Duke suits up for the final Final Four appearance of Mike Krzyzewski's illustrious career on Saturday-- and they do it against their biggest rival, the North Carolina Tar Heels.
That sentence alone should perk up the ears of every college basketball fan. Love or hate Duke, the Blue Devils have a staple of the NCAA Tournament for nearly 40 years. Although they may not make the Final Four with the consistency of the teams in the late 80s and the 90s, it's still one of college basketball's most storied programs, thanks in no small part to Krzyzewski and his 12 Final Four games.
MORE: Blueblood? New-blood? How Villanova stacks up with other Final Four programs
Saturday will mark No. 13 for Krzyzewski, and No. 17 for Duke as a program. The game on Saturday will put Krzyzewski past John Wooden for most Final Four games of all time.
Duke has been outstanding in its Final Four games, going 11-5 as a team and 5-6 in the national championship. March college basketball is one of the toughest months of any sport, but Krzyzewski has managed to stretch one shining moment into 36 years.
How many Final Fours has Duke been to?
Duke has made 17 appearances in the men's Final Four, tied for third all time. This appearance from Krzyzewski gives him the most of any coach in men's history with 13. Duke is 11-5 in Final Four appearances so far, with Krzyzewski personally going 9-3.
| Year | Opponent | Coach |
| 1963 | Loyola Chicago | Vic Bubas |
| 1964 | Michigan | Vic Bubas |
| 1966 | Kentucky | Vic Bubas |
| 1978 | Notre Dame | Bill Foster |
| 1986 | Kansas | Mike Krzyzewski |
| 1988 | Kansas | Mike Krzyzewski |
| 1989 | Seton Hall | Mike Krzyzewski |
| 1990 | Arkansas | Mike Krzyzewski |
| 1991 | UNLV | Mike Krzyzewski |
| 1992 | Indiana | Mike Krzyzewski |
| 1994 | Florida | Mike Krzyzewski |
| 1999 | Michigan State | Mike Krzyzewski |
| 2001 | Maryland | Mike Krzyzewski |
| 2004 | Connecticut | Mike Krzyzewski |
| 2010 | West Virginia | Mike Krzyzewski |
| 2015 | Michigan State | Mike Krzyzewski |
| 2022 | North Carolina | Mike Krzyzewski |
TSN's MARCH MADNESS HQ
Live NCAA bracket | TV schedule | Predictor tool
How many times has Duke won a national championship?
Duke has won five national championships, all under the tenure of Coach K. After winning back-to-back championships in 1991 and 1992, setting a ton of dominance for the decade, Krzyzewski would win against in 2001, 2010, and 2015.
The Blue Devils have made 11 national championships, putting their record at 5-6. Krzyzewski's record is 5-4, with Vic Bubas and Bill Foster each losing a national championship.
Duke record in Final Four games
Duke is 11-5 in Final Four games to date, with its last win coming in 2015 and its last national championship occurring in the same year.
| Year | Result |
| 1963 | Loyola Chicago 94, Duke 75 |
| 1964 | Duke 91, Michigan 80 |
| 1966 | Kentucky 83, Duke 79 |
| 1978 | Duke 90, Notre Dame 86 |
| 1986 | Duke 71, Kansas 67 |
| 1988 | Kansas 66, Duke 59 |
| 1989 | Seton Hall 95, Duke 78 |
| 1990 | Duke 97, Arkansas 83 |
| 1991 | Duke 79, UNLV 77 |
| 1992 | Duke 81, Indiana 78 |
| 1994 | Duke 70, Florida 65 |
| 1999 | Duke 68, Michigan State 62 |
| 2001 | Duke 95, Maryland 84 |
| 2004 | Connecticut 79, Duke 78 |
| 2010 | Duke 78, West Virginia 57 |
| 2015 | Duke 81, Michigan State 61 |
| 2022 | North Carolina (TBD) |
In its last two Final Four appearances, Duke has gone on to win the national championship. If that trend holds, Krzyzewski will be retiring a six-time national champion, with championships in his last three Final Four appearances.
Duke record in national championship
Duke is 5-6 in the national championship game, with a 5-4 record under Krzyzewski. Duke has beaten Butler and Wisconsin in its last two championship game appearances.
| Year | Result |
| 1964 | Loss to UCLA (98-83) |
| 1978 | Loss to Kentucky (94-88) |
| 1986 | Loss to Louisville (72-69) |
| 1990 | Loss to UNLV (103-73) |
| 1991 | Win vs. Kansas (72-65) |
| 1992 | Win vs. Michigan (71-51) |
| 1994 | Loss to Arkansas (76-72) |
| 1999 | Loss to Connecticut (77-74) |
| 2001 | Win vs. Arizona (82-72) |
| 2010 | Win vs. Butler (61-59) |
| 2015 | Win vs. Wisconsin (68-63) |
Key players on Krzyzewski's recent Final Four teams
2001: The 2001 Blue Devils were led by five future NBA players: Shane Battier, Jay Williams, Mike Dunleavy, Chris Duhon, and Carlos Boozer. Battier and Williams were both up over 20 points against Maryland in their Final Four matchup, scoring 25 and 23 points, respectively. Williams averaged over 20 points per game on the season, but a motorcycle accident cut his NBA career short after he was drafted by the Chicago Bulls.
2004: Duke in 2004 featured sharpshooter J.J. Redick, who of course went on to have a long, successful NBA career. Redick averaged 15 points per game in 2004, and scored 15 in Duke's Final Four loss to Connecticut. Other NBA players on the 2004 roster include Luol Deng, Daniel Ewing, Shelden Williams, Duhon, and Shavlik Randolph. While Redick had the most successful career, Williams, Duhon, and Deng all stuck around for a significant amount of time in the league.
2010: The 2010 Blue Devils featured a whopping seven future NBA players, including a pair of Plumlees. Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith, Miles Plumlee, Lance Thomas, Andre Dawkins, Mason Plumlee, and Ryan Kelly were all on this dominant team. Duke steamrolled West Virginia in 2010 behind the efforts of Jon Scheyer, Singler, and Smith. Scheyer and Singler had 20-plus against WVU, while Smith put up 19 more. Duke's bench scored just seven points. If the name Scheyer sounds familiar, it's because he's the heir apparent to coach Duke once the season is over and Krzyzewski retires.
2015: The 2015 Blue Devils managed to one-up 2010, boasting eight NBA players. Jahlil Okafor, Quinn Cook, Justice Winslow, Tyus Jones, Amile Jefferson, Marshall Plumlee, Semi Ojeleye, and the polarizing Grayson Allen were part of this Duke team. Okafor, Winslow, and Cook led the way for the 2015 Blue Devils over Michigan State, while the bench had 11 more points for Duke.