With the end of 2015 quickly approaching, The Chronicle's sports department takes a look back at the biggest sports stories of the year. Each day, The Blue Zone will review a major game, event or storyline that helped shape the course of the year in Blue Devil athletics.
Coming in at No. 2 on our list: A milestone win for Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski—1,000 career victories—at the Mecca of basketball.
It was only fitting that Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski made history at The World's Most Famous Arena.
The Blue Devils defeated St. John's 77-68 at Madison Square Garden in New York Jan. 25, delivering Krzyzewski the 1,000th victory of his coaching career. He became the first Division I men's basketball head coach to reach the milestone, which came in comeback fashion at the same place where he passed his mentor, Bob Knight, as the winningest coach in Division I men's basketball history.
Duke trailed by as many as 10 in the second half, but a 13-1 run—fueled by 3-point plays from senior Quinn Cook and freshmen Tyus Jones and Jahlil Okafor—helped the Blue Devils surge back into the game against the Red Storm.
With Amile Jefferson and Rasheed Sulaimon in foul trouble, redshirt junior Marshall Plumlee entered to help man the middle, and the Blue Devil defense locked down against St. John's. The Red Storm missed 11 of their final 14 shots in the game's final 9:52.
"I'm not sure I've ever been part of a game like that, that's kind of nuts," Krzyzewski said after the game. "To have one that's different, that's what makes the game so good. To do it here [at Madison Square Garden]—just to win here, but to do it here for 1,000, you've got to be a lucky guy.... This is a magical place."
The game itself was special, but the milestone was the true story. It took Krzyzewski just 1,308 games on the sideline to reach 1,000 career victories, and more than half of his life has been spent minding the Duke sideline.
The Blue Devils won 18 more games last season, rolling all the way to a national championship in Indianapolis. With the start of ACC play just around the corner, Krzyzewski now owns 1,028 career victories—955 of them at Duke, meaning the next milestone could be just a season or two away.
READ MORE on Krzyzewski's 1,000th career victory and The Chronicle's commemorative coverage of the milestone:
COACH K 1K: Duke beats St. John's to secure Krzyzewski's 1,000th win
VIDEO: Fans gather to celebrate Coach K's 1,000th win
Former Army coach named as new basketball head coach
Strong second half lifts Duke past Stetson
CAMERON CLASSIC: Krzyzewski wins 500th on Senior Day against UNC
Dawkins' big night in the Garden helps deliver number 903
Adapting for success: How Coach K keeps on winning
Mrs. Coach K: Q&A with Carol "Mickie" Krzyzewski
Check back tomorrow to see what story claims the top spot in our countdown of the top Duke sports stories of 2015.
A look at the rest of our top 10 countdown to date:
10. Rebecca Greenwell extends Elizabeth Williams' last dance against Albany
9. A look at Tommy John at Duke and beyond
8. The end of one era; the start of two more
7. Out with the new, in with the newer
6. Tyus Jones leads Blue Devils past North Carolina 92-90 in OT
5. Miami, officials hand Duke Halloween heartbreak
4. A banner year: 5 Final Fours and a bowl win
3. Rasheed Sulaimon's dismissal from Duke basketball
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