Let me start by saying that I don't care if my bracket went to crap, I'm just glad I didn't get into bed with Duke and Coach K. If I seriously had to root for the Rat King in order to win a bracket pool, I probably wouldn't be able to truly celebrate that win. Why? Because now I can root AGAINST Dook until my dying day. And I don't feel dirty. Just saying....
With that said, if Tom Izzo wins his second national title one week from tonight, Izzo will move past Coach K in my book at least. PLUS imagine if he beats Coach K in the process....
Let's go back to the logic I presented last season when I said Roy had moved past Coach K with his second title vs. Duke's three. Coach K won his first two titles with the SAME team, especially with the first title coming with UNLV laying down due to pay off gambling debts. (I'm sure...) Duke's second title in that run came against the Fab Five when people didn't want to see the Chris Webber-led crew win a title. Then Coach K's THIRD title came against an Arizona team that collapsed when the going got tough. Seriously? you are counting a win against a Pac-10 team? Come on.
Roy's titles though came against Illinois (no doubt the second best team that season) and against Michigan State last year, against Izzo who may be the best coach of the last 12 years.
Which brings us to Izzo. He has made it to 6 final fours in the last 12 years and Izzo is something like 6-1 in regional finals with the only loss coming to No.1 Texas in 2003. Izzo's charges have all made it to at least one final four in their college careers, dating back to the freshmen of 1996, when he took over. Izzo won it all in 2000 and then got back and back and back, getting to the final game in 2009 and he's back in the final four in 2010, with a eerily similar feel to the last time he went back to back final fours.
He is also doing with with smoke and mirrors. He has been living through the drama all season with players ebbing and flowing in terms of attitudes and he even lost his best player the first weekend of the tournament. What happened? He won in the sweet sixteen and then again in the Elite 8. And I don't think anyone doubted he could do it. Has he gotten a little lucky along the way? Yes, but you cannot argue with his record.
He built this program past what it was with Magic in East Lansing, and now there is no reason to think he won't keep adding to his impressive resume.
Today Brandon and Woolvy broke down the best coaches in all of college sports and both came to the conclusion that Izzo was tops, even over Urban Meyer. Meyer won his two titles with the same basic offense but different defenses. Duke won "two" titles with different teams and Izzo would win a second title with a FAR different team (umm 10 years apart) and if he could win it over Coach K, that would put him on the same level as K, despite being one title behind.
Izzo's resume even with just one puts him ahead of Jim Boeheim (1) and Lute Olson(1) and on the same level as Billy Donovan (2), whom he actually beat. I think Jim Calhoun (2) is still ahead of him right now, but if Izzo gets two, he moves past Calhoun, and Dean Smith (2) and right beside Roy (2) and Coach K (3).
One year after I did the list, my updated list is now ready....
Top Level. John Wooden
Right Behind: Bobby Knight, Coach K, Roy Williams
Next Level Down: Dean Smith, Jim Calhoun
Next Level Down: Izzo, Donovan, Pitino, John Thompson
Next Level Down: Boeheim, Olson, Tubby, Gary Williams, Harrick, Steve Fisher, Nolan Richardson
Next Level Down: Every other coach that won a title (including that chocker Bill Self), John Calipari, Bob Huggins.
Bottom Line: I am rooting for Tom Izzo, mainly because I want to see Coach K get knocked down another notch and because Izzo deserves more credit than he gets. Give him some attention. He's a good coach. He is McGuyver for Pete's Sake! Open your EYES people!
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