Thrillist Selects Duke/UNC Game at Cameron for Sports Pilgrimages

"Open since 1940, Cameron Indoor Stadium is the crown jewel of classic college basketball arenas. The in-state rivalry between Duke and UNC pits two of the country's best college hoop programs against one another in a heated matchup that usually has ACC/ national title implications.

Must-hit spot before/ after: Fried catfish on the patio at Tobacco Road Sports Café, a pint of Hogwash Hickory Smoked Porter at the Fullsteam Brewery, or a stogie and one of 250 brown boozes at Whiskey -- you've got some solid options in Durham. "

"The 10 Sports Pilgrimages Every Guy Should Make Once in His Life," Thrillist, Martin Desmarais

Durham Recognized as #1 College Basketball Town in America

"Duke is in the select group of programs synonymous with college basketball. Cameron Crazies are nation’s most famous spectators."

—"Ranking the 25 Best College Basketball Towns in America," Bleacher Report

Forbes - Coach K

"Leaders are measured not just on what they achieve personally but also on what the people they mentored go on to do as leaders in their own right. Sports provides many examples, one of the best is Duke’s head Coach Mike Krzyzewski...Coach K’s “coaching tree” has had numerous former players go on to become head coaches at NCAA Division I schools, including Amaker, Johnny Dawkins (Stanford), Mike Brey (Notre Dame) and Jeff Capel (former Oklahoma coach)."

- Duke's Coach K and Building a Leadership Legacy, Forbes

Slate - Ron Burt (1991-92 Blue Devil)

"On Oct. 15, 1991, dozens of students shuffled into Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium with hopes of making one of the best college basketball teams ever. In the real world, walk-on tryouts aren’t cinematic. As the hopefuls scrimmaged, it became clear who was going to grab the Blue Devils’ single open roster spot: Ron Burt, a senior from Kansas City... Over the next few weeks, you’ll hear dozens of stories about the 1991-92 Blue Devils, who 20 years ago beat Kentucky in the greatest college basketball game ever played en route to their second straight NCAA title. Duke’s dominance that season surprised no one. Burt’s path, on the other hand, was both unlikely and fortuitous."

- Blue Angel, Slate

ESPN - Duke Blue Devils

"No deficit seems too deep these days for Duke -- even if the Blue Devils insist they can't afford to keep winning this way. For the second time in nine days, Duke (No. 4 ESPN/USA Today, No. 5 AP) staged a remarkable comeback to beat a neighborhood rival."

- Duke rallies from 20 down to fight off NC State, ESPN

ESPN - March Madness / Duke Blue Devils

"Four freshmen (besides Anthony Davis) who will have the biggest say in how their team fares in March:

1. Austin Rivers, Duke: The Blue Devils point guard had his "aha!" moment when he swished a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to beat North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Seth Curry, Ryan Kelly and the Plumlee brothers are nice pieces, but Rivers is the Blue Devils' game changer."

- Four Weeks Until March Madness Begins, ESPN.com

CBS Sports - Why Duke?

"In college basketball's biggest rivalry, there's no gray area when choosing your shade of blue... except the people at ground zero of the rivalry -- the players. At least half the players on Duke's current roster gave serious consideration to UNC when they were choosing a college, and a similar number of Tar Heels pictured themselves playing home games at Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium... Duke players talked about the close relationship coach Mike Krzyzewski forged with them and the experience of watching a game at Cameron, but when it came to answering one question -- "Why Duke?" -- they tapped their chests instead of their heads."

-  Why Duke? For Blue Devils, it's all about business... and heart, CBS Sports

ESPN - Austin Rivers

"Freshman Austin Rivers has never been to a Duke-North Carolina game in person -- and thus, has never experienced the pregame hysteria, the midgame intensity, the postgame ear-ringing. But after years of watching the rivalry on television, of rewinding replays on YouTube, of seeing the highlights on "SportsCenter," the Blue Devils guard knows exactly what he has to do... Austin Rivers is one of several freshmen who could have an impact on the Duke-UNC game. "I'm going to have an impact." Bold prediction for a rookie? Perhaps. But in Wednesday's game at the Dean E. Smith Center (ESPN, 9 p.m. ET), the rookies who make an impact could make the difference, just as they have so many times in the past."

- Freshman play a key role in Duke-UNC, ESPN

Bleacher Report - Duke Basketball

"The Blue Devils don't have to worry too much about compromising their long-term goals, as they will be a threat to win the ACC Tournament when it rolls around, and they have enough talent to make a run through the NCAA Tournament when it comes calling. The rest of the regular season is a mere formality, with a couple high-profile games against North Carolina mixed in."

- Duke Basketball: Blue Devils Need Strong Finish from Austin Rivers, Bleacher Report

Sports Illustrated - Coach K

"The career victory numbers -- 1,075 for her, 907 for him, totals that leave every other male and female coach in Division I basketball behind -- only hint at why Sports Illustrated has chosen Mike Krzyzewski and Pat Summitt as its 2011 Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year... As for Krzyzewski, with four more seasons he will complete 40 years as a collegiate head coach. He won his fourth and unlikeliest national title in 2010, and -- oh, by the way -- sandwiched around it two almost criminally underappreciated international gold medals, at the 2008 Olympics and 2010 World Championships, as head coach of a U.S. national team program that had been in steady decline. No other coach has ever won the Olympics, the NCAAs and the Worlds -- and Coach K did so in a span of 26 months."


