Tale of the Tape: Ohio State's Thad Matta Versus Michigan's John Beilein

John Beilein bid farewell to Michigan last week after 12 seasons guiding the men's basketball program in Ann Arbor. 

Even Buckeye fans – honest, intelligent ones at least – recognize what a great coach Beilein was for Michigan, rescuing the the Wolverines from the Ed Martin scandal followed by 10 years of mediocrity as Brian Ellerbe and Tommy Amaker failed to right the ship. 

Beilein not only brought Michigan basketball back to national prominence – becoming the school's all-time winningest coach along the way – but did so in a clean, professional way. 

Sound familiar? It should. 

Thad Matta arrived at Ohio State after Randy Ayers and Jim O'Brien both brought national prominence but also periods of extreme mediocrity along with NCAA troubles. 

Like his competitor to the north, Matta turned the same trick, bringing Ohio State back to national prominence and becoming the school's all-time winningest coach.

The two also saw their careers overlap for 10 seasons which is significant when you factor in Matta's tenure in Columbus lasted 13 seasons while Beilein's reached 12. 

Linked by the era in which they coached, the league in which they battled, and the rivalry between the two programs, it's no wonder the comparisons between the two started immediately following Beilein's exit. 

So what does the tale of the tape look like when you focus solely on their runs at the helm of their Big Ten schools? Here's a primer: 

Probably the most lopsided, if you can call it that, comparison between the two comes as you examine overall won-loss record and conference success. 

Yes, both left their Big Ten schools as the winningest coaches in program history but Matta holds a significant edge in actual winning percentage. Matta won at a 73.3% clip while Beilein finished at 65.0%. 

That spread may not seem drastic on the surface but consider Beilein would've needed 36 more wins – three per season – to match Matta's ability to win games. 

That reality also shows itself in Matta's dozen 20-win seasons in 13 tries compared to Beilein's eight in 12 seasons though I admittedly didn't research strength of non-conference schedules during their tenures. 

 Matta also had noticeably more success winning the Big Ten with five regular season and four postseason conference tournament crowns compared to two and two, respectively, for Beilein. 

Finally, Matta's book of work featured six appearances in the top 10 of the final AP Poll whereas Beilein mustered only three. 

Overall edge here easily goes to Matta. 

Looking at success in the NCAA Tournament, the resumes tighten up sharply. 

Each man registered nine Dance bids though remember Matta had one extra year in Columbus. 

Beilein was more effective reaching the second weekend, making seven Sweet Sixteen appearances versus six for Matta. That said, Matta won his Sweet Sixteen matchups three times compared to just two for Beilien. 

Of course, once Beilein reached the Elite Eight, he won both times, vaulting the school into two Final Fours and he wasn't done yet, winning both of those matchups to register two appearances in the national title game though his team's lost both times. 

Matta made it to two final fours and advanced to the title game once, behind a freshman class featuring Greg Oden and Mike Conley, before losing to a veteran-laden Florida Gators team.

Beilein edges out Matta here. 

Matta and Beilein matched up 21 times during their tenures in the Big Ten with Matta holding a distinct edge with a 14-7 record. 

During the 10 years in which the two saw their tenures overlap, Matta only had one losing record against Beilein as the Buckeyes went 0-2 versus the Wolverines during the 2013-14 season. 

Matta's teams won the yearly head-to-head battle six times in 12 seasons with the teams splitting the series three times. 

During a four-year season period between 2009-10 and 2011-12, Matta's Ohio State squads went 9-2 against Beilein's Michigan teams including three straight wins in the Big Ten tournament. 

Matta also captured three B1G Coach of the Year crowns over his 13 seasons compared to one for Beilein. 

Decisive edge here goes to Matta. 

Matta picked up more blue chip recruits along the way but there's no question Beilein was a superb developer of talent. 

Both coaches racked up nine NBA Draft selections and one national player of the year with Evan Turner turning the trick for Ohio State and Trey Burke for Michigan. 

Matta did have four consensus All-Americans (D'Angelo Russell, Jared Sullinger, Evan Turner, Greg Oden) compared to two for Beilein (Nik Stauskas, Trey Burke). 

If you had to give an edge here, I guess it would go to Matta based on the four consensus All-Americans but I'd give Beilein and his staff the edge in player development overall. 

Beilein does deserve extra credit for leaving the program in respectable shape while Ohio State had to pick up the pieces a bit when Matta was forced to move on. 

Bottom line, Ohio State and Michigan were fortunate to land both of these guys as both proved to be the best in each program's history and achieved success without running afoul of the NCAA or otherwise embarrassing the university.