Playing in the NCAA basketball tournament, it turns out, is just like gambling in Vegas.
Play long enough, and the house wins.
Mark Wangrin of the San Antonio Express-News compiled his “SAT” — Seeding Achievement Test — by taking the 10 active coaches with the most NCAA appearances and weighting their games with plus-minus values. Only two (UConn’s Jim Calhoun and Maryland’s Gary Williams) came out ahead, with Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski breaking even.
Coaches received zero points for beating a lower-seeded team, one point for beating a higher-seeded team or winning a Final Four game, and minus-one point for losing to a lower-seeded team, with additional minus points tacked on for each subsequent round in which they would have been favored.
The final tally: Calhoun 4, Williams 3, Krzyzewski 0, Tubby Smith -1, Bob Knight -3, Jim Boeheim -3, Roy Williams -6, Rick Barnes -6, Bob Huggins -8, Lute Olson -9.
Or to put it another way: NCAA tournament 29.