Former Duke forward Jay Bilas described how his coach, Mike Krzyzewski, simplified the 64-team NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament bracket during the 1985-86 season to ease pressure on the Blue Devils.[1]
Bilas, who played at Duke from 1982 to 1986, shared the anecdote in an interview with Fox News Digital ahead of the 2024 tournament. Krzyzewski, in Bilas's senior year—the second season of the expanded 64-team format—reduced focus to regional four-team brackets.[2][3]
"He broke the tournament down to basically a four-team tournament the first weekend," Bilas said. "He talked about the opposite side of our bracket... 'Who cares? Only one team is coming out of there.'"[1]
Duke, the No. 1 seed in the East Region, hosted first- and second-round games at Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina, which Krzyzewski dubbed the "Greensboro Invitational." The Blue Devils defeated Harvard 85-69 in the round of 64 on March 13 and Old Dominion 73-64 in the round of 32 on March 15.[3][4]
The regional semifinals and final were at Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey (now Meadowlands). Duke beat DePaul 71-67 on March 20 and Navy—led by David Robinson—71-50 on March 22.[3][4]
At the Final Four in Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri, Duke edged Kansas 67-65 in the semifinal before losing to Louisville 72-69 in the championship game on April 5.[3][4]
Krzyzewski, who coached Duke for 42 seasons and won five national titles before retiring in 2022, used the approach to maintain focus, Bilas said. "I don't remember what happened in that 1986 tournament... all I cared about was what we did."[1]
Bilas, now an ESPN college basketball analyst, said the method was effective and is still used by teams today.[1]
Sources
- Fox News. "Jay Bilas reveals how Mike Krzyzewski made March Madness bracket easier for Duke in 1986." March 20, 2024. https://www.foxnews.com/sports/jay-bilas-mike-krzyzewski-ncaa-tournament-bracket-duke-blue-devils
- NCAA. "Men's basketball tournament history." Accessed October 2024. https://www.ncaa.com/history/basketball-men/d1
- Wikipedia. "1986 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament." Accessed October 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986_NCAA_Division_I_men%27s_basketball_tournament
- Basketball-Reference.com. "1986 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament." Accessed October 2024. https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/postseason/1986-ncaa.html
