Ranking the 10 Most Memorable Wins of Mike Krzyzewski's Career
Mike Krzyzewski reached 1,000 career wins Sunday afternoon against St. John's, but it is just one of many memorable wins for one of the greatest coaches in the history of college basketball.
After all, how could a nonconference regular-season game possibly compare to four national championships, the "Miracle Minute" or the most replayed shot in NCAA tournament history?
From the massive pool of 1,000 wins over nearly 40 years, we've whittled the list of Coach K's most memorable ones down to the top 10.
Hopefully this glimpse into a mere one percent of his career will illustrate just how incredible the journey has been.
Statistics on the following slides courtesy of Sports-Reference.com and GoDuke.com
Honorable Mentions
1 of 11
77-75 vs. North Carolina on February 28, 1998
The 500th win of Mike Krzyzewski's career was one of the most dramatic of all. No. 1 Duke trailed No. 3 North Carolina by 17 points with 12 minutes remaining. Fueled by Elton Brand—who wasn't even expected to play because of a foot injury—the Blue Devils finished the game on a 30-11 run to win the ACC regular-season title.
77-75 vs. North Carolina on March 10, 1984
One week removed from a double-overtime loss to the Tar Heels, Duke met up with its bitter rival again in the semifinals of the ACC tournament. Krzyzewski needed the win to prove his doubters wrong. It was his fourth season at Duke. He hadn't yet been to the NCAA tournament or beaten an AP Top 10 team.
The upset of Michael Jordan and No. 1 North Carolina was the one that showed he belonged.
85-84 vs. North Carolina on February 8, 2012
This rivalry has had more than its fair share of late-game drama, but none quite like this one. Austin Rivers drained a game-winning, buzzer-beating three-pointer over Tyler Zeller's outstretched arms—in Chapel Hill, no less.
95-84 vs. Maryland in 2001 Final Four
The fourth meeting of the season between then conference rivals, Duke trailed by 11 at the half before bouncing back for a win by double digits. It would have ranked in our top 10 if there weren't already another game between these teams in that season on the list.
71-50 vs. Navy in 1986 Elite Eight
Not only did the win propel Krzyzewski to the first Final Four of his career, but—as an Army graduate—it must have felt great to do so against Navy.
10. The 1000th Win
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When: January 25, 2015
Where: Madison Square Garden
Who: Duke vs. St. John's
How and Why
For more than three seasons, Mike Krzyzewski has been setting the all-time record for wins by a men's college basketball coach over and over again. But there's just something extra milestone-y about being the first one to 1,000 wins.
"Outside of Cameron, (Madison Square Garden) is the best, because it's revered," Krzyzewski told Gus Johnson after the game.
He reached 1,000 career wins in the same venue where he broke Bob Knight's record in 2011.
If he couldn't hit that milestone at home, it seemed fitting that he do so in the arena that has really become a home away from home for the Blue Devils over the years.
Late into the second half, though, it didn't even look like it was going to happen. After Duke jumped out to a 21-10 lead, St. John's outscored the Blue Devils by a 51-30 margin over the next 24 minutes. But Quinn Cook and Jahlil Okafor hit some big shots down the stretch as Duke closed out the game on a 26-7 run.
Ever the downplayer of historical significance, Krzyzewski spoke of how the win meant this year's team improved to 17-2. But when Steve Lavin finally called off the dogs, Coach 1K was bombarded with hugs from players who weren't even born until 20 years after the legendary coach's career began.
9. The First Win
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When: November 28, 1975
Where: West Point, New York
Who: Army vs. Lehigh
How and Why
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and the legendary career with a thousand wins began with an uneventful victory nearly four decades ago.
In the first game of Mike Krzyzewski's career, Army beat Lehigh by a score of 56-29.
Yahoo's Pat Forde recently did a great job of recapping the game that maybe a dozen people in the world actually remember happening.
Forde wrote of the seeming irrelevance of the game: "The story got second billing to the upcoming Army-Navy football game. The basketball news was shouldered onto the page alongside a series of bowling notes. Faye Peters bowled a 601 series to grab an Evening News headline."
