By ADAM ZAGORIA
WASHINGTON — Tom Izzo is all too aware that he is 1-11 against Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski in his career.
That includes a 1-3 record in the NCAA Tournament, most recently in the 2015 Final Four.
Now he will get a chance at just his second career win when the two Hall of Famers coach against each other on Sunday with a spot in the Final Four on the line.
“Everybody has a standard you want to get to,” Izzo said here Saturday on the eve of No. Michigan State’s Elite Eight matchup with No. 1 Duke in the Eat Region. “And when players say you’re never satisfied, why would you be satisfied? Unless it’s time to hang up the whistle. Why would you be there? What he motivates me to do is there’s always another challenge.”
Coach K is 11-1 against Tom Izzo ahead for their Elite Eight matchup Sunday. pic.twitter.com/dHt1cAtrWC
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) March 30, 2019
Coach K has five NCAA championships and Izzo has one, and that came in 2000, the last time a Big Ten team won the whole thing.
Asked if Coach K was his “great white whale,” Izzo said: “I’ve got bigger goals than just beating Duke. I’d like to get back to another Final Four. I’d like to win another national championship. I’d like to get our program in a position where, whenever I’m done the basement’s built so strong that it will go forever. I’m on boards still. I want to do what’s right for college basketball. I’ve got a lot of goals.”
Still, he admitted he would like to ” change that 1-11 record.
“Hell, not many guys outside of their league are playing them 11 times,” he said. “I figure that we’ve played them a lot. Played them down there a lot. Played them in different events and we’ve knocked on the door. It hasn’t opened yet. One of these days it’s going to open.”
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