In this edition of Top-10 Stats of the Week, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski gets one last chance to beat his archrival, the New York Knicks find themselves on the winning side of games, and the NCAA Tournament once again shows why the cream always rises to the top.
13 -- Duke beat Arkansas in the Elite Eight this past weekend, clinching a 13th Final Four appearance for its legendary coach, Mike Krzyzewski. This special mark passes UCLA legend John Wooden for the most Final Fours by a men's head coach in Division I history.
44 -- Duke and its longtime conference foe, North Carolina, have reached the NCAA Tournament at least 44 times. On Saturday night in the Final Four, they'll face each other in a tournament do-or-die setting for the very first time.
First -- Congratulations are in order for UNC head coach Hubert Davis, who's reached the Final Four in his his first campaign at the helm. Roy Williams didn't reach the Final Four during his first year at North Carolina, and it took program legend Dean Smith six years to reach his first.
3 -- All four 2022 Final Four squads (Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, Villanova) have won at least three national championships. This is a first in NCAA men's tournament history.
15 -- Congratulations are also in order to the lovable underdog Saint Peter's, which became the first 13-seed or lower to advance to the Elite Eight round. Unfortunately, the Peacocks' dreams of playing under the Superdome lights were dashed by North Carolina this past Sunday.
1 -- There are currently four East teams (Heat, 76ers, Bucks, and Celtics) that're all within one game of each other for best record in the conference. Remarkable, considering all four squads have played at least 74 games.
4 -- Care to guess which Eastern Conference team is playing the hottest right now? It's not the Heat, Sixers, Bucks, or Celtics. It happens to be the Knicks (34-42), which have won four in a row. No, this isn't an early April Fools' joke.
8.5 -- Unlike the competitive Eastern Conference, the Phoenix Suns are 8.5-games ahead of every other team in the West for the number one seed. Only one other team -- the Memphis Grizzlies -- is within 13 games of the Suns at this point in the season.
73% -- Speaking of the Suns, they win 73-percent of their games when their best player, veteran floor general Chris Paul, isn't in the lineup. That happens to be good enough for best record in the NBA.
90% -- If you think Phoenix has depth without Paul, check out the Grizzlies. They've actually won 90-percent of their games this season when their best player, superstar Ja Morant, isn't in the lineup.