Tag: Coach K

On Site: Smooth sailing for Duke in Round 1 of NCAA tournament?

Coach K’s final dance begins against Cal St. Fullerton.

It’s a matchup of 2-seed Duke versus 15-seed CSU Fullerton. With a big spread, is there any chance you should go with Fullerton over Duke? We break it all down.

All odds via Tipico.

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Duke basketball was reportedly ‘bristled’ by UNC’s lack of flowers for Coach K

Duke staffers may not have been happy about Coach K’s Chapel Hill sendoff.

Mike Krzyzewski’s final season has played out mostly as expected. The 42-year Duke men’s basketball head coach has collected his flowers at stops across the country as the Blue Devils once again churn toward an NCAA Tournament where they have legitimate Final Four hopes. The one visible wrinkle came when Coach K, in his final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, lost his home finale to rival North Carolina in a surprising 13-point loss.

That, apparently, wasn’t the only thing UNC did to annoy Duke this year.

Per ESPN’s Wright Thompson, staffers and players may not have been happy the Tar Heels didn’t roll out the red carpet for the coach that’s been the biggest thorn in their side for more than four decades:

“Duke won that first game against Carolina—folks inside the program bristled that the Tar Heels didn’t honor Krzyzewski during the game—and then turned around and lost to Virginia, a well-coached team that gives Duke fits.”

It’s a strange windmill to tilt at, especially when that perceived slight may have been a motivating factor in a 87-67 Blue Devil win. But while other ACC foes like Virginia and Pitt gave the departing head coach special honors, UNC pretty much gave him a brief nod before the well-earned scorn the Tobacco Road rivalry demands.

It’s not as though North Carolina’s basketball program didn’t step up to praise Krzyzewski when he announced his final season on the sideline, either:

And here’s how Duke honored Roy Williams after he announced his retirement from the game after 18 seasons and three national championships with the Tar Heels.

Williams’ situation was different — he retired in the offseason rather than announcing his departure beforehand — but the two sides seemed to handle the situation gracefully and respectfully.

Coach K seemed to get a fitting goodbye from the UNC faithful, especially when an outpouring of anything more than begrudging respect would have felt manufactured. But still, it may have rubbed Duke basketball the wrong way. Of course, you wouldn’t know it from the way the Blue Devils played in Krzyzewski’s final game in Durham.

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Duke fans go wild as Coach K takes the floor through a tunnel formed by former Blue Devils stars

One last time in front of the Cameron Crazies.

Forty-two seasons, 1,430 games, five national championships and 12 Final Four appearances.

Legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s resume speaks for itself. Of all the coaches who shaped this game, perhaps only UCLA’s John Wooden can claim more success and a greater impact on the sport as a whole.

We’ve known this was Coach K’s last year in Durham since the offseason, but on Saturday, it got very real as he took the court — which bears his name — at Cameron Indoor Stadium for the final time.

He did so surrounded by a tunnel of former Duke stars, a perfectly fitting sendoff for a man who has been the face of college basketball for the better part of four decades. It’s also perfectly fitting that his last game at the Blue Devils’ home arena came against their most bitter rival in North Carolina.

It was a special scene, to say the least.

It was also clearly an emotional moment for Krzyzewski, who has been entering the court in that building as the head coach since 1980.

It will certainly be bizarre when current assistant coach Jon Scheyer takes the reigns next season and leads this team into Cameron Indoor, instead. But the book hasn’t closed on Coach K’s tenure just yet.

His Blue Devils squad entered the regular-season finale at 26-4 with the best record in the ACC at 16-3. Duke is all but guaranteed a top-two seed in the NCAA Tournament, which begins in two weeks, and Coach K will look to add one last piece of hardware as a parting gift to the Cameron Crazies.

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The entire basketball world paid homage to Coach K ahead of his final home game at Duke

Coach K has impacted basketball in an immeasurable way.

Mike Krzyzewski is so influential in basketball as a sport. It’s not limited to just one section.

It isn’t just the players he’s coached through the years — though, they’re showing up to his final game in droves. It’s not just the NBA players he’s coached through Team USA or the ones that have watched him from afar through the years. It’s not even just the coaches he’s gone up against.

It’s all of them. All of them combined.

He’s touched so many people through this sport of basketball that we all love. And for his final game, so many of them paid tribute to him in one way or another.

Here’s a look at some of the kind words from folks that have shown up through social media.

Here’s a list of every former Duke player showing up to Coach K’s final home game

This list is Coach K’s real legacy at Duke.

Mike Krzyzewski is preparing to coach his final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium and, of course, it’ll be against UNC.

This is a special occasion. It marks the end of four decades of straight success from one of the greatest coaches the college basketball world has ever seen.

Through the years, Coach K has touched a number of players both on and off the court. They’ve come through his program, had success, won championships and then some. Some of them have even gone on to become NBA legends.

It’s pretty clear that he’s had a monumental impact on so many of them. There’s proof, too. There are a bunch of them coming back to celebrate him on his final night at home.

So. Many. Names.

Elton Brad, Jay Bilas, Carlos Boozer, Shane Battier, Ryan Kelly, Amile Jefferson, Grant Hill, David and Gerald Henderson. There are so many names here. So many generations of players. So many moments. So much success.

Seeing this list and seeing the love Coach K is still getting from these players is a really cool thing. This is an amazing way to send him off.

