Six trips to the Final Four in 13 years of coaching have given Mike Krzyzewski a blueprint for postseason preparation.
Experience will serve the Blue Devils well as they head to the NCAA Tournament semifinals for a seventh time in the Krzyzewski era.
"We're going to use experience as much as possible as an advantage," Krzyzewski said. "At least handling all the other things that have to do with this event, which are too numerous to talk about. I mean all the requests, all the attention."
Just one of Krzyzewski's responsibilities involves preparing his squad to take the floor against Florida Saturday night at 8:12 p.m.
"I hope that I can do a good job of that," Krzyzewski said.
The job began yesterday, when Krzyzewski spent practice focusing on his own squad, rather than Gators snapping in the distance.
"I haven't watched as much Florida tape as I've watched our own tapes," Krzyzewski said. "That's why I don't have as good a feel for Florida right now as I will later on. But I want to have a good feel for my own team."
And there's plenty of time for that.
The team will have a long layoff -- almost seven days -- between its regional-final win over Purdue and its showdown in Charlotte.
"We don't play until late Saturday night, and to already start talking about Florida . . . getting them going at too fast a pace right now I think is very detrimental to being at our best on Saturday," Krzyzewski said. "Usually you have [only] one or two days to get ready. "
Part of the team's time in Charlotte will be left free for soaking up the atmosphere, enjoying a hard-earned week in the limelight of the sport's crowning moment.
"We've always given our kids some time at the Final Four to just walk around, and feel it a little bit," Krzyzewski said. "We really like that practice on Friday afternoons."
Oh yeah -- practice. Krzyzewski is looking to save the team's intensity and emotion for the weekend.
"Keeping kids in good shape, fresh and not taking them to the party on Tuesday when the party is on Saturday -- that's very important this week," Krzyzewski said.
Along the way, Krzyzewski won't be hesitant to try something lighter and a little new -- like a game of `H-O-R-S-E' with his All-American, or stopping to film a CBS pregame promo from the front seat of a limo.
Because this team -- like the six others he's taken to the pinnacle of the game -- is unique.
"There are so many ways of getting this thing done -- it's not like we've won every Final Four we've been to," Krzyzewski said. "So it's not like we have the recipe or anything."
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