If the face of college basketball is its coaches, this Sweet 16 will look very familiar to viewers.
Three Hall of Famers -- Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, Louisville’s Rick Pitino and North Carolina’s Roy Williams -- are among the 16, along with at least four more probable inductees (John Calipari, Bob Huggins, Tom Izzo and Bo Ryan).
Beyond those seven are two more (Gregg Marshall and Lon Kruger) who have taken teams to the Final Four; one who’s approaching the top 25 in active wins (Mark Few), and five others who have taken multiple teams to the Big Dance (Steve Alford, Mike Brey, Mark Gottfried, Larry Krystkowiak and Sean Miller). Then there's Xavier’s Chris Mack, who has the Musketeers playing in the second weekend for the third time in six years.
But with big names come big expectations. Who’s under the most pressure during the next two weekends? Let’s count them down, from those facing the least pressure to those facing the most:
16. Gregg Marshall, Wichita State Shockers
Wichita State Final Fours/national titles: 2/0
Marshall Final Fours/national titles: 1/0
Pressure and expectations: The guy can do whatever he wants in Wichita. He’s the king of the city, and rightfully so. He went to the Final Four a couple of years ago, went into the NCAA tourney unbeaten last season and just got done knocking off Kansas to advance to the Sweet 16. It’s all gravy now.
15. Larry Krystkowiak, Utah Utes
Utah Final Fours/national titles: 4/1
Krystkowiak Final Fours/national titles: 0/0
Pressure and expectations: The former NBA big man has done a phenomenal job making the Utes relevant again. There’s absolutely no pressure on Krystkowiak now. Utah fans are enjoying this ride -- even if it ends in the Sweet 16.
14. Chris Mack, Xavier Musketeers
Xavier Final Fours/national titles: 0/0
Mack Final Fours/national titles: 0/0
Pressure and expectations: The Musketeers’ coach has gone to three Sweet 16s in six seasons and now faces his former boss, Sean Miller, and No. 1 seed Arizona. Mack isn’t supposed to win this one, and thus doesn’t have much pressure on him at all.
13. Bob Huggins, West Virginia Mountaineers
West Virginia Final Fours/national titles: 2/0
Huggins Final Fours/national titles: 2/0 (1/0 with West Virginia)
Pressure and expectations: After two seasons of not getting into the NCAA tourney, Huggins and the Mountaineers are relevant again. They took care of business in the first two rounds, but now with Kentucky looming, there isn’t any pressure at all.
12. Mike Brey, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame Final Fours/national titles: 1/0
Brey Final Fours/national titles: 0/0
Pressure and expectations: He erased much of the pressure on him when his team knocked off Butler and got to the Sweet 16. Sure, they are a No. 3 seed, but few expected Notre Dame to have the type of season it has had. It’s a football school, and Brey is playing with house money now.
11. Lon Kruger, Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma Final Fours/national titles: 4/0
Kruger Final Fours/national titles: 1/0 (with Florida)
Pressure and expectations: He has been in Norman for only a few years and has done a nice job. The Sooners are a No. 3 seed and will face a No. 7 in Michigan State, but it’s Tom Izzo in the NCAA tournament, so it’s essentially a pick 'em. The only reason there’s a measure of pressure is because the East Region has opened up after the exits of No. 1 Villanova and No. 2 Virginia.
10. Mark Gottfried, NC State Wolfpack
NC State Final Fours/national titles: 3/2
Gottfried Final Fours/national titles: 0/0
Pressure and expectations: The Wolfpack hardly set the world on fire during the regular season, but Gottfried has taken the program to a pair of Sweet 16s now. NC State took down No. 1 seed Villanova, so the stakes have been raised -- and let’s not forget that the NC State fan base is borderline insane in terms of expectations.
9. Steve Alford, UCLA Bruins
UCLA Final Fours/national titles: 18/11
Alford Final Fours/national titles: 0/0
Pressure and expectations: The Bruins had a disappointing regular season but have managed to advance to the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year under Alford. There aren’t a whole lot of expectations to go further, but there’s still some pressure because it’s UCLA and the program has a storied history.
8. Rick Pitino, Louisville Cardinals
Louisville Final Fours/national titles: 10/3
Pitino Final Fours/national titles: 7/2 (3/1 with Louisville)
Pressure and expectations: After losing starting point guard Chris Jones in the middle of ACC play, the expectations for Pitino and the Cards dipped significantly. However, Pitino now faces a No. 8-seeded NC State team, then possibly the winner of Oklahoma-Michigan State with a Final Four berth on the line. With a manageable path comes raised expectations.
7. Tom Izzo, Michigan State Spartans
Michigan State Final Fours/national titles: 8/2
Izzo Final Fours/national titles: 6/1
Pressure and expectations: Normally, I’d say there isn't any pressure on Izzo because this Spartans team is mediocre by his standards. However, Michigan State has a manageable road to the Final Four that includes a matchup with Oklahoma in the Sweet 16.
6. Mike Krzyzewski, Duke Blue Devils
Duke Final Fours/national titles: 15/4
Krzyzewski Final Fours/national titles: 11/4
Pressure and expectations: He is the winningest coach in Division I men’s basketball history, but he hasn’t been to the Final Four since 2010, when the Blue Devils won it all. We’re not saying he needs to cut down the nets in Indy, but another Final Four appearance would help -- especially because they could lose Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow and Tyus Jones to the NBA after the season.
5. Mark Few, Gonzaga Bulldogs
Gonzaga Final Fours/national titles: 0/0
Few Final Fours/national titles: 0/0
Pressure and expectations: All everyone talks about is the fact that the Zags have never been to the Final Four. Few doesn’t feel the pressure, or at least he certainly acts as if he doesn’t. However, a Final Four appearance would significantly change the perception of Few as well as the program. And by the way, this just might be Few’s best overall team since he took over in 1999.
4. Sean Miller, Arizona Wildcats
Arizona Final Fours/national titles: 4/1
Miller Final Fours/national titles: 0/0
Pressure and expectations: He has rebuilt Arizona into a national power after taking over a program in disarray. Fans in Tucson know this team is almost certain to be torn apart by NBA defections, so Miller does have pressure on him to advance. There are high expectations as a No. 2 seed, and also for a program that hasn’t been to the Final Four since 2001.
3. Roy Williams, North Carolina Tar Heels
North Carolina Final Fours/national titles: 18/5
Williams Final Fours/national titles: 7/2 (3/2 with North Carolina)
Pressure and expectations: It has been a rough stretch for the 64-year-old Williams, with the school’s academic fraud investigation and also the fact that the Tar Heels haven’t been elite in college hoops lately. It’s not as if this season will alter the perception of Williams, who has two national titles on his résumé in Chapel Hill, but it certainly could help quiet some of those who say it may be time for him to ride off into the sunset.
2. Bo Ryan, Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin Final Fours/national titles: 3/1
Ryan Final Fours/national titles: 1/0
Pressure and expectations: The Badgers pulled a shocker last season by getting within an Aaron Harrison shot of going to the national title game. They entered this season with lofty expectations after returning everyone except for Ben Brust.
1. John Calipari, Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky Final Fours/national titles: 16/8
Calipari Final Fours/national titles: 5/1 (3/1 with Kentucky)
Pressure and expectations: It’s obviously a different kind of pressure for Calipari. He’s shooting for history, and just about everyone agrees that he has more talent than anyone else. That’s why Calipari has a ton of pressure on him, especially now as the Cats advance deep into the tourney and are about to face teams that are more competitive.