Mike Krzyzewski reveals what 1,200 win mark means to him

Mike Krzyzewski’s farewell season has been extended, as No. 2 seeded Duke recorded a 85-76 win over No. 7 seed Michigan State on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to punch a ticket to the Sweet 16 and keep Coach K on the sidelines longer.

As Krzyzewski will retire at the end of the season and be replaced by Blue Devils’ associate head coach Jon Scheyer, a loss for Duke in the NCAA Tournament would be Coach K’s final game, so the team is hoping they can continue to win throughout March Madness.

While Sunday’s victory over Michigan State extended Duke’s season, it also marked career win No. 1,200 for Krzyzewski – with 1,127 of those wins coming during his long tenure with the Blue Devils. The legendary coach spoke about the milestone during his postgame press conference following the game.

“The 1,200 wins is substantial,” Krzyzewski said. “Obviously, it’s a lot of wins, but it’s a lot of wins against quality competition – and that’s what I’m most proud of. It’s not just the number of wins; it’s the competition that we’ve had in order to win. Today was a good example of it.

“The other thing is I’ve been fortunate that overall I’ve had good health, except for the ’94/’95 season, and I have a great school. So, I have great people, good health, great family. Look, for me, one of the best moments for me was turning around and seeing all my grandkids right behind the bench, and they’re crying, they’re cheering. Wow, I mean, God bless how lucky – I mean, it’s so good. It’s so good. So, 1,200’s great, but that scene was better.”

With Duke’s victory, Coach K’s team is now set for a Sweet 16 matchup with No. 3 Texas Tech on Thursday night at the Chase Center in San Francisco. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:39 p.m. ET on CBS with an Elite Eight trip on the line.