MSU's Izzo Helps Headline Historic Coaching Lineup in East Region

EAST LANSING, Mich. --- The four remaining coaches in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament are about as good a lineup as it gets.

It's so good that you may have to consider Duke's Jon Scheyer the "weakest" (in the largest quotations ever) link. He's a guy who has gone 123-24 (.837) since taking over for Mike Krzyzewski at Duke.

Scheyer is absolutely on an elite pace right now, but it's tough when he's on the mantle with two-time national champion Rick Pitino at St. John's, two-time national champion Dan Hurley at UConn, and one-time champ and Hall of Famer Tom Izzo at Michigan State.

Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley in the first half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

The East is just absolutely loaded this season. The four remaining teams have a combined seeding of just 11 (one above the minimum), the lowest among the four regions (Midwest 13, South 18, West 18).

Even the lowest-seeded team left, St. John's, feels a lot stronger than its 5 seed suggests. The Red Storm won the Big East regular-season title outright and the conference tournament, crushing 2-seed UConn by 20 in the final.

You just don't see many regions in the second weekend with three coaches who have National Championship rings, and all four have made the Final Four before. Scheyer, the odd man out on the title-as-a-coach front, still has two from other roles (one as a player, one as an assistant) that he can show off.

Izzo on the East

Michigan State's Tom Izzo gives instructions during a game against Louisville in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at the KeyBank Center on Saturday, March 21, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

The region is so good that even other pretty good coaches couldn't get this far. Kansas' Bill Self, another two-time National Champion, was eliminated by the Johnnies in the second round at the buzzer. UCLA's Mick Cronin has made a Final Four before and won eight total conference titles (regular season and tournament) during his career, and the Huskies took him down on Sunday.

"When Bill Self is out -- I mean, he's not used to being out, I guess the last couple of years, a little bit more," Izzo said. "But I think that speaks volumes, too, on just how good the Rick Pitino against Self or St. John's against Kansas [matchup was]. I mean, what an incredible matchup that was, and it fit the billing, I think."

Michigan State's Tom Izzo speaks about an upcoming Sweet Sixteen game vs. UConn during a press conference at the Breslin Center on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Jacob Cotsonika, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Legendary Coaches Go Head-To-Head

"Coaches can make a difference, no question. They can make some difference, but it'll always be the players who play the game. And if the players can handle the pressures and the different things, the distractions, they're still going to win or lose the game."

It'll be nothing but big names at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on Friday night. Duke faces St. John's first, and is then followed by Izzo's Spartans against Hurley's Huskies at about 9:45 p.m. ET on CBS.

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo reacts to a call during the first half of NCAA Tournament First Round against North Dakota State at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Thursday, March 19, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images