Duke's Mike Krzyzewski Says He's 'Just Going to Go for It' in Final NCAA Tournament

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski is hoping to lead his team to an NCAA title one final time before he retires.

However, as the Duke Blue Devils prepare to play their first game of the 2022 men's NCAA tournament on Friday, he's not getting too ahead of himself, telling reporters that he's trying to stay in the moment and embrace the opportunity. 

"I'm just going to go for it, and that's what I've tried to do all season long," Krzyzewski said, according to ESPN's David M. Hale. "I just want to be in the moment. I'm excited."

Duke enters the tournament as the No. 2 seed in the West Region after finishing with the best record in the ACC at 28-6. 

The Blue Devils will face the Cal State Fullerton Titans in what could be Krzyzewski's final game behind the bench. However, superstar freshman Paolo Banchero said the players aren't thinking of it that way:

"I think now, it's [thinking about] our last game as a group. That's our mentality. We're not trying to end our season any shorter than it has to. As a group, we all like being around each other. We've been working hard since June. We know how much work we've put in to get to March Madness. That's our motivation. That's really all we're thinking about."

Powered by Banchero, Wendell Moore Jr., Trevor Keels, Mark Williams and AJ Griffin, the Blue Devils have a good shot at winning another title. 

Krzyzewski's teams have impressed in the NCAA tournament throughout his career. In addition, he is entering his NCAA record 36th Big Dance, gunning for his first title since 2015. 

The Blue Devils have won five NCAA championships under Coach K and have reached the Final Four 12 times. However, they haven't done so since winning their last title. If they can at least reach that point, it'll be a memorable end to Krzyzewski's career, especially after he lost his final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium to North Carolina.

Krzyzewski owns a 1,125-308 record at Duke. Even if he doesn't win a sixth title, he'll go down as one of the best coaches in college basketball history.