reclegend22
On Monday night in Cameron Indoor Stadium against the Elon Phoenix, the 10-0 and No. 1 nationally-ranked Duke Blue Devils will attempt to give Coach K win number 879, the iconic and once-believed-unreachable mark set by former North Carolina coach Dean Smith in 1997. As we discovered four seasons ago after Bobby Knight passed Smith on the all-time wins list, we now know that 879 isn't the everlasting touchstone of coaching success it once seemed. But 879 remains as numerically synonymous with the sport as Wooden's 10 championships, Walton's 21-for-22 night against Memphis State, and Pete Maravich's 3,667 career points total. Reaching it is still a very significant moment of achievement, and one that happens only rarely in our sport. Whether you are fond of Coach K or not, you are watching arguably the greatest person ever to work in this profession. He is as immortal and important a piece within his game as Casey Stengel or Don Shula was to his.
A win over Elon places K behind only Knight for the most wins in the history of college basketball. With four national championships and 11 Final Fours already secured, Michael Krzyzewski has cemented his legacy as the greatest coach in the history of the modern era. And giving that label to anyone other than Bobby Knight or Dean Smith 10 years ago would have been unthinkable. It's really a testament to how fortunate we've been to witness such greatness during our lifetimes.
Also of note for tonight's contest with Elon, Duke looks to extend its dominance inside the mythical brick cathedral of Cameron Indoor, where the Blue Devils have won an NCAA-best 83 consecutive games over non-conference opponents, 25 in a row overall and 55-of-57 since 2007. (Yes, Carolina fans, those two wins were yours.)
Duke up 83-61 late 2nd.