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).
But Duke hired Krzyzewski in 1980. Michigan State promoted Izzo to replace his mentor Jud Heathcote in 1995. The two have maintained—and benefited from—stability in an extremely volatile sport, creating a cycle of success that is self-perpetuating. Private Duke touts its Brotherhood; public Michigan State loves its Spartan Dawgs. The effect is the same.
