Mike Krzyzewski makes case for ACC, Big East to considering merging conferences

Since legendary Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski retired following the 2021-2022 season, conference realignment has completely changed the landscape of college basketball. The Pac-12 completely disbanded, distributing teams to the Big 12 and the Big Ten. Texas and Oklahoma also made the jump from the Big 12 to the SEC, and Gonzaga will finally leave the WCC for the newly reformed Pac-12 next year.

During a hit on Tuesday afternoon’s edition of ‘SportsCenter‘, Krzyzewski revealed he’d like to see the Big East merge with the ACC to keep with the times of realignment. Coach K joined the show prior to Tuesday night’s meeting between Duke and Army in West Point. Prior to his 41-year stint in Durham, he began his coaching career with the Black Knights from 1975-1980.

“I just think it’s something you should look at because you don’t know where everything’s gonna end up with what football is going to do,” Krzyzewski said. “Football drives the bus or train, whatever you’re talking about, in college sports.

“Once the Power-Four conferences decide exactly what they’re going to do as far as governance and everything. I think people will be able to make decisions as ‘how do conferences look?’ Do you add to it? To me, the Big East is a great basketball conference and the ACC has had the tradition of being great in basketball.”

Krzyzewski says ACC and other conferences have to ‘have some vision’

“That’s a different look, and it would bring Connecticut in, who’s one of the blue bloods in basketball,” Krzyzewski continued. “I can attest to that. But also, there’s a really good football team and they’re the only team in the Big East that plays football. Anyways, it’s something to look at. I don’t think what the conferences are now will be exactly the same five years from now, and so you have to think ahead. You have to have some vision. Doesn’t mean you do it, but you can’t just stand pat.”

Since Coach K passed the reigns of the program to Jon Scheyer, the ACC has dipped a bit in quality. In Krzyzewski’s final three NCAA Tournament’s (2019, 2021, and 2022), an average of 6.3 teams from the conference made the Tournament. In the past three NCAA Tournament’s however, just an average of 4.7 teams from the conference made the Tournament.

The addition of several high quality Big East teams – including Connecticut, St. John’s, Creighton, Marquette, and Villanova – to the ACC would be big for the once-proud basketball conference.