Mike Krzyzewski has been guaranteed at least 40 more minutes to serve as the head coach of Duke. And with a historic Final Four victory over longtime archrival North Carolina on Saturday in New Orleans, the 75-year-old legend would then receive an additional 40 minutes on Monday, and the chance to complete his farewell tour as a national champion.
The sports world is fresh out of superlatives to describe Krzyzewski's 42-year legacy with the Blue Devils. He's rewritten history books with an NCAA record 1,202 career wins, 101 NCAA Tournament wins, 13 Final Four appearances, and five national titles. Krzyzewski will retire as one of sports' most accomplished teachers, and his peers, like Chris Beard, are appreciative of him.
"I'm like everybody else. Coach K has done so much for basketball. It sounds like a cliche, like just a one-liner, but it's true," the Texas head coach explained to Maggie and Perloff on Friday. "We have a connection because I worked for for Coach [Bobby] Knight, and Coach K worked and played for Coach Knight. So, it's what brought us together, originally.
"When we were building the Texas Tech program, he was gracious enough to play us in a game at Madison Square Garden. Which, in a lot of ways, put us on a stage where we were trying to get. He does so much for basketball and coaches. He's one of the best coaches, if not the best to ever do this. He's also a coach's coach, takes care of people along the way, myself included."
Beard, who reached the national championship with Texas Tech in 2019 and also reached the Elite Eight in 2018, took over as the Longhorns' leader last April. In his first season at Texas, the team finished 22-12 overall, climbed as high as fifth in the AP top-25 poll, and earned a 6th-seed in March Madness. The Longhorns' campaign ended with a second-round loss to Purdue.
The Blue Devils and Tar Heels will tip off at 8:49 p.m. ET on Saturday night at Caesars Superdome. According to FiveThirtyEight's projections, Duke has a 62-percent chance to reach the title game, which is set for Monday, April 4. The winner of this historic semifinal bout will play either Kansas or Villanova.
The entire college basketball conversation between Beard and Maggie and Perloff can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Maggie and Perloff Show on Twitter @MaggieandPerl and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.