Mike Krzyzewski can win his 1,000th career game on Sunday afternoon against St. John’s at Madison Square Garden.
Coach K earned career Win No. 999 when the fifth-ranked Blue Devils’ beat Pittsburgh, 79-65, Monday night.
“It means we’re 16-2,” Krzyzewski said, referring to his team’s overall record. “That’s exactly what that means. And hopefully we can be 17-2 the next game we play, and that’s the way we approach everything. We’ll continue to approach it that way.”
St. John’s (12.5, 1-4 Big East) hosts Marquette Wednesday night at the Garden before entertaining Duke (16-2, 4-2 ACC). The Johnnies have lost four of five entering the Marquette game.
If Coach K wins his 1,000th game at the Garden it won’t be the first major milestone he’s enjoyed there.
That’s also where in 2011 he passed Bob Knight as the winningest men’s coach in Division 1.
Duke freshman center Jahlil Okafor — the projected No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft — said he’s excited about the pursuit of 1,000.
“It’s very cool,” Okafor said. “When I was trying to decide what university I wanted to attend, being a part of Coach K’s legacy had a big part in me coming here, so I’m excited for it.”
The game figures to have added intrigue for Okafor, who will be playing on the home floor of the Knicks, who despite Monday’s win over New Orleans still own the NBA’s worst record (6-36) and the best chance at landing the No. 1 pick.
“All I’m really worrying about is Duke, trying to win a national championship,” he told the New York Times. “I can’t really control anything else.”
The 6-foot-11 Okafor is the consensus No. 1 pick, but isn’t giving anything away just yet.
“We’ll see when the time comes,” he told the Times.
