Tale of the Tape: Looking at the national championship coaches
A pair of men in their late 60s, yet at different points in their careers, will meet in the national championship.
Duke's Mike Krzyzewski heads to his ninth Division I national championship game in pursuit of his fifth win, while Wisconsin's Bo Ryan is making his first championship game appearance.
Here's the tale of the tape on the two leaders of Monday's national title game.
Legacy
In January, Krzyzewski became the winningest coach in Division I history and the only one to hit 1,000 victories. He currently sits at 1017 wins against just 310 losses, and 944 of his victories came on the Blue Devils' bench, where he's been since 1980.
"Coach K," as he's affectionately known, is the clear face of one of the most illustrious programs in college basketball, and his impact spreads beyond the NCAA.
His work with Duke earned him a chance to lead the men's national team to Olympic gold on two occasions, 2008 and 2012. The three time Naismith College Coach of the Year was also named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001.
In a stark contrast, Ryan sits at a record of 740-227 over his career, which started in 1984. He's been with the Badgers since 2001 and accumulated a record of 357-124 there.
Previous to this year, the farthest Ryan had taken the team was the Final Four in 2014, where the team fell to Kentucky.
Ryan, a four-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, has won championships in his career - he claimed four Division III championships with Wisconsin-Platteville.
Still, it's pretty clear that Krzyzewski's resume blows Ryan's out of the water.
Who has the edge?: Krzyewski
Fun factor
The game could come down to the differing experience levels between the squads.
Wisconsin is led by national player of the year Frank Kaminsky, a senior, along with fellow seniors Traevon Jackson and Josh Gasser.
Forward Sam Dekker, who may have been the team's most important player in the tournament, is a junior, and contributors Bronson Koenig and Nigel Hayes are sophomores.
For the first time in a long time, Duke's marquee players don't measure up in experience.
Three of their best players - Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow and Jahlil Okafor - are freshmen. Quinn Cook and Amile Jefferson cover the contributions for seniors and juniors, respectively.
It's clear that Ryan has a certain appeal that keeps his great players around longer, and it may just come from being a fun-loving guy.
These clips support that notion:
Who has the edge?: Ryan
Coaching approach
"Coach K" served in the military and is a descendant of historical hot-head Bob Knight, having been coached by the Hall of Famer during his time playing guard for Army from 1966-69.
He's known for working referees through intimidation, and his overpowering presence over his players. Like Knight, he can be particularly entertaining when he feels he's not getting his way or he's being tuned out, as evident in these clips:
Ryan is also quite the animated coach. His emotions tend to swing in a radical way. He's so wild that, at one time, he was voted the angriest coach in the game.
His facial expressions when things go awry for him and his team have resulted in many memes and jokes. He also has a way of making things awkward during interviews.
It's obvious that the fiery passion both coaches share works well for their teams - and it's very possible that an explosive exchange on the bench between either of them and the officials can be a difference-maker in the game.