisconsin) - Kept the Badgers competitive as a top-five team in the conference standings.
  10. Buzz Williams (Maryland) - Stabilized Maryland immediately upon arrival with his experienced coaching style.
  11. Eric Musselman (USC) - In his second year, he has the Trojans competing for a tournament spot in a loaded field.
  12. Dana Altman (Oregon) - Continues to keep Oregon relevant, although struggling slightly in the 2025-26 standings.
  13. Niko Medved (Minnesota) - Solid first year, building up the Minnesota program after leaving Colorado State.
  14. Chris Collins (Northwestern) - Continues to overachieve with limited resources.
  15. Jake Diebler (Ohio State) - Solidly managing the Buckeyes as a consistent middle-of-the-pack team.
  16. Mike Rhoades (Penn State) - Still in the rebuilding phase in his third year.
  17. Danny Sprinkle (Washington) - Struggled to adapt to the high-level competition in his first two years.
  18. Steve Pikiell (Rutgers) - Struggled to build upon his previous success in the 2025-26 season.
Note: This ranking is based on data reflecting the 2025-26 season as of March 10, 2026, which included four new head coaches at Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, and Minnesota.
 
Last edited:

STPGopher said:
Make this make sense:
"

13. Niko Medved, Minnesota​

2025-26 record: 15-16 (8-12 Big Ten)

Niko Medved built Colorado State into a consistent Mountain West contender and led the Rams to NCAA Tournament appearances before arriving in Minneapolis. His first season at Minnesota showed gradual improvement as the year progressed."

12. Buzz Williams, Maryland​

2025-26 record: 11-20 (4-16 Big Ten)

Buzz Williams has built a strong resume across several programs. He led Marquette to the Sweet 16 in 2013 and guided both Virginia Tech and Texas A&M to NCAA Tournament appearances. His first season at Maryland was difficult, but Williams has proven he can rebuild programs.
Click to expand...
If you ignore the writeups...we did lose to Maryland in a poor performance. In the standings Minnesota #11 and Maryland #17.
I think his dog wrote the captions and the writer did the rankings. Or, seems like two people who didn't consult with each other and neither one has a clue.
 




STPGopher said:
Make this make sense:
"

13. Niko Medved, Minnesota​

2025-26 record: 15-16 (8-12 Big Ten)

Niko Medved built Colorado State into a consistent Mountain West contender and led the Rams to NCAA Tournament appearances before arriving in Minneapolis. His first season at Minnesota showed gradual improvement as the year progressed."

12. Buzz Williams, Maryland​

2025-26 record: 11-20 (4-16 Big Ten)

Buzz Williams has built a strong resume across several programs. He led Marquette to the Sweet 16 in 2013 and guided both Virginia Tech and Texas A&M to NCAA Tournament appearances. His first season at Maryland was difficult, but Williams has proven he can rebuild programs.
Click to expand...
Buzz has a much longer track record at a higher level, it is what it is and should be expected



I mean we're ahead of Mussleman
 

STPGopher said:
Make this make sense:
"

13. Niko Medved, Minnesota​

2025-26 record: 15-16 (8-12 Big Ten)

Niko Medved built Colorado State into a consistent Mountain West contender and led the Rams to NCAA Tournament appearances before arriving in Minneapolis. His first season at Minnesota showed gradual improvement as the year progressed."

12. Buzz Williams, Maryland​

2025-26 record: 11-20 (4-16 Big Ten)

Buzz Williams has built a strong resume across several programs. He led Marquette to the Sweet 16 in 2013 and guided both Virginia Tech and Texas A&M to NCAA Tournament appearances. His first season at Maryland was difficult, but Williams has proven he can rebuild programs.
Click to expand...
I guess main question would be are we ranking off careers or just this year?
 

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