KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The Blue Devils are back for more.
After a one-year hiatus, the men's basketball team will return to its favorite place -- the Final Four. It will be Duke's sixth Final Four in the last seven years, and the Blue Devils' seventh in the last nine seasons.
Year in and year out, the Blue Devils have found a way to reach college basketball's promised land.
From Alarie to Amaker to Laettner to Hurley, Duke has been there. One might think that after Saturday's 69-60 win over Purdue in the Southeast Regional finals, the Blue Devils would take another one in stride.
Think again.
With about 20 seconds left in the game and the outcome no longer in doubt, head coach Mike Krzyzewski turned to his family in the Duke section. He pumped both fists and gave an emphatic "Yes!" as a smile came to his face. It was anything but routine.
"We've been fortunate to play in a number of regional championship games, and this was as good as any that we've played in," Krzyzewski said following the game. "We're excited immensely to be going to Charlotte and to be the Southeast Regional champs. It's such a tremendous honor for our basketball team, and we're going to enjoy it today."
Krzyzewski, whose Blue Devils are shooting for their third national championship in four years, knows how difficult it is to reach this point.
"We've been to the Final Four so many times, and each time's been different and it's been great," Krzyzewski said. "It's a fragile thing. I didn't know if we'd ever go again, and here we are again. It's fantastic."
For the Duke seniors, it is a chance to return to the Final Four after last year's second-round loss to California. This is their team, and it has gelled at just the right time.
"You always remember your last year, and you always want to go out with a bang," Antonio Lang said. "As captains, [Grant Hill, Marty Clark and I] have an obligation to the team to go out there and try to lead the team. I just can't put into words how I feel right now."
For Hill, the Final Four will provide an ending to one of the most brilliant Duke careers in history. He has done everything a college basketball player could ever imagine. Two national championships. Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year. First-team All-American.
Yet Hill does not want this season to end. He wants to win because of the strong feelings he has for everyone on this Blue Devil squad.
"I'm just so proud of my teammates -- I really don't know what to say," Hill said. "It feels great. We've accomplished a lot this year for a team that wasn't supposed to do a lot. It's just a great feeling.
"I love these guys."
Two of the key players on this year's team have never been to a Final Four. Chris Collins and Jeff Capel, the starting backcourt, are a sophomore and freshman, respectively. Collins arrived at Duke in time to see the five-year streak of Final Four appearances end, and both have now helped start a new streak.
"I liked watching Chris and Jeff's reaction on the court," Krzyzewski said. "I kind of got teary-eyed a little bit. They're very excited, because it's their first time. That's one of the beauties of coaching -- you live through your kids."
"I'm very excited," Capel said. "This is my first trip to the Final Four, and it's something that I've always dreamed of."
Ultimately, the Blue Devils were able to put it into perspective. Krzyzewski talked about the empathy he felt for Purdue head coach Gene Keady, who still has never reached the Final Four. The Blue Devils talked about the long season, and the ups and downs that have occurred.
And they talked about the accomplishment itself -- how a team with plenty of question marks and modest expectations early in the season turned into a national title contender similar to Duke juggernauts of the past.
"It's a new team -- the whole makeup of the team is different [from past years]," junior Cherokee Parks said. "I think we really define the word `team.' We need everyone, and everybody's contributing.
"We've been back in the shadows the whole time, and we've been fine with that. It's good to kind of bust out, savor tonight's win, and get on to next week."
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