March Madness East region, by the numbers: Inside championship history of Tom Izzo, Bill Self, Dan Hurley, more originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The East region in the 2026 NCAA tournament is a gauntlet that features a handful of blue bloods and experienced coaches.
While Duke leads the way as the No.1 seed, Jon Scheyer is only in his fourth season as the Blue Devils' head coach. In order to make it to Indianapolis, Scheyer may need to go through several Hall-of-Fame-caliber coaches.
Over the course of the next two weekends, some of the biggest names in the sport will have to go against each other for just one Final Four spot. Here's a breakdown of which coaches make up the East region.
MARCH MADNESS HQ:Live NCAA bracket | TV schedule | Latest news and more
March Madness East Region coaches
| Seed | Team | Coach |
| 1. | Duke | Jon Scheyer |
| 2. | UConn | Dan Hurley |
| 3. | Michigan State | Tom Izzo |
| 4. | Kansas | Bill Self |
| 5. | St. John's | Rick Pitino |
| 6. | Louisville | Pat Kelsey |
| 7. | UCLA | Mick Cronin |
| 8. | Ohio State | Jake Diebler |
| 9. | TCU | Jamie Dixon |
| 10. | UCF | Johnny Dawkins |
| 11. | South Florida | Bryan Hodgson |
| 12. | Northern Iowa | Ben Jacobson |
| 13. | California Baptist | Rick Croy |
| 14. | North Dakota State | David Richman |
| 15. | Furman | Bob Richey |
| 16. | Siena | Gerry McNamara |
Jon Scheyer, Duke
Scheyer took over for Mike Krzyzewski in 2022, but Duke hasn't lost a step. The Blue Devils have improved each year under Scheyer, and are the No. 1 overall seed for the first time since 2019 this year.
Scheyer's success shows that he is one of the brightest young coaches in college basketball, and he made his first Final Four in 2025. However, Scheyer is still looking for his first NCAA championship as a coach.
Dan Hurley, UConn
Hurley was a top high school coach for a decade before making the jump to college, where he has only continued his success. The former Seton Hall guard coach Wagner and Rhode Island before taking the UConn job in 2018.
Hurley specifically rose to prominence in the last three years, leading UConn to back-to-back National Championships. However, he's only made it out of the first weekend twice, albeit during both of his NCAA championship seasons.
Tom Izzo, Michigan State
Izzo is the second-longest tenured active coach in NCAA basketball, having coached Michigan State for the past 31 years. Over those three decades, Izzo 's Spartans have been a consistent presence in the NCAA tournament.
While Izzo has just one national championship, his five Final Four appearances is the fifth most in college basketball history. However, Izzo hasn't made the Final Four in the last five tournaments, the longest such drought in his career.
Bill Self, Kansas
Considering Bill Self has been the Kansas head coach for over two decades, his four Final Fours and two NCAA championships may be seen as a disappointment. Still, Self consistently produced one of the best teams in the country, and has 17 regular-season championships at Kansas alone.
Prior to joining the Jayhawks, Self had stops at Oral Roberts, Tulsa and Illinois. He has also made the NCAA tournament every season since 1998-99.
Rick Pitino, St. John's
In a region full of experienced coaches, Rick Pitino is the most experienced. The 73-year-old began his head coaching career at Hawaii in 1975 and has coached seven different college teams since then.
Pitino's career includes NCAA championships at Kentucky and Louisville, although a chunk of his wins and his title at Louisville were vacated by the NCAA. Still, Pitino has always proven to be perhaps the best coach in college basketball.
Mick Cronin, UCLA
Mick Cronin is known for his consistency, as he's made 13 of the last fourteen NCAA tournaments. Cronin's coaching career began at Murray State before taking over at Cincinnati, where he led the Bearcats to nine-straight appearances.
Cronin joined UCLA in 2019, and made his first Final Four in 2021 with a 11-seeded Bruins team. UCLA has made the tournament five times in the last six seasons under Cronin.
Jamie Dixon, TCU
While Jamie Dixon doesn't have the accolades of some of his contemporaries in the East, he is extremely experienced himself. Dixon coached Pittsburgh for 13 years, making the NCAA tournament 11 times, and has now been at TCU for 10 years, making the tournament five times.
However, Dixon is still searching for his first trip to the Final Four. The 60-year-old came close a few times with Pittsburgh, but hasn't been able to make a serious run with the Horned Frogs.
HISTORY OF UPSETS BY SEED:
16 vs. 1 | 15 vs. 2 | 14 vs. 3 | 13 vs. 4 | 12 vs. 5
March Madness East region, by the numbers
NCAA championships
- Dan Hurley: 2
- Bill Self: 2
- Rick Pitino: 2*
- Tom Izzo: 1
The East Region has a combined seven NCAA championships, as four coaches come together to make up the total. That includes Rick Pitino's 2013 championship, which the NCAA has since vacated.
Final Four appearances
- Tom Izzo: 8
- Rick Pitino: 7
- Bill Self: 4
- Dan Hurley: 2
- Jon Scheyer: 1
- Mick Cronin: 1
Six coaches in the East region have reached at least one Final Four, totaling 23 overall appearances. Tom Izzo, Rick Pitino and Bill Self do the heavy lifting here, as they have a combined 19 trips to the Final Four.
March Madness appearances
The 16 East region head coaches have made a combined 131 March Madness appearances. Of those coaches, Izzo, Self and Pitino have all made the tournament at least 25 times, while Mick Cronin and Jamie Dixon have been to the dance 16 times each.
Conference championships
Of the coaches in the East region, 14 of them have won at least one conference championship. Overall, those 14 coaches have combined for 60 conference titles, as Rick Pitino leads the way with 16, while Bill Self has 10 himself
Career record
Coaches in the East region have a combined record of 5,211-2,610, which comes out to a winning percentage of around 66.7%. Eight of the 16 coaches have won at least 300 games, while five have at least 500 wins and three have at least 750 wins. Pitino once again tops everyone with 913 wins overall.
MORE MARCH MADNESS NEWS: