Greenville, S.C. - When two iconic, legendary coaches have been at their respective schools for 69 combined years with 20 combined Final Fours, they were mathematically destined to cross paths in landmark moments.

Another one will take place at 5:15 p.m. on Sunday in the Second Round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament, here at Bon Secours Wellness Arena, when Tom Izzo and Mike Krzyzewski clash one last time.

Krzyzewski will retire at the end of the season, which could come any moment now that we’re in the NCAA Tournament.

During Friday’s press conferences, and the run-up to Sunday’s game, Izzo took his usual humble stance of lamenting his poor record against Coach K, citing the 3-12 overall mark (but failing to mention that he’s a respectable 2-3 in the NCAA Tournament against Krzyzewski, with a chance to send him into retirement with an even 3-3 postseason record).

As he has done throughout his 27-year coaching career, Izzo is happily willing to take the back seat in this clash.

“I've got to be his favorite coach because he's beaten us like a drum,” Izzo said. “In the coaching world, the GOAT (greatest of all time) is the team we'll play.”

“I’m glad he didn’t call me some other animal,” Krzyzewski said on Saturday.

This will be the 16th time they have coached against each other in 27 years. That’s highly uncommon for non-conference foes to run into one another as often as these two have.

Each program’s success in the NCAA Tournament has everything to do with it. Not only have they met in The Big Dance five times prior to this season, but each team’s success in March has led to showcase matchups in November and December. They have played every third year in the Champions Classic, and frequently make up one of the marquee matchups of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Krzyzewski surpassed Bob Knight to become the all-time winningest coach in college basketball history with his 903rd win on Nov. 11, 2011, with a victory against, of all people and teams, Tom Izzo and Michigan State in the Champions Classic.

And now Izzo stands between Krzyzewski and the Sweet 16.

“So maybe the NCAA decides I'm the sacrificial lamb or something, I don't know,” Izzo said.

Izzo is the first to mention his poor record against Krzyzewski.

Krzyzewski is the first to mitigate it.

Why has Coach K had so much success against Izzo?

“Probably we had Grant Hill or JJ Redick,” Krzyzewski said with a laugh.

Actually, Hill’s Duke team beat Jud Heathcote’s Michigan State team in the Second Round of the 1994 NCAA Tournament when Izzo was an assistant. As for Redick, Michigan State happened to beat his team in the 2005 Sweet Sixteen, branded by Maurice Ager’s legendary dunk over Redick at a key juncture in the second half.

But, the point is, Krzyzewski isn’t keeping score.

“I’m not that big on coach versus coach records,” He said. “Maybe in the NFL, where you have the same players, but that's never been a stat that's of interest to me.”

The overall record favors Krzyzewski. But Izzo has won two of the last three.

Also, there are general numbers that could favor Izzo in this game. Izzo’s specialty is winning in the NCAA Tournament on what he calls a one-day prep.

Izzo and his staff had four days to prepare for Davidson in the First Round. A lot of quality coaching staffs can get their teams ready for the first game of an NCAA Tournament weekend. But it takes special brainwork, efficiency, organizational skills and perhaps even late-night coaching endurance to prepare a team between a Friday and a Sunday. That will be the test for both coaches this weekend.

“We tell our players, ‘You win the first game of the weekend, and let our staff help you win the second game,'” Izzo said.

Of their 15 games, only once have Izzo and Krzyzewski meet as part of a one-day prep in the NCAA Tournament. And that game produced the biggest upset of the series, in 2019, when the Spartans stunned Zion Williamson and a Duke team that had been the prohibitive National Championship favorite from the start of the season until that day in Washington, D.C., three years ago, when Cassius Winston and Michigan State scored a 68-67 victory in the East Regional Final.

That loss might go down as one of the more regrettable NCAA Tournament failures of Krzyzewski’s amazing career. And now, with Michigan State handling another one-day prep, Izzo has a chance to add to it by sending Krzyzewski into retirement.

It wouldn’t be the first time Izzo has retired a Hall of Fame coach. He did so in the 2001 Regional Finals when his Spartans ousted John Chaney and Temple during Chaney’s final season, as Izzo was the final coach to prevent Chaney from ever reaching the Final Four.

Izzo also retired long-time Vermont head coach Tom Brennan in the Second Round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament, a few days before MSU’s victory over Duke in the Sweet 16.

Rick Majerus’s last loss came at the hands of Izzo in the Second Round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament. And Jerry Tarkanian’s final NCAA Tournament loss was dealt by Izzo in the Second Round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament.

Back then, Izzo used to shake his head about being put in position “to kill Bambi," as he called it. That’s the way he felt about retiring the venerable Chaney in 2001, and also defeating everyone’s favorite mid-major Cinderella (at the time), Gonzaga, in the Sweet 16, that year.

Now, Izzo has the chance to create the ultimate tournament kill, and end Krzyzewski’s career with a Spartan victory against a team and coach that has been a colossal nemesis for so long. Izzo isn’t looking at it as a hate crime.

“I’m looking forward to it in a lot of ways,” Izzo said. “Not when I look at the record, but when I look at the coach, the team, and the position we're in.

“I’m going to try my hardest to see if we can get one more win on the positive side of that thing. Every time we've played, it's been a game I look forward to. It's been a game I respect. I think Mike has done more for our profession than just Duke basketball. This is about basketball. It's about the profession I chose. He's been the model. He's been the model of consistency.

“But for 40 minutes, I'll bet you Mike wants to beat the hell out of me, and I bet you I want to beat the hell out of him.

It should be a great day for college basketball. And what happens after, only time will tell.”