Tom Izzo revealed he advised Dan Hurley to seriously consider the Los Angeles Lakers job when they offered a six-year, $70 million contract in 2024. Izzo told AP he supported Hurley's potential NBA move while expressing concern about losing what he called "all that is right about college basketball."

Hurley, whose father Bob Hurley Sr. won dozens of state championships, has become one of college basketball's premier coaches. The UConn leader maintains a 77.3% NCAA tournament winning rate, tops among active coaches and fourth all-time with at least 15 tournament games.

The coaching relationship adds intrigue to their Sweet 16 showdown Friday night. Izzo's third-seeded Michigan State faces Hurley's second-seeded Huskies in Washington. Izzo, a Hall of Famer, has made 28 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, while Hurley won back-to-back national titles in 2023-24.