NEW YORK POST SAYS . . .
The best coach among the Sweet 16?
There ‘Iz’ no doubt
Tom Izzo Photo: Getty Images
The Sweet 16 is here. By Sunday night, only four teams will remain. This is when the good become great, when incredible seasons can become career-defining.
Sixteen coaches remain, with some trying to clear a hurdle they’ve never encountered and some trying to elevate a legacy measured against predecessors as much as peers.
Though some of college basketball’s best didn’t make it this far this season — Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Boeheim, Roy Williams, Bill Self — many of the game’s greatest leaders are back in a familiar position.
We’ll soon find out which team is the best, but if the rosters of the remaining teams were reconfigured to create 16 nearly-even teams, which coach would come out on top?
Here’s how it would break down:
Billy Donovan vs. Steve Alford
Alford is in his first Sweet 16 — in his first season at UCLA — but he has had the talent to get this far before, making the NCAA Tournament three times at New Mexico — twice as a No. 3 seed, once as a No. 5 seed — but losing to double-digit seeds each time. Winner: Donovan
Johnny Dawkins vs. Archie Miller
Dawkins started at Stanford in 2008, but is just now making his first tournament appearance, while Miller, 35, has quickly made his name stand out from his brother’s (Arizona’s Sean Miller), with two 20-win seasons in three years and Dayton’s first Sweet 16 appearance in 30 years. Winner: Miller
Tony Bennett vs. Tom Izzo
Bennett already had a Sweet 16 appearance at Washington State before revitalizing Virginia with a slow, yet effective, style of play, but few coaches — past or present — can match Izzo’s 16 straight NCAA Tournament appearances at Michigan State. Winner: NMU Grad Izzo
Fred Hoiberg vs. Kevin Ollie
Hoiberg, in his fourth season at Iowa State, has led the high-flying Cyclones to at least one win in the NCAA Tournament each of the past three years after the school missed the tournament the previous five seasons. UConn’s Ollie may win a dance-off, though. Winner: Hoiberg
Sean Miller vs. Steve Fisher
San Diego State’s Fisher is one of the few remaining coaches with a national title, but Miller has done a remarkable job in not allowing Lute Olsen’s shadow to linger very long at Arizona, posting two 30-win seasons in the past four years. Winner: Miller
Bo Ryan vs. Scott Drew
Drew has gone under-the-radar at Baylor, making two Elite Eights since 2009, but Ryan has been as consistent as any coach in the country, reaching the tournament every year at Wisconsin since 2001. Winner: Ryan
Rick Pitino vs. John Calipari
What should be a Final Four matchup comes a week early. Calipari wins the recruiting battle at Kentucky, but Louisville’s Pitino is who you want on the sideline. With Calipari, there’s always a chance his title run won’t hold up, as two of his four Final Four runs have been vacated because of NCAA violations. Winner: Pitino
John Beilein vs. Cuonzo Martin
Beilein’s climb from junior college to NAIA to Division II to NCAA Tournament appearances with four different schools show he can win anywhere. Winner: Beilein
Donovan is one of only two coaches — Krzyzewski is the other — since John Wooden to lead a team to back-to-back national championships. Winner: Donovan
Fred Hoiberg vs. Tom Izzo
Izzo has yet to have a senior who hasn’t made a Final Four at Michigan State, having made six since 1999. Winner: Izzo
Sean Miller vs. Bo Ryan
Ryan has never led Wisconsin to a Final Four, but if given control of some of the stacked teams he goes against this late, that wouldn’t be a problem. Winner: Ryan
John Beilein vs. Rick Pitino
Beilein is one of the best X’s and O’s coaches in the country, but the chaos of Pitino’s relentless defensive pressure frustrates even the most efficient offenses. Winner: Pitino
A rematch of the 2000 national championship game goes the same way. Winner: Izzo
Bo Ryan vs. Rick Pitino
Pitino would take Ryan’s squad out of its preferred pace, forcing the Badgers into an up-tempo game that doesn’t suit their strengths. Winner: Pitino
Tom Izzo vs. Rick Pitino
There is no right or wrong here; there is only preference. As successful as Pitino has been — the only coach to win national titles at two different schools — Izzo’s accomplishments are almost more remarkable, producing a consistent contender — built on defense and rebounding — despite usually having less talent than coaches of the same caliber. Winner: Izzo
Sixteen coaches remain, with some trying to clear a hurdle they’ve never encountered and some trying to elevate a legacy measured against predecessors as much as peers.
