Back to the Top News Newsfeed

One Last Coach K–Tom Izzo Clash Is a Most Fitting Outcome for Their Intertwined Journeys

There are a lot of ways to describe the final matchup between Mike Krzyzewski and Tom Izzo. Two Hall of Fame coaches. Two national-championship winners. Two good friends. But maybe the simplest way to understand what separates the coaches from even the best of their peers is to start here:

Duke and Michigan State have not looked outside of their own campuses for a coach in 40 years. Kansas has. Kentucky does it with almost every hire. UCLA does it all the time. Even North Carolina, which believes it has the best family atmosphere in college basketball, has done it twice (though both times, UNC hired alums).