MY ACCOUNT
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski revealed his excitement heading into his final NCAA Tournament before bringing an outstanding 42-year tenure to a close.
‘Coach K’ is leaving Duke at the end of this season, having been the Blue Devils’ coach since 1980.
Krzyzewski was denied a 16th ACC Tournament title with defeat to Virginia Tech in the championship game last weekend, but the possibility of a sixth national title remains.
The coach’s final March Madness begins with his number two seed facing 15-seed Cal State Fullerton on Friday.
“I’m just going to go for it, and that’s what I’ve tried to do all season long,” Krzyzewski said. “I just want to be in the moment. I’m excited.”
While Krzyzewski is looking forward to his ‘last dance’, he acknowledges the emotion around each game is trickier for his Blue Devils players to deal with.
“That’s part of the thing this week, is to get them mentally fresh, not just physically fresh,” the 75-year-old said.
“There’s a lot of emotion with all my stuff, and it’s over now. That’s a lot for those kids.”
The East Regional section of the tournament saw a big upset on Thursday with a 15 seed beating a two seed – Saint Peter’s stunning Kentucky.
And Krzyzewski is well aware of the delicate situation Duke find themselves in as they seek to prolong his coaching career.
“Most of the time, they don’t realise it’s one-and-done until it’s done,” he said.
