Duke Final Four Appearances: History of Blue Devils NCAA Tournament Semifinals, National Basketball Championships
Duke is gearing up for the final Final Four appearance of Mike Krzyzewski’s illustrious career on Saturday — and they’re doing it against their biggest rival, the North Carolina Tar Heels.
That phrase alone should wake up the ears of any college basketball fan. Love or hate Duke, the Blue Devils have been a staple of the NCAA tournament for nearly 40 years. While they may not make the Final Four with the consistency of late ’80s and ’90s teams, it’s still one of college basketball’s most storied programs, by and large. part thanks to Krzyzewski and his 12 Final Four games.
MORE: Blueblood? New blood? How Villanova compares to other Final Four programs
Saturday will mark No. 13 for Krzyzewski and No. 17 for Duke as a program. Saturday’s game will put Krzyzewski ahead of John Wooden for most Final Four games ever.
Duke has been outstanding in its Final Four games, going 11-5 as a team and 5-6 nationally. College basketball in March is one of the toughest months in all of sports, but Krzyzewski managed to extend a stellar moment in 36 years.
How many Final Fours has Duke played in?
Duke has made 17 appearances in the men’s Final Four, tied for third all-time. This Krzyzewski appearance gives him the best of any coach in men’s history with 13. Duke is 11-5 in Final Four appearances so far, with Krzyzewski personally going 9-3.
| Year | Opponent | Coach |
| 1963 | Loyola Chicago | Vic Bubas |
| 1964 | Michigan | Vic Bubas |
| 1966 | Kentucky | Vic Bubas |
| 1978 | our Lady | Bill Foster |
| 1986 | Kansas | Mike Krzyzewski |
| 1988 | Kansas | Mike Krzyzewski |
| 1989 | Seton room | Mike Krzyzewski |
| 1990 | Arkansas | Mike Krzyzewski |
| 1991 | UNLV | Mike Krzyzewski |
| 1992 | Indiana | Mike Krzyzewski |
| 1994 | Florida | Mike Krzyzewski |
| 1999 | state of michigan | Mike Krzyzewski |
| 2001 | Maryland | Mike Krzyzewski |
| 2004 | Connecticut | Mike Krzyzewski |
| 2010 | West Virginia | Mike Krzyzewski |
| 2015 | state of michigan | Mike Krzyzewski |
| 2022 | North Carolina | Mike Krzyzewski |
TSN MARCH MADNESS HQ
NCAA Live Support | TV program | Prediction tool
How many times has Duke won a national championship?
Duke has won five national championshipsall under Coach K’s tenure. After winning back-to-back championships in 1991 and 1992, establishing a ton of dominance for the decade, Krzyzewski would win against in 2001, 2010, and 2015.
The Blue Devils have made 11 national championships, putting their record at 5-6. Krzyzewski’s record is 5-4, with Vic Bubas and Bill Foster each losing a national championship.
Duke record in Final Four games
Duke is 11-5 in Final Four games to date, with his last victory in 2015 and his last national championship the same year.
| Year | Results |
| 1963 | Loyola Chicago 94, Duke 75 |
| 1964 | Duke 91, michigan 80 |
| 1966 | Kentucky 83, Duke 79 |
| 1978 | Duke 90, Notre Dame 86 |
| 1986 | Duke 71, kansas 67 |
| 1988 | kansas 66, Duke 59 |
| 1989 | Room Seton 95, Duke 78 |
| 1990 | Duke 97, Arkansas 83 |
| 1991 | Duke 79, UNLV 77 |
| 1992 | Duke 81, Indiana 78 |
| 1994 | Duke 70, Florida 65 |
| 1999 | Duke 68, Michigan State 62 |
| 2001 | Duke 95, Maryland 84 |
| 2004 | Connecticut 79, Duke 78 |
| 2010 | Duke 78, West Virginia 57 |
| 2015 | Duke 81, Michigan State 61 |
| 2022 | North Carolina (to be determined) |
In its last two Final Four appearances, Duke has won the national championship. If that trend continues, Krzyzewski will retire a six-time national champion, with championships in his last three Final Four appearances.
Duke’s National Championship record
Duke is 5-6 in the national championship game, with a 5-4 record under Krzyzewski. Duke has beaten Butler and Wisconsin in its last two league games.
| Year | Results |
| 1964 | Loss at UCLA (98-83) |
| 1978 | Loss in Kentucky (94-88) |
| 1986 | Loss in Louisville (72-69) |
| 1990 | Loss at UNLV (103-73) |
| 1991 | To earn vs. Kansas (72-65) |
| 1992 | To earn vs. Michigan (71-51) |
| 1994 | Loss in Arkansas (76-72) |
| 1999 | Loss in Connecticut (77-74) |
| 2001 | To earn against Arizona (82-72) |
| 2010 | To earn against Butler (61-59) |
| 2015 | To earn vs. Wisconsin (68-63) |
Key players in Krzyzewski’s final Final Four teams
2001: The 2001 Blue Devils were led by five future NBA players: Shane Battier, Jay Williams, Mike Dunleavy, Chris Duhon and Carlos Boozer. Battier and Williams both earned over 20 points against Maryland in their Final Four game, scoring 25 and 23 points respectively. Williams averaged more than 20 points per game during the season, but a motorcycle accident cut short his NBA career after he was drafted by the Chicago Bulls.
2004 : Duke in 2004 introduced sharpshooter JJ Redick, who of course had a long and successful career in the NBA. Redick averaged 15 points per game in 2004 and scored 15 in Duke’s Final Four loss to Connecticut. Other NBA players on the 2004 list include Luol Deng, Daniel Ewing, Shelden Williams, Duhon and Shavlik Randolph. While Redick had the most successful career, Williams, Duhon and Deng all stayed in the league for a long time.
2010: The 2010 Blue Devils presented a huge Seven future NBA players, including a pair of Plumlees. Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith, Miles Plumlee, Lance Thomas, Andre Dawkins, Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly were all part of this dominant team. Duke crushed West Virginia in 2010 behind the efforts of Jon Scheyer, Singler and Smith. Scheyer and Singler had over 20 against WVU, while Smith had 19 more. Duke’s bench only scored seven points. If Scheyer’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he’s the heir apparent to the Duke coach once the season is over and Krzyzewski retires.
2015 : The 2015 Blue Devils managed to surpass 2010, with eight NBA players. Jahlil Okafor, Quinn Cook, Justice Winslow, Tyus Jones, Amile Jefferson, Marshall Plumlee, Semi Ojeleye and the polarizing Grayson Allen were part of this Duke team. Okafor, Winslow and Cook led the way for the 2015 Blue Devils against Michigan State, while the bench had 11 more points for Duke.
Comments are closed.