The Black Knights went just 11-14 that season, and Lehigh would get the last laugh 36 seasons later by handing Krzyzewski the worst tournament upset of his career.
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8. "Miracle Minute"
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When: January 27, 2001
Where: College Park, Maryland
Who: Duke vs. Maryland
How and Why
With 55 seconds remaining, the scoreboard read: Maryland 90, Duke 80.
Most of these wins are memorable because of what they meant.
First win. Milestone wins. National championships. What actually happened in the game is secondary to the historical implications.
Not this one, though. This was one of those extremely rare regular-season basketball games for which—14 years later—I can still remember exactly where I watched it.
Led by Jay Williams, Duke pulled off perhaps the most incredible come-from-behind win in college basketball history. Williams made a layup to cut Maryland's lead to eight. Duke was out of timeouts.
"They need a miracle," ESPN's Mike Patrick said just moments before a full-court trap produced a steal and a Williams three-pointer to cut Maryland's lead to five.
Drew Nicholas missed a pair of free throws for Maryland. Williams came down the court and immediately drained another three-pointer to make it a 90-88 game. After yet another steal, Nate James made two free throws to tie the game.
Duke went on to win 98-96 in overtime in what was just one of several memorable games between the two rivals that season.
7. All-Time Wins Leader
5 of 11
When: November 15, 2011
Where: Madison Square Garden
Who: Duke vs. Michigan State
How and Why
Getting to 1,000 career wins is nice, but it had to have been more memorable when the apprentice officially became the master.
Mike Krzyzewski played for Bob Knight at Army, and he became an assistant with Knight in 1974 after five years of military service. He spent just one year with the Hoosiers—who went 31-1—before becoming the head coach at Army.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Had it been John Wooden or Adolph Rupp who Krzyzewski passed to become the all-time wins leader in men's college basketball, it certainly would have been a memorable achievement. But it was extra sweet to bypass the man most responsible for his basketball acumen and wisdom.
After the game, Krzyzewski told reporters, "I just told Coach I love him. I wouldn't be in this position without him. It's a moment shared. I know he's very proud, and I'm very proud to have been somebody who's worked under him and studied him and tried to be like him."
And to get that historic win against an old friend in Tom Izzo was just more icing on the cake.
6. Second National Championship
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When: April 6, 1992
Where: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Who: Duke vs. Michigan
How and Why
Even the Fab Five couldn't keep Mike Krzyzewski from his second national championship.
By the end, it wasn't even close.
Duke and Michigan played an incredible game earlier in the season. The Blue Devils emerged with a three-point overtime win in mid-December. And early on, it looked like the two teams were headed for another tight-knit affair.
Michigan even held a one-point lead at halftime.
But Michigan went ice cold in the second half while Christian Laettner and Grant Hill helped Duke blow the game wide open en route to a 71-51 rout.
Aside from Billy Donovan's Florida team that won the 2006 and 2007 national championships, the win made Duke the only team to win consecutive titles since the John Wooden era UCLA Bruins.
5. Third National Championship
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When: April 2, 2001
Where: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Who: Duke vs. Arizona
How and Why
Even more so than the first title, this one had to feel like a long time coming.
Duke entered the 1998 tournament with a 29-3 record. The Blue Devils earned a No. 1 seed, but they fell to Kentucky in the Elite Eight. The following year, they were 32-1 and No. 1 in the country, but lost to Connecticut in the national championship. Again in 2000, they were ranked No. 1 in the final AP poll of the season, yet suffered a loss to Florida in the Sweet 16.
For Shane Battier and Nate James, the fourth time was the charm.
Duke again earned a No. 1 seed in 2001 and entered the tournament ranked No. 1 in the country. Rather than failing to meet expectations again, though, the Blue Devils won each of their six tournament games by double digits, including the 82-72 win over Arizona in the title game.
Duke didn't shoot it particularly well that night, but Arizona struggled more. The Wildcats shot 4-of-22 from three-point range, including an 0-of-8 night for Jason Gardner. The normally sharp shooter finished his college career with 1,984 points, but neither he nor Gilbert Arenas could buy a bucket on this night, frustrated from start to finish by Jay Williams and Chris Duhon.
