Coach K sets record for most Final Four appearances: NCAA basketball media reacts

Coach K’s final March Madness run added another historic milestone as Duke’s win over Arkansas helped Krzyzewski reach his record 13th Final Four.

Mike Krzyzewski’s final NCAA Tournament run with Duke has been a truly historic one. A win over Texas Tech in the Sweet 16 helped Krzyzewski become the first coach to ever win 100 NCAA Tournament games and tonight’s 78-69 win over Arkansas secured another spot in the record books for Coach K.

The dominating performance from the Blue Devils ensures that they will reach their 13th Final Four under Krzyzewski, allowing him to break a tie with John Wooden for the most Final Four appearances from a coach in the history of the NCAA Tournament. The accomplishment is truly remarkable since Wooden stacked up most of his appearances in a dynastic run with UCLA while Krzyzewski has continued to reload his Duke program to make 13 Final Four trips in a span of 36 years.

College basketball media reacts to Coach K’s latest milestone

What awaits Duke in the Final Four?

The Blue Devils’ season will end, one way or another, in New Orleans. First up will be a Final Four matchup against the winner of the East Region, which will put a ton of pressure on Duke regardless of the result.

One scenario would see Duke take on Saint Peter’s, which would create a true David vs. Goliath moment for the Peacocks’ Cinderella story, raising a ton of pressure on the Blue Devils to avoid falling short of the title game. The other would bring a third meeting with North Carolina, who ruined Krzyzewski’s final home game with a win on March 5, and the first-ever NCAA Tournament meeting between college basketball’s two most bitter rivals.

That storyline is certainly worth monitoring for Duke, whose players struggled to meet the moment in Coach K’s final home game and ACC Tournament game. Time will tell if those experiences help in a pressure-packed Final Four game but the fact that Krzyzewski is back in his final year is truly remarkable.

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