Mike Krzyzewski discusses make up of Texas Tech roster

As Duke prepares to face Texas Tech in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, head coach Mike Krzyzewski had high praise for the next opponent. The winner of Thursday’s game will advance to the Elite Eight and face either Gonzaga or Arkansas for a spot in the Final Four.

During a press conference, Mike Krzyzewski complimented the makeup of the Texas Tech roster and how first-year head coach Mark Adams reconstructed his unit after Chris Beard’s departure.

“Well, he got new cards,” Krzyzewski said about Adams. “He didn’t just work with the cards that were dealt. He did a lot of work, he did a lot of work. They probably have as many transfers as any program in the country. Established transfers, guys who — Obanor, Williams who have been outstanding players in their respective programs, and once he got them together to get them together to play at such a high level.

“We have one of the youngest teams, if not the youngest team I’ve coached, and you’re trying to build habits. When you get transfers, older, and especially established players, they’re already pretty well set in the way they play, and so for him to be able to get all of them to be on the same page is a beautiful thing to watch, especially on the defensive end where they’ve been committed and probably are the best defensive team in the country.”

Mike Krzyzewski on added pressure

Mike Krzyzewski also addressed the added pressure placed on his players this year. He then made sure to acknowledge his expectations which remain the same as each season he spent at Duke.

“I feel for my guys,” said Krzyzewski. “They’ve had pressure put on them that we’re not putting on them. I tell them all the time, we’re playing for us, for you, but then it just works out. No one — it’s not a sinister plan against us or anything, but it just happens that way. Since the end of the regular season and especially the start of the — I think we’re through. We’re completely through with all that, and our guys, that’s helped them get a little bit more refreshed also.”

The new mindset helped Duke in its first two NCAA Tournament games, first with a dominant win over Cal State Fullerton and then a comeback win over Michigan State. The road to Krzyzewski’s sixth national championship does not get any easier with Texas Tech.