The other day, The Blue Zone took a look at five of head coach Mike Krzyzewski's landmark victories. Before he won 903 games, he won 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500.
Here is the story of wins 600, 700, 800 and most recently 900.
Win No. 600, March 11, 2001: Duke 79, North Carolina 53.
Krzyzewski won his 500th game against the Tar Heels, ekeing out a 77-75 victory. Although he won No. 600 against North Carolina as well, the game was nowhere near as close, a 26-point blowout in the ACC championship game that handed the Blue Devils their third-straight conference title. The two teams were among the top-ranked in the country for the entire season and split their two regular season games. Facing off for the ACC title, Duke was ranked No. 3 and North Carolina No. 6. But, led by 24 points from Mike Dunleavy and 20 from Shane Battier, the Blue Devils stormed away in the first half on their way to victory. As the eventual winners of the NCAA tournament, beating Arizona in the title game, the 2000-2001 Duke team was one of the deepest in the program's history. Led by Jason Williams' 21.6 points per game, and Carlos Boozer, Battier and Dunleavy all averaging double-digits, the team finished 35-4, tied for the second highest win total in Krzyzewski's career.
Win No. 700, December 12, 2004: Duke 82, Toledo 54
Krzyzewski won 700 with ease, earning the victory at home to bring the Blue Devils to 6-0 on the season. The 2004-2005 Blue Devils were carried by J.J. Reddick, who averaged 21.8 points per game that season and scored his 1,200th career point in the landmark Krzyzewski victory. Also in the win, Shelden Williams notched his fourth double-double in six games on his way to 15.5 points and 11.2 rebounds per contest throughout the year. This year's Duke team had high expectations with Reddick, Williams, Daniel Ewing, Sean Dockery and freshman Demarcus Nelson and won the ACC tournament. But, the No. 1-seeded Blue Devils were ousted in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament by fifth-seeded Michigan State and head coach Tom Izzo. Krzyzewski defeated Izzo on Tuesday night for his record-breaking 903rd win.
Win No. 800, March 1, 2008: Duke 87, NC State 86
Win No. 800 did not come easily for Coach K, in a one-point nail-biter at the RBC Center in Raleigh. The aforementioned Nelson, now a senior, and Jon Scheyer led the team with 19 points apiece. Greg Paulus, Kyle Singler and Gerald Henderson also added double digit points. Although people expected big things from the 2007-2008 Blue Devils , starting the regular season ranked No. 13 and finishing it No. 6, they stumbled in postseason play. They fell to an unranked Clemson squad in the ACC semifinals and were ousted in the second round of the big dance by Bob Huggins' West Virginia Mountaineers.
Win No. 900, March 20, 2011: Duke 73, Michigan 71
For the second time, Krzyzewski won a landmark game in an NCAA tournament game, having done so previously for win No. 300 in 1990 against Richmond. Whereas he won that game by 35, he just barely squeaked out this victory to advance to the Sweet 16, guided by a 24-point effort from senior Nolan Smith. Going 8-for-13 from the field and 6-for-7 from the charity stripe, Smith was the paragon of efficiency for the Blue Devils who held their breath in the final seconds as a Wolverine three-pointer bounced off the rim to secure the victory. If Duke lost the game, it would have meant squandering a 15-point lead with just over ten minutes to play. Michigan twice climbed within one point in the game's final 90 seconds, but a key bucket from Kyrie Irving - in his second game returning from a toe injury that kept him out most of the season - kept the Blue Devils ahead. Duke would go on to lose by 16 points to Arizona in the Sweet 16, meaning Krzyzewski's 900th win was the team's last of the 2010-2011 season.
Win No. 1,000 ... ???
Will Coach K remain on the sidelines long enough to be the first to 1,000 wins?
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