Mike Krzyzewski explains what it means to surpass John Wooden in Final Four appearances

Duke keeps winning and Mike Krzyzewski’s retirement continues to be put on hold following the Blue Devils’ Elite Eight victory over Arkansas on Saturday. The win secured a record-setting 13th Final Four appearance for the 75-year-old Krzyzewski, passing fellow Hall of Famer John Wooden for most appearances in history.

“Well, it’s an honor. Coach Wooden, if he kept coaching would probably have 24,” Krzyzewski said. “This game, I saw something that Bill Self said about the regional championship game, it really is the biggest game a college coach has to coach because it gets you into the promised land. For me to have that I guess it’s 17 times now, that’s a big-time thing for me. I’m so proud of that, that my teams have put us in that position and that we’ve won now 13 of them, and whatever happens afterwards happens.”

Duke toppled the Razorbacks 78-69 to help Krzyzewski achieve this unprecedented feat. The Blue Devils were led by an extremely well-balanced scoring effort, which saw four players finish in double-digit scoring: Wendell Moore had 14 on 5-of-10 from the field, AJ Griffin had 18 points on 7-of-9 from the field, Paolo Banchero had 16 points on 4-of-11 shooting and Mark Williams 12 points on 6-of-6 from the field.

“I’m so happy,” Krzyzewski said after Duke’s win. “We crossed the bridge. There’s nothing like being a regional champ and going to the Final Four, and playing on that Saturday with three other champions. It’s an amazing day.”

Krzyzewski officially has the most Final Four appearances of any active college basketball coach, as his 13 is more than that of Bill Self, Jay Wright and John Calipari combined (12).

“But it’s a heck of a thing. We’ve won a lot in the Tournament, and we’ve won a lot of games, but Final Fours are big, obviously, then national championships,” Krzyzewski said. “Like Wendell [Moore] said, that’s what you put banners up for. You don’t put a banner up for beating somebody. You put a banner up by beating somebodies, numerous things. That’s what we’ve always tried to do.”

Duke now awaits the winner of Sunday’s North Carolina vs. Saint Peter’s Elite Eight matchup next week in the Final Four. The prospect of a third Duke-North Carolina battle in Krzyzewski’s final season will be one of the hottest tickets in the Final Four in a long time. While going against North Carolina has a story off the court, a game against Saint Peter’s may be an even more intriguing matchup on the floor.