At the onset of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament were doubts about Duke. The Blue Devils did not have a particularly good regular season. Certainly, Duke was not dominant. Most important of all, this is a historic moment for Duke basketball. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski is retiring after 42 seasons leading the Blue Devils. Coach K is many things to many people. Including the all-time wins leader in college basketball history. To begin with, Duke was not a Final Four favorite with the College Basketball odds. Yet they rallied to put Coach K in the Final Four!
2022 March Madness – Final Four Overview
| Date and Time: | Saturday, April 2, 2022 |
|---|---|
| Location: | Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana |
| TV Coverage: | CBS |
| Betting Online Odds at SBG: | Click Here |
One Last Moment for the Master
To summarize, Mike Krzyzewski is college basketball’s all-time winningest coach with 1202 career victories. Coach K has five national championships and 13 Final Fours. Accordingly, he is considered the greatest coach in college basketball history.
With all of his sports betting success, Coach K is a powerful brand with gamblers. Duke often struggles to provide full betting value to gamblers. For example, the Blue Devils won 26 games this season but paid only 17 times. This fact points out how a public team such as Duke carries a full retail price tag. However, we are now at the point where most gamblers don’t care. Duke is bringing a profoundly sentimental story to the conversation. Additionally, the Blue Devils attract attention for their excellent brand and tradition.
Coach K Adjusts to New Game and Dynamics
Of course, any conversation about Mike Krzyzewski begins with his relationship with Bobby Knight. Coach K played for Knight at Army and coached under him at various stops. On the whole, Krzyzewski based his coaching blueprint on Knight’s motion offense and emphasis on defense. A great part of coach K’s five national championships were based on suffocating defense. Only recently has he changed with the times.
In like manner to college football coaching legend Nick Saban, Coach K’s real genius is adapting with the times. Both coaches began their careers as fundamentalists. Each would emphasize defense and ball control on offense. Furthermore, Saban and Krzyzewski would recruit with an emphasis on team fit.
Now, Saban and Coach K recruit based on a player’s potential to reach his dream of playing in the pros. Once upon a time, Krzyzewski would have never been considered a one-and-done player. He always wanted four-year guys, as did Saban. However, the transfer portal and players getting paid legally have reshuffled the deck. Also, coach K realized that players don’t want to be grunts. As a result, Krzyzewski had to loosen up the team playing style.
In particular, Duke is no longer a great defensive team. Instead, Coach K has found March Madness betting success with an increased emphasis on prolific offense. Just like Nick Saban has done at Alabama.
Anyone great at anything will change with the times. “Adapt or die” is a coaching adage that has never had more meaning. Coach K realized that to maintain his career level of excellence, he had to give a lot to get a lot back. Now he is in the Final Four!