Coach K retiring with losing record vs. Tennessee basketball
When John Wooden was coaching the UCLA Bruins, he never faced Tennessee basketball. With a 2-1 record against Coach K, the Vols are certain end up not having a losing record against the two most successful coaches in the history of the sport.
According to reports, Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski plans to retire at the end of the 2021-2022 season. He makes this retirement fresh off his first failure to reach the NCAA Tournament in a full season of coaching since 1982-1983.
With a 1,170-361 record and five national championships over the course of 46 years, 41 at Duke and five with the Army Black Knights, Coach K gets the winningest coach title while Wooden had the national championships record with 10. That makes it even more impressive that neither had a winning record against the Vols, albeit by default in Wooden’s case.
UT’s first game against Krzyzewski came in the 1975-1976 season, his first year at Army and first year ever coaching. This was during the Bernie and Ernie show, and the Vols, led by Ray Mears, were ranked No. 11. Rocky Top dominated Army 99-69 and finished the year with a 21-6 record and NCAA Tournament appearance. Army finished 11-14.
Related Story. Vol basketball's top five players who won the most. light
Five years later, in his first year at Duke, Krzyzewski faced the Vols again. This time, he went up against a Don DeVoe led team that had a sophomore Dale Ellis. The two faced off in New Orleans at the Superdome the same day UT made its debut in the AP Poll that year, coming in at No. 18.
More from All for Tennessee
- How to Win a GUARANTEED $200 Bonus Betting Just $5 on the Vols vs. Florida!
- Tennessee Football at Florida: Five Keys to a Vols Victory
- Week 3 SEC Power Rankings: Did Tennessee Football’s Win Help At All?
- Week 3 AP Polls: Why Did Tennessee Football Drop in the Polls?
- Tennessee Football: Top Five Performers in 30-13 Win vs. Austin Peay
Rocky Top used that momentum to dominate 90-69. They went on to 21-8 and reach the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 that year, their first ever. That was the third of what would be five straight trips to the Big Dance for DeVoe to open his tenure as head coach of the program. Duke, meanwhile, finished 17-13 and reached the NIT Quarterfinal.
These two schools didn’t face off again until 2011-2012, Cuonzo Martin’s first year, at the Maui Invitational Tournament in Hawaii. Coach K was lucky that Martin was rebuilding a team and installing a new system that struggled to get off the ground, so his team won 77-67.
To be fair, that was another luck of the draw for Tennessee basketball, as they faced one of Duke’s worst teams under Krzyzewski, one that went 27-7 and was eliminated in the NCAA Tournament Round of 64. UT went 19-15, finished second overall in the SEC to the eventual national champion Kentucky Wildcats and reached the NIT Second Round.
Given this 2-1 record, if the report is true that next year will be Coach K’s last year, the best he’ll ever be able to do is finish .500 against the Vols. UT and Duke aren’t slated to meet at all or even potentially meet during the regular season next year, so their only chance is to face off in the Big Dance, and there’s no guarantee they won’t beat Duke then.
Next. 10 greatest made shots in Vol basketball history. dark
Simply put, the Vols are now certain to not have a losing record against either of the two best coaches in the history of college basketball, and there’s a chance they finish with a winning record against one of them. Who could have predicted that?