- Krzyzewski, Summitt named SI Sportsman, Sportswoman of year, Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated - Grant Hill Reflects on Coach K

"Thinking today of [Coach K's] intensity, his will to win, his drive, his passion and his incredible attention to detail throughout that drive to our first national championship gives me chills... His constructive criticism and his willingness to hold me accountable for the good and the bad was a vital part of my maturation... Coach profoundly encouraged me and implored me to overcome adversity and perform at the highest level I could against some of the best athletes in the sport. "

- Coach Krzyzewski had a powerful impact both on and off the court, SI.com

The New York Times - Coach Krzyzewski

"There are 902 reasons why Krzyzewski is poised to set the record for victories in men’s Division I college basketball, one for every game he has won in a five-decade career that began at Army in 1975 and includes four national championships in 31 seasons at Duke. But there are also a few consistent themes that have emerged during his years on the bench, from his motivational skills to his work ethic and, of course, his connection to Bob Knight. It is Knight, Krzyzewski’s coach at Army and his longtime mentor, whom Krzyzewski has tied atop the career victories list. That makes it all the more appropriate that Knight will be at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday to see Krzyzewski get his first chance to set the record, when No. 6 Duke faces Michigan State."

- Still Full of Fire, Duke's Krzyzewski Is Set to Break Record for Wins, The New York Times

Sports Illustrated - Blue Devils' Plumlee Brothers

"When Duke refers to its basketball family this year they'll probably be talking about the Plumlees. The Blue Devils have three Plumlee brothers on the team: Senior Miles and younger brothers Mason, a junior, and Marshall, a freshman. That's just the third time that's happened at a Division I school and the first time since the 1950s."

- Oh, brother! 3 Plumlees on Duke's front line, Sports Illustrated

Washington Post - Mike Krzyzewski

 "The always-busy Mike Krzyzewski has a lot on his plate — even for him. He’s trying to lead a young Duke team to a fourth consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference tournament title, attempting to lead the U.S. national team to back-to-back Olympic gold medals and is on the verge of becoming the winningest men’s basketball coach in Division I history... For Krzyzewski, the inevitable march toward history isn’t about a specific number, but the company it puts him in."

- On verge of 903rd win, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski keeps march toward hoops history in perspective, Washington Post

Sports Illustrated - Duke Blue Devils #1 Backcourt

"Austin Rivers, Seth Curry, Andre Dawkins, Quinn Cook, Tyler Thornton Rivers, whose father is Celtics coach Doc Rivers, is expected to be one of the college game's most electric scorers as a freshman. Curry, who had to take a backseat to star Nolan Smith last season, can light it up as well, and Dawkins is a sharpshooter who spreads the floor. If Cook and Thornton can give the Blue Devils quality minutes at the point guard spot, they'll be even scarier."

- Luke Winn's Top 16 Backcourts, Sports Illustrated

ESPN.com - Duke's Top Recruit, Austin Rivers

"[North Carolina's Harrison Barnes and Duke guard Austin Rivers] will be the centerpieces of two teams with yearly aspirations at national titles. As you might have heard, both will play in the same basketball-berzerk corridor of central North Carolina. As you might have heard, both are backed by respective fan bases that prefer to reserve their most spirited disdain for members of the other... This fall, both will carry that weight onto the college court. Once there, both will meet all the scrutiny, intensity and intrigue of the promise of a new season -- not to mention a new season in the 11-mile stretch that separates Durham, N.C., from Chapel Hill -- entails."

- Another top recruit enters Tobacco Road, ESPN.com

USA Today - Coach K

"Coach K is 900-284 in 36 seasons at Army and Duke. That's two wins shy of Bob Knight, his college coach and mentor who holds the Division I men's record. While calling it a "really neat thing" to pass Knight, Krzyzewski says it would be even more meaningful if he were retiring — which he says he isn't doing anytime soon."

- Coach K to 'refresh' himself with young Duke team, USA Today

Delta Sky Magazine - Cameron Indoor Stadium

"The basketball teams at Duke University are well known for their intensely passionate fan following, making a home game one of the most thrilling collegiate spectator experiences in the nation."

-  Carolina Sports Haven, Delta Sky Magazine

USA Today - Mike Krzyzewski

"Between four national titles at Duke and the revival of the national team, Krzyzewski has become an iconic figure, up there with John Wooden..."

- Duke's Mike Krzyzewski looks golden in chase for fifth title, USA Today

NBC Sports - Duke University Basketball

"It is Duke’s world again. The Blue Devils are just renting out space to the other 67 teams in the tournament field. Based on Duke’s run in the ACC tournament, I think the Blue Devils are going to repeat as national champions."

- Devils will have their day, Duke to win title, NBC Sports