At long last, Duke turned a No. 1 seed into Mike Krzyzewski's third national championship.
4. Fourth National Championship
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When: April 5, 2010
Where: Indianapolis, Indiana
Who: Duke vs. Butler
How and Why
It wasn't supposed to be a close game.
Duke was a No. 1 seed that had blown out West Virginia by a 21-point margin to reach the championship game. Butler was a No. 5 seed that had won four consecutive battles in nail-biting fashion.
It was a mid-major versus arguably the biggest major of the past quarter century. David was given a better chance against Goliath.
Yet, Gordon Hayward's half-court heave as time expired came within inches of making the Bulldogs the most unlikely tournament champions in history.
We'll never know for how long Mike Krzyzewski's heart stopped while that ball was in the air, but Duke held on to win 61-59 for the fourth national championship in the legendary coach's career, tying him with Adolph Rupp for second place behind John Wooden (10) on the all-time list.
3. Sweet Revenge on UNLV
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When: March 30, 1991
Where: Indianapolis, Indiana
Who: Duke vs. UNLV
How and Why
Before 2013-14 Wichita State and 2014-15 Kentucky, there was 1990-91 UNLV.
Jerry Tarkanian's squad entered the NCAA tournament with a 30-0 record. Only one of those 30 games was decided by less than 12 points. The Rebels reached the Final Four without much of a challenge, winning each game by at least eight points to improve to 34-0.
The only thing standing between them and a shot at an undefeated national championship was a Duke team that they absolutely destroyed in the national championship the year before. Stacey Augmon, Greg Anthony and Larry Johnson proved way too much to handle in a 103-73 thrashing.
Revenge is a dish best served cold-blooded.
In a 77-77 tie with 12.7 seconds remaining, Christian Laettner was fouled on an offensive rebound and calmly swished both free throws. Duke played smothering defense, forcing a bad three-point attempt that bricked off the back iron.
Even though Duke was a No. 2 seed, Jim Nantz called it "one of the biggest upsets in Final Four history."
The only way it could have possibly been sweeter is if North Carolina had beaten Kansas in the other Final Four game. Even though Duke has been to 15 Final Fours and North Carolina has been to 18, they have never met in the NCAA tournament, and 1991 was the only year they both reached the Final Four in the same season.
2. First National Championship
10 of 11
When: April 1, 1991
Where: Indianapolis, Indiana
Who: Duke vs. Kansas
How and Why
The game itself wasn't quite as memorable as the previous win over UNLV, but after 16 seasons and four prior trips to the Final Four, Mike Krzyzewski finally had his first national championship.
His Blue Devils beat Roy Williams' Jayhawks by a score of 72-65, putting an end to Kansas' incredible run through No. 2 Indiana, No. 1 Arkansas and No. 1 North Carolina to reach that point.
The box score reads exactly as you may expect if you remember that late 1980s/early 1990s dynasty. Christian Laettner had a double-double, made all 12 of his free-throw attempts and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Bobby Hurley had 12 points and nine assists. Grant Hill had 10 points and eight rebounds.
Not a bad turnaround for a team that entered the tournament with three losses in seven games, including a 96-74 blowout at the hands of North Carolina in the ACC tournament.
1. "The Shot"
11 of 11
When: March 28, 1992
Where: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Who: Duke vs. Kentucky in Elite Eight
How and Why
It's not easy for a game to be more memorable than four national championships.
Of course, this wasn't any ordinary game.
It isn't just the most memorable win of Mike Krzyzewski's career. It's arguably the most memorable moment in NCAA basketball history.
As if you need a reminder, it was an incredible game with a crazy ending. Duke trailed Kentucky by one in overtime with 2.1 seconds remaining. Grant Hill threw the ball the length of the court—one of the only times in history that a full-court baseball pass actually worked. Christian Laettner caught it at the foul line, took one dribble to his right, spun left and drained the shot.
He hasn't been welcome in Lexington since, as Kentucky fans have been reminded of the game roughly 3,000 times every March for more than two decades.
Duke went on to win two more games to secure its second consecutive title.
Kerry Miller covers college basketball for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @kerrancejames.
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