I just looked at the top 10 basketball programs of all time, per a recent article. The teams: IU, OSU, UConn, MSU, U of L, Kansas, Duke, UNC, UCLA, and UK. Looking at the last two coaches of each school (20 coaches total), every single one has reached the elite 8 in 4 years or less.
The only exceptions were the following: 3 coaches were fired by the 3 year mark for performance or ethics, 1 coach has currently just hit the 3 year mark and hasn't made it yet, and 1 coach took 6 years to reach the Elite 8.
Only one other coach, Tom Crean, hasn’t made it to the Elite 8 in twice the time it took everyone else to make the Elite 8.
The only exceptions were the following: 3 coaches were fired by the 3 year mark for performance or ethics, 1 coach has currently just hit the 3 year mark and hasn't made it yet, and 1 coach took 6 years to reach the Elite 8.
Only one other coach, Tom Crean, hasn’t made it to the Elite 8 in twice the time it took everyone else to make the Elite 8.
