BeDeviled: Coach K Has K'ed 35 Times as Nationally Number-1 Ranked Team
December 2nd, 2021 - 11:52
Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski has defeated seven nationally #1-ranked opponents while coaching Duke after knocking off Gonzaga in Las Vegas. But there is a price to pay for the Blue Devils spending more weeks ranked No. 1 during Coach K's tenure than unranked. Upon bowing at Ohio State, Duke sustained its NCAA-record 39th defeat as nation's top-ranked team.
An individual all-time high 35 (only 13 outside ACC competition) of the 39 such setbacks have been with Krzyzewski as the Blue Devils' bench boss. Marquee mentors ranking behind him for most losses coaching the nation's top-ranked team are Dean Smith (18 with North Carolina), Roy Williams (18/11 with Kansas and seven with North Carolina) and Adolph Rupp (15 with Kentucky).
Eight different ACC members defeated a dominant Duke #1 club in 11-year span from 2009 to 2019. Duke lost as the nation's top-ranked team seven straight seasons from 1997-98 through 2003-04. Five of the Blue Devils' seven such losses from late-November 1998 to the 2002 NCAA playoffs were by margins of fewer than four points. Following is a chronological list of the 35 K's for Krzyzewski when ranked No. 1 in the country:
| Season | Date | Score | Team Defeating Nationally #1 Duke | Opponent's Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985-86 | 3-31-86 | 72-69 | Louisville at Dallas in NCAA Tournament final | Denny Crum |
| 1988-89 | 1-18-89 | 91-71 | North Carolina | Dean Smith |
| 1988-89 | 1-21-89 | 75-71 | at Wake Forest | Bob Staak |
| 1991-92 | 2-5-92 | 75-73 | at North Carolina | Dean Smith |
| 1991-92 | 2-23-92 | 72-68 | at Wake Forest | Dave Odom |
| 1992-93 | 1-10-93 | 80-79 | at Georgia Tech | Bobby Cremins |
| 1993-94 | 2-3-94 | 89-78 | at North Carolina | Dean Smith |
| 1997-98 | 12-13-97 | 81-73 | at Michigan | Brian Ellerbe |
| 1997-98 | 2-5-98 | 97-73 | at North Carolina | Bill Guthridge |
| 1997-98 | 3-8-98 | 83-68 | North Carolina at Greensboro in ACC Tournament final | Bill Guthridge |
| 1998-99 | 11-28-98 | 77-75 | Cincinnati at Anchorage in Great Alaska Shootout final | Bob Huggins |
| 1998-99 | 3-29-99 | 77-74 | Connecticut at St. Petersburg in NCAA Tournament final | Jim Calhoun |
| 1999-00 | 3-24-00 | 87-78 | Florida at Syracuse in NCAA Tournament East Regional semifinals | Billy Donovan |
| 2000-01 | 12-21-00 | 84-83 | Stanford at Oakland | Mike Montgomery |
| 2001-02 | 1-6-02 | 77-76 | at Florida State | Steve Robinson |
| 2001-02 | 2-17-02 | 87-73 | at Maryland | Gary Williams |
| 2001-02 | 3-21-02 | 74-73 | Indiana at Kentucky in NCAA Tournament South Regional semifinals | Mike Davis |
| 2002-03 | 1-18-03 | 87-72 | at Maryland | Gary Williams |
| 2003-04 | 2-15-04 | 78-74 | at North Carolina State | Herb Sendek |
| 2005-06 | 1-21-06 | 87-84 | at Georgetown | John Thompson III |
| 2005-06 | 3-1-06 | 79-74 | at Florida State | Leonard Hamilton |
| 2005-06 | 3-4-06 | 83-76 | North Carolina | Roy Williams |
| 2008-09 | 1-28-09 | 70-68 | at Wake Forest | Dino Gaudio |
| 2010-11 | 1-12-11 | 66-61 | at Florida State | Leonard Hamilton |
| 2010-11 | 2-26-11 | 64-60 | at Virginia Tech | Seth Greenberg |
| 2012-13 | 1-12-13 | 84-76 | at North Carolina State | Mark Gottfried |
| 2012-13 | 1-23-13 | 90-63 | at Miami (Fla.) | Jim Larranaga |
| 2016-17 | 11-15-16 | 77-75 | Kansas at New York | Bill Self |
| 2017-18 | 12-9-17 | 89-84 | at Boston College | Jim Christian |
| 2018-19 | 11-21-18 | 89-87 | Gonzaga at Maui | Mark Few |
| 2018-19 | 1-14-19 | 95-91 | Syracuse | Jim Boeheim |
| 2018-19 | 2-20-19 | 88-72 | North Carolina | Roy Williams |
| 2018-19 | 3-31-19 | 68-67 | Michigan State at Washington, DC, in East Regional final | Tom Izzo |
| 2019-20 | 11-26-19 | 85-83 | Stephen F. Austin | Kyle Keller |
| 2021-22 | 11-30-21 | 71-66 | at Ohio State | Chris Holtmann |