Now that we're a quarter of a way through the century, there have been plenty of rankings to signify the best players, coaches and even moments that have occurred over the past 25 years.
The Athletic has compiled a top 25 ranking that is sure to spark some controversy, listing the top 25 college coaches of the 2000s.
Fans of the UNC basketball program will love to see where former head coach Roy Williams ranks, especially given who he is ranked ahead of!
In college basketball, most coaches are judged by their success in March and April.
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 15, 2025
It’s a slightly flawed way to judge because of the one-and-done tournament setup.
So who are men’s college basketball’s top 25 coaches of the 2000s? pic.twitter.com/CvILT0K4wi
Williams earned the No. 2 spot on the list, an impressive spot for the Hall of Fame coach. Don't worry- the guy from Duke, Mike Krzyzewski, isn't the lone coach ahead of him on the list.
Krzyzewski actually ranks No. 3 on the list, while Bill Self claimed the top spot.
While Duke fans will cry about their former leader not being ranked ahead of Williams, The Athletic had a clear-cut explanation for why the coach wearing Carolina Blue got the edge.
Roy Williams
Teams: Kansas (2000-03), North Carolina (2003-21)
National titles: 3
Final Fours: 7
Conference regular-season championships: 11
Conference tournament titles: 3
NCAA Tournament appearances: 19
Wins: 574 (27.3 per season)
Williams built a juggernaut at Kansas, and while he was a beast in the regular season in the 1990s at KU, he was finally starting to be equally as dominant in March in the early 2000s. Williams made back-to-back Final Fours in his final two seasons in Lawrence, then took a core that missed the NCAA Tournament in 2003 and won the national title in his second season at North Carolina. Williams is tied for the most titles this century and is a Kris Jenkins buzzer-beater away from four. Williams had a great eye for recruiting to his system and there were few things in basketball more aesthetically pleasing than the Carolina break. He just edges Coach K because he reached two more Final Fours and more than doubled him on conference titles this century.
Basically, Williams' two more Final Four appearances and his conference titles (which he doubled Coach K in) proved to be the difference.
Of course, these types of rankings are always subject to debate. Heck, you could make the case that both Coach K and Williams could have a strong case to be the top spot (even though Self has had quite the career thus far).
However, we'll take this small victory and run with it, as The Athletic got this particular ranking right (especially the order in which they chose to rank Williams and Krzyzewski.