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Mike Krzyzewski Didn’t Hesitate When Revealing the 'Toughest' Loss of His Coaching Career

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cole Sullivan | Last updated Mar 14, 2025 6:15 PM ET

The No. 1 Duke Blue Devils are having a remarkable season under head coach Jon Scheyer, but it was the legendary Mike Krzyzewski who left the program in a strong position before passing the torch to Scheyer in 2022.

There aren’t many coaches in the history of basketball with a résumé quite like Krzyzewski’s. He coached at two schools throughout his career: starting at Army and later spending a legendary tenure at Duke. Krzyzewski amassed a jaw-dropping 1,129-309 record with the Blue Devils, leading them to five national championships, 13 Final Fours, 15 ACC Tournament titles, and 13 ACC regular-season titles.

While Krzyzewski experienced a mostly successful career, he also faced some heartbreak. On Friday, during his SiriusXM podcast "Basketball & Beyond", he opened up about the losses he considers the toughest over his incredible 42-season run at Duke.

"That's easy, when you lose in a national championship game," Krzyzewski said. "We've been in nine, we lost in four. One we lost really bad, but the other three were the toughest losses because you're right there. One or two plays, 1986, 1994, 1999 for me."

In 1986, the Blue Devils suffered a tough loss to the Louisville Cardinals. Despite leading by three at halftime, Duke was outscored 38-32 in the second half and lost a hard-fought game.

In 1994, they fell to the Arkansas Razorbacks in a matchup just 145 miles from Duke's campus, effectively making it a "home game" for Arkansas. Lastly, in 1999, Duke was upset by the Connecticut Huskies, ending a 32-game win streak and marking a bitter defeat for Krzyzewski and his squad.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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