Win or lose, this moment will be special.

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Coach K’s final game at Duke is a more expensive ticket than Super Bowl 56

It’ll run you at least $3,250 to say goodbye to Mike Krzyzewski in person.

After 42 years, 12 Final Four appearances, and five national championships, Mike Krzyzewski is finally retiring as head coach of Duke men’s basketball. His finale at Cameron Indoor Stadium — an arena in which he’s won 474 games — will fittingly be against arch rival North Carolina.

And if you want to say goodbye to a coaching legend in person, it will cost you more to get in the building than the cheapest tickets to Super Bowl 56.

The ticket prices for Krzyzewski’s farewell have risen steadily throughout the final week of the regular season. As of March 3, two days before tipoff, the cheapest available seat had climbed to $3,231 at Vivid Seats, $3,250 at StubHub, and $3,300 at SeatGeek.

That’s officially a higher get-in price than Super Bowl 56 had less than three weeks earlier. Per StubHub’s Maya Penland, the cheapest seats listed for the world championship tilt between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium bottomed out at $3,000 on February 11. That means it was easier to get into the biggest football game of the year than it is a regular season tilt between fourth-ranked Duke and a 22-8 North Carolina team not yet assured an at-large bid to the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

Of course, the Super Bowl happens every year. Coach K only coaches his final game at home, against his most bitter rival, once. Add in Cameron Indoor Stadium’s intimate confines — the venue can only reach its 9,314-person capacity thanks to a middle finger to the concept of personal space — and you’ve got a perfect storm of rising prices. Amazingly, a game that won’t affect the final ACC standings or end either team’s season is now the most exclusive ticket of the year.

Virginia’s Tony Bennett honors Mike Krzyzewski in classy pregame moment

What a heartwarming moment.

Wednesday night’s trip to Charlottesville was Duke men’s basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final game in John Paul Jones Arena. With the stands packed with orange-clad fans, Virginia’s Tony Bennett took to the microphone at mid-court prior to the national anthem and lineups to thank Coach K for his contributions to the game, the conference and wish him well in retirement.

Bennett also presented him with a plaque to commemorate the occasion.

The long-time coach hasn’t gotten a warm welcome at every stop, notably receiving boos and some choice swear words in his final game at rival UNC.

This is the final season for Krzyzewski after over 40 years with the Blue Devils, and his No. 7 Duke squad is trying to send him out with his sixth NCAA title.

What a wonderfully classy moment!

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Duke-Notre Dame rescheduled for later this month

Coach K’s final trip to Notre Dame will be later this month.

The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball team matchup with Duke, originally scheduled for New Year’s Day, has been moved to Monday, January 31, 2022, at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

The original date was postponed due to COVID-19 safety precautions within the Duke men’s basketball program.

The rescheduled date will challenge the Irish with four games in seven days, starting with Virginia at home on Saturday, January 29th, the Duke game on Monday, then a two-game road swing to Miami (Wednesday, Feb. 2) and NC State (Saturday, Feb. 5).

The Notre Dame Ticket Office will contact ND vs. Duke customers in the near future with more ticket information about the rescheduled game.

Notre Dame’s home slate vs. Duke postponed

Coach K’s final trip to Notre Dame will have to wait…

Men’s Basketball New Year’s Day Game Against No. 2/2 Duke Postponed

The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball contest with No. 2/2 Duke, scheduled for Saturday, January 1, 2022, has been postponed. The announcement was released by the Atlantic Coast Conference on Wednesday, December 29, 2021, as Duke is adhering to the outlined COVID protocols within the ACC Medical Advisory Group report, which is available on theACC.com (full report).

The league and both schools will attempt to reschedule the contest later this season. Tickets for the game will be honored for the rescheduled date. More information will be provided soon by the Notre Dame Ticket Office.

The ACC also announced the following men’s basketball schedule changes for games on Saturday, Jan. 1:

  • Virginia at Syracuse – time change to 6 p.m. on ACC Network (originally scheduled for 8 p.m.)
  • North Carolina at Boston College – moved to Sunday, Jan. 2 at Noon or 1 p.m. (TV network TBA; originally scheduled for Jan. 1 at Noon)
  • Louisville at Georgia Tech – moved to Sunday, Jan. 2 at 6 p.m. on ESPNU (originally scheduled for Jan. 1 at 2 p.m.)

Boston College and Georgia Tech are adhering to the outlined COVID protocols within the ACC Medical Advisory Group report as well.

Notre Dame’s next contest will be against North Carolina on Wednesday, January 5, 2022, at 9 p.m. ET.

College Basketball: The 10 all-time most annoying Dukies

Who belongs at the top of this list and why?

College basketball officially starts nationwide tonight which means it’s a chance for all of us in this divided nation and world come together in one cause:

Hating Duke basketball.

As a kid I ate it all up.  Mike Krzyzewski was a hero in my 15-year old eyes when Duke won it all in the spring of 2001, but 20 years later I’m grateful to have seen the light since and realized just how insufferable that entire program is.  How Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey developed into such a likable figure after spending eight years on Krzyzewski’s bench is beyond me, but I digress.

With Krzyzewski starting his final season as Duke’s head coach this year let’s honor him by naming the 10 Most Annoying Dukies of All-Time: