Duke basketball: Coach K reaches unmatched milestone with win

Duke basketball’s thriller versus Virginia was special for several reasons.

It had been 376 days since the Duke basketball program notched a win over a ranked team. That came at home against the last such opponent the 2019-20 Blue Devils ever faced, the then-No. 8 Florida State Seminoles on Feb. 10, 2020.

But as of Saturday night, this uncharacteristic Duke basketball drought is officially in the past.

Building on blowout road victories over unranked NC State and Wake Forest — following a second three-game losing streak this season — unranked Duke (10-8, 8-6 ACC) enjoyed a flood of clutch shots, defensive stands, and overall confident vibes in a 66-65 statement W at home against the No. 7 Virginia Cavaliers (15-5, 11-3 ACC).

Prior to squeaking past Virginia, the Blue Devils were 0-3 against AP Top 25 squads this season.

Another milestone for Duke basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski

Not only did Saturday’s win prove these Blue Devils have what it takes to outperform an elite foe down the stretch, but it also marked the 100th time a group under Mike Krzyzewski has defeated a top-10 team. The Hall of Famer is 100-95 in these contests at Duke (0-2 at Army).

In his 41st campaign in Durham and as the college game’s all-time wins leader with a 1,167-358 overall record as a head coach (76.5 winning percentage), the 74-year-old Coach K extended his lead in top-10 wins over the late Dean Smith, who compiled 97 of them across his 36 years (1961-97) at the helm of UNC.

ALSO READ: Ranking the first 40 Duke teams under Coach K

Speaking to the magnitude of the amount, legend Bobby Knight and current UNC head coach Roy Williams are next on the list with 66 apiece.

Now, there is no way Coach K will allow the Blue Devils to wallow in their winning ways over a ranked foe for long this weekend. Rather, they must quickly get to work behind the scenes in order to keep the substantial momentum, for the suddenly cohesive bunch returns to the floor, again in Cameron Indoor Stadium, at 7 p.m. Monday when it hosts the Syracuse Orange (13-6, 7-5 ACC).

Can’t afford a letdown at this point.

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