At ages 66 and 58, respectively, Mike Krzyzewski and Tom Izzo won't be scoring, rebounding or playing defense when Duke and Michigan State face off in the Sweet 16 on Friday night. But that doesn't mean that one of them won't be given a large measure of credit for winning the game. Even with both team's rosters stocked with talented players, the men on the sideline will garner plenty of attention before, after and during the marque matchup.
Two of the most iconic coaches in college basketball, Krzyzewski and Izzo, will square off for the eighth time in the Midwest Regional semifinal. The two have a combined total of 15 Final Four appearances and five national championships. Izzo is 1-6 against Coach K but 1-1 in the NCAA Tournament, per the Detroit Free Press.
"Their guys play hard all the time and I think we play hard all the time. I think it's going to be a great game for college basketball," Coach K said on the eve of the regional semifinal. "For the most part, both of our programs, we don't beat ourselves. Someone has to beat us."
The two basketball masterminds even sound alike.
"You don't beat Duke, unless you beat Duke," Izzo said, via USA Today Sports. "They're not going to beat themselves. It's the first thing I said to my team. 'You'd better saddle up because there will be nothing given.'"
Here some of the incredible stats each coach has racked up ahead of this matchup.
*Sweet 16 Appearances Before 2013 NCAA Tournament