Duke Basketball: Why this could be the perfect ending for Coach K

In his final year as the head coach of Duke Basketball, Coach K has the opportunity to go out in the perfect way, the same way he came in.

Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K) is widely referred to as the greatest college basketball coach of all time, and for good reason, he holds numerous records, accolades, and trophies. He also added a new record on Saturday night as he made it to his 13th Final Four as the head coach of the Duke Blue Devils, the most Final Fours of all time for a single coach.

And with all of that, of all the possible outcomes that could’ve happened, this might actually be the perfect potential ending to Coach K’s legendary career.

Coach K was hired by Duke University to be the head coach of the men’s basketball team in 1980, and he led the Blue Devils to four Final Fours before finally helping the Blue Devils win their first National Championship in 1991.

That 1991 season was an interesting one, the Blue Devils had made the Final Four in each of the three seasons prior and had made it in four of the five seasons prior as well. In 1991 Duke won the ACC Regular Season title, as they went 11-3 in the conference, and 25-6 overall, but they failed to win the ACC Tournament as they were demolished by North Carolina, a team they had already beaten twice that season, in the championship game.

Duke then turned their focus to the 1991 NCAA Tournament where they were the two seed in the midwest region. Duke cruised through their regional beating each opponent by double-digits, but then in the Final Four, they were forced to take on UNLV, the team who had just beaten them in the National Championship game the year prior.

But this year was different, Duke managed to squeak by the Runnin’ Rebels, beating them 79-77 behind an incredible 28 point performance by Christian Laettner, and they then moved onto the National Championship game for the second consecutive season, but this time they were taking on the Kansas Jayhawks, the team who beat them in the Final Four three years prior in 1988.

So in order to win the National Championship, Duke had to beat two teams who had each beaten the Blue Devils in the Final Four, within the past three years. Well just like they got their revenge against the Runnin’ Rebels, the Blue Devils got their revenge against the Jayhawks, beating them 72-65, and claiming the first National Championship in Duke basketball history, and the first of Coach K’s career.

Interestingly enough, North Carolina was also in that Final Four in 1991 but fell to Kansas in the Final Four, who Duke then beat in the National Championship game. Do you see what I’m getting at here?

Coach K claimed his first National Championship as a two seed in the 1991 NCAA Tournament and won the championship with a Final Four that consisted of Kansas, and North Carolina. Fast forward 31 years and Coach K is in the Final Four once again in his final season, trying to win his sixth, and final national championship, and to do it, he will have to get through North Carolina, and Kansas once again.

One of the first chapters of the book that is Coach K’s career was him winning his first National Championship in 1991, and the final chapter could be him winning his sixth National Championship in his final season, which would take beating Duke’s biggest rival, North Carolina in a game which will mark the first time the two have played in the NCAA Tournament, and then potentially beating the same team he beat in his first National Championship, in his final National Championship.