Best Seat in the House column by Chris Graham
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Mike Krzyzewski is universally reviled in the parts of the ACC outside of Durham, but I have seen twice now how much he bleeds Atlantic Coast Conference blood.
Back a couple of years ago, I famously asked Coach K about the perception that the conference was down in light of the disrespect that it received from the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee in seeding the 2006 field. I say famously, because the people in the room with me won’t forget how fired up mad that he got at the suggestion that the conference was not exactly where it has always been.
“We have more national champions in this conference than any other conference in the United States. We’ve had more number-one seeds – more, more, more, more. I just don’t think in the last five years that our conference has gotten rewarded,” Krzyzewski told me at the 2006 ACC Operation Basketball.
“You have three national champions in this decade – three different schools. Somebody plays against those people. Somebody loses close games, or wins some – but whatever, if you have three programs that are winning national championships, you’ve probably lost more than won. How did you lose – did you play all three of those programs in one week or 10 days? That’s the weighted stuff that has not been considered fully enough by the people who make decisions,” Krzyzewski said.
“Our conference deserves more than – in any year – more than four teams. Closer to six or seven. But never four. I don’t know what’s happened – but that’s been a mistake, I think,” Krzyzewski said.
And there he was again, the other night in Charlottesville, after his Duke team had easily vanquished the last-place-in-the-ACC Virginia Cavaliers by an 86-70 count, bleeding ACC again.
“This tournament is going to be wide-open,” Krzyzewski said in response to a question about whether he would want to face UVa. again in next week’s ACC Tournament in Charlotte.
“The separation between the top two or three teams record-wise in the league and the bottom two or three is not much. I think it’s the least that I’ve ever seen. And I’ve been here longer than most of you – 28 years. I think it’s the least separation from top to bottom that I’ve seen,” Krzyzewski said.
Just for the record, Duke and North Carolina are both 13-2 in the league and a combined 54-5 overall. Two ACC teams, Georgia Tech and Boston College, are below .500, with North Carolina State and Virginia both in that vicinity.
But who’s going to argue with Mike Krzyzewski, right?
I mean, the guy just lives and dies ACC basketball. He can’t be all that bad.
(OK, so he can.)
Chris Graham is the executive editor of The SportsDominion.
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