Though some of college basketball’s best didn’t make it this far this season — Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Boeheim, Roy Williams, Bill Self — many of the game’s greatest leaders are back in a familiar position.
We’ll soon find out which team is the best, but if the rosters of the remaining teams were reconfigured to create 16 nearly-even teams, which coach would come out on top?
Here’s how it would break down:
Billy Donovan vs. Steve Alford
Alford is in his first Sweet 16 — in his first season at UCLA — but he has had the talent to get this far before, making the NCAA Tournament three times at New Mexico — twice as a No. 3 seed, once as a No. 5 seed — but losing to double-digit seeds each time. Winner: Donovan
Johnny Dawkins vs. Archie Miller
Dawkins started at Stanford in 2008, but is just now making his first tournament appearance, while Miller, 35, has quickly made his name stand out from his brother’s (Arizona’s Sean Miller), with two 20-win seasons in three years and Dayton’s first Sweet 16 appearance in 30 years. Winner: Miller
Tony Bennett vs. Tom Izzo
Bennett already had a Sweet 16 appearance at Washington State before revitalizing Virginia with a slow, yet effective, style of play, but few coaches — past or present — can match Izzo’s 16 straight NCAA Tournament appearances at Michigan State. Winner: NMU Grad Izzo
Fred Hoiberg vs. Kevin Ollie
Hoiberg, in his fourth season at Iowa State, has led the high-flying Cyclones to at least one win in the NCAA Tournament each of the past three years after the school missed the tournament the previous five seasons. UConn’s Ollie may win a dance-off, though. Winner: Hoiberg
Sean Miller vs. Steve Fisher
San Diego State’s Fisher is one of the few remaining coaches with a national title, but Miller has done a remarkable job in not allowing Lute Olsen’s shadow to linger very long at Arizona, posting two 30-win seasons in the past four years. Winner: Miller
Bo Ryan vs. Scott Drew
Drew has gone under-the-radar at Baylor, making two Elite Eights since 2009, but Ryan has been as consistent as any coach in the country, reaching the tournament every year at Wisconsin since 2001. Winner: Ryan
Rick Pitino vs. John Calipari
What should be a Final Four matchup comes a week early. Calipari wins the recruiting battle at Kentucky, but Louisville’s Pitino is who you want on the sideline. With Calipari, there’s always a chance his title run won’t hold up, as two of his four Final Four runs have been vacated because of NCAA violations. Winner: Pitino
John Beilein vs. Cuonzo Martin
Beilein’s climb from junior college to NAIA to Division II to NCAA Tournament appearances with four different schools show he can win anywhere. Winner: Beilein
ELITE EIGHT
Billy Donovan vs. Archie MillerDonovan is one of only two coaches — Krzyzewski is the other — since John Wooden to lead a team to back-to-back national championships. Winner: Donovan
Fred Hoiberg vs. Tom Izzo
Izzo has yet to have a senior who hasn’t made a Final Four at Michigan State, having made six since 1999. Winner: Izzo
Sean Miller vs. Bo Ryan
Ryan has never led Wisconsin to a Final Four, but if given control of some of the stacked teams he goes against this late, that wouldn’t be a problem. Winner: Ryan
John Beilein vs. Rick Pitino
Beilein is one of the best X’s and O’s coaches in the country, but the chaos of Pitino’s relentless defensive pressure frustrates even the most efficient offenses. Winner: Pitino
FINAL FOUR
Billy Donovan vs. Tom IzzoA rematch of the 2000 national championship game goes the same way. Winner: Izzo
Bo Ryan vs. Rick Pitino
Pitino would take Ryan’s squad out of its preferred pace, forcing the Badgers into an up-tempo game that doesn’t suit their strengths. Winner: Pitino
CHAMPIONSHIP
Tom Izzo vs. Rick Pitino
There is no right or wrong here; there is only preference. As successful as Pitino has been — the only coach to win national titles at two different schools — Izzo’s accomplishments are almost more remarkable, producing a consistent contender — built on defense and rebounding — despite usually having less talent than coaches of the same caliber. Winner: Izzo
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