On Saturday night in San Francisco, Duke presented Mike Krzyzewski with the retirement gift he’d longed for most: a record-breaking 13th Final Four appearance.
Krzyzewski hugged his players and beamed with joy after his Blue Devils wrapped up a 78-69 Elite Eight win over Arkansas to extend his farewell tour by another week.
Displaying superior individual talent and impressive maturity, Duke left no doubt as to who was the better team. The Blue Devils took a 12-point lead at halftime and responded with a KO punch after Arkansas reduced their lead to five early in the second half.
By defeating the fourth-seeded Razorbacks, Krzyzewski overtook John Wooden for the most Final Four appearances of any collegiate coach. UCLA’s Wizard of Westwood reached the national semifinals 12 times from 1962 to 1975.
Either NCAA tournament favorites or the Blue Devils’ greatest rival await Duke in New Orleans. North Carolina need only beat 15th-seeded Saint Peter’s on Sunday to set up the first-ever NCAA tournament duel between Tobacco Road rivals.
Just four times prior to this season, Duke and North Carolina have ever made the Elite Eight in the same year. Only in 1991 did both reach the Final Four.
While Duke boasts a full roster with a half-dozen NBA prospects, the Blue Devils’ youth has been as flashy as their talent for most of the season. There were a few times in late March when the moment seemed too big for them, when they seemed to collapse under the pressure of sending Krzyzewski out with a perfect final hurray.
After North Carolina spoiled Krzyzewski’s last game at Cameron Indoor Stadium with a 94-81 win, the legendary coach grabbed a microphone and apologized to his dozens of ex-players who were in attendance and to a shocked, speechless crowd. “Let me just say – that was unacceptable,” he said. “Today was unacceptable but the season was very acceptable. And I’m telling you, the season isn’t over yet, okay?”
The story goes on
From that glowing speech sprang some productive conversations that helped pave Duke’s path to New Orleans. Krzyzewski hinted on Friday that he regrets how he dealt with the agony of that defeat and that he spoke to his players about it.
“I really felt sorry for them,” Krzyzewski said. “When I said unacceptable, that didn’t mean they were unacceptable. It was the result that wasn’t acceptable and I wanted to make sure that wasn’t misconstrued by them.”
Another subtle but significant change Krzyzewski has made is to use the NCAA tournament’s extended 20-minute halves differently. Instead of immediately giving a speech about what went right and what went wrong, Krzyzewski spent more time listening to his players’ feedback.
“When I get to the dressing room, I just pull out a chair and sit with them for about five minutes,” Krzyzewski said. “It’s just, okay, here we are and just talk to them.”
If the first two weeks of the NCAA tournament are any indication, Duke seems to be responding well to this toned-down approach. The young Blue Devils appear to be growing up and coping with the pressure of retiring Krzyzewski with one more ring.
They rallied for a second-round win over Michigan State, despite falling behind by five with five minutes left. Then they looked overwhelmed early on by Texas Tech’s vaunted defense in the Sweet 16, only to shoot 71 percent from the field in the second half and never miss a shot in the final eight-plus minutes.
There was no need for late comebacks against Arkansas, thanks in part to a game-changing 8-0 push from Duke to close out the first half. The Razorbacks went into halftime 12 behind, despite being within 4-6 points for most of the half.
The mistake that really hurt Arkansas was Chris Lykes’ decision to hoist a 3-pointer with just over 10 seconds left at halftime. By stopping the clock from ticking down, Lykes gave Trevor Keels time to punish the Razorbacks with a game-changing 3-pointer to the buzzer.