Mike Krzyzewski joined The Dan Patrick Show to talk about how tough it is to deal with egos of NBA players as opposed to college players, how it feels to have one of his teams be on the Most Hated list of Sports Illustrated, and what he thinks of LeBron’s decision to go to Miami.

On the difference of handling college players versus pros:

“It’s different because I think actually some of the kids you deal with now, most of them you’re trying to develop their egos because they’re young men. They’re trying to find themselves. A lot of them are trying to find themselves as players, as people, and that’s what you’re doing. That’s what happens a lot in college so that’s one of the really interesting things about coaching in college. In the pros, a lot of the egos are pretty much established although with the USA team now, I have a lot of young guys who I think are still developing that and still developing who they’re going to be. Kobe knows who he is going to be and is. Dwyane Wade and guys like that. Jason Kidd, when you’re dealing with guys like that they are established.”

On the hatred that Duke gets:

“I haven’t seen the list but I would think that most teams are teams that won a lot or won big or won championships. Are there any teams that lose on there?”

On whether it is more important to have stars or chemistry:

“I would do everything I could to make sure stars are on a team with great chemistry and then you’ve got a better chance for a championship.”

On LeBron James’ decision to go to Miami and how much it has to do with him not wanting to handle the pressure:

“I think people who love to lead don’t look at it as pressure. They look at it as opportunity. You’re in a constant search for leadership opportunities. I do think LeBron is a leader. I’m not sure his decision was based on not wanting to lead but the ability of using his talents maybe a little bit differently in a new environment. To me I see it in Miami as a point guard and power forward and he can do both in a game. I just think that change in scenery doesn’t mean you don’t want to lead. Again how it was handled and everything is up for grabs with how you feel about it, but I don’t think it’s wrong for him to want to be in a different scene and have different talents around him or with him that may bring out the best in him. A lot of times a really good player, his talents are brought out more when he’s with certain players that bring them out. I think he can look at it as everything was on him at one place and that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want the pressure it just means he wants to use his talents or develop a little differently.”

Listen to Mike Krzyzewski on the Dan Patrick Show here

Seth Curry joined WFNZ in Charlotte with the Mac Attack to talk about being part of a National Championship run last year, what it is like to play against his brother, how excited he is to play his first game for Duke, and also what he expects his role to be with the Blue Devils.

On how much fun he had during Duke’s tournament run:

“It was a lot of fun; the whole situation, the whole tournament, and making that run.  Because you know, as long as I play I may never get back to that point, the Final Four and the National Championship so I was just trying to take it all in like I was playing every day.  In practice, the basic goal was to go in there and push Jon (Scheyer) and Nolan (Smith) every day, be the other team’s best guard, and prepare them as much as I can for the game.”

On playing against his brother:

“Uh.  He’s tough.  He’s tough, but I’m gonna make him work for every point he gets.  Last year he got me about 90 percent of the time.  We haven’t played this year so it’s gonna be another story.”

On how excited he is to play his first game for Duke:

“Yeah.  So excited.  Everything has built up inside of me from this year.  Hopefully the first game comes around and I can calm myself down a little bit and actually play well.”

On what he expects his role to be:

“He hasn’t really talked about the rotation, but I’m just gonna try and go in and get as much playing time, earn a starting spot, and stuff like that.  I’m just gonna go in and do what I do.  Be aggressive on the offensive end, put points on the board, and defensively put pressure on the ball like all his guards do.”

On whether he was a Duke fan or a North Carolina fan growing up:

“I was always a Duke fan because Cameron, the whole atmosphere, and Coach K.  I was a Duke fan.  (Host: So now it’s easy for you to dislike Carolina.  You’re supposed to now you know?)  I know, I know.  Growing up I was not a North Carolina fan.  I didn’t not like them, but I was more of a Duke fan growing up.”

Listen to Seth Curry on WFNZ in Charlotte here

Kyle Singler joined the Dan Patrick Show to talk about what all the factors were that led him back to Duke for his senior year, whether he lacked confidence in his game and he felt that he needed the extra year, and whether Coach K was surprised that he stayed another year.

What all the factors were that led him back to Duke for his senior year:

“Well there were a few.  The main ones were I just really liked it here.  I felt like if I left that I would kind of miss out on my senior year.  I think just coming back I will improve as a basketball player and just being around people that I like.  I don’t feel like I want to leave.  I don’t feel like I am being pushed out or anything and just the guys that we have back I think that we have a really good chance of repeating what we did this year.”

Who he thinks is more NBA-ready, Gordon Hayward or himself:

“Um I mean I don’t know.  Gordon is just a great player.  We kind of play similar.  We both bring kind of the same things to the game so I guess you are going to have to ask someone else on that.”

Whether he lacked confidence in his game and he felt that he needed the extra year:

“Not at all.  I do feel ready for the next level but what it was for me is that I just really like it here.  I feel like being a senior, there are some things that I still need to improve on and I think one of those things is being more of a leader and I think that being a senior on this team will definitely help me in that area.”

What he told Coach K and when he told him:

“Um I told him on that Saturday and I just walked into his office and I told him that I am going to stay and that I feel good about my decision and he was very happy.”

Whether Coach K was surprised that he stayed another year:

“Uh I don’t know.  I guess not.  Coach was just funny.  He was really happy for me and he just gave me a big hug.”

Would he have came back if Coach K didn’t come back to coach:

“I mean that would have been different I think.  I think that Coach and I share a very unique relationship and he did play a part in my decision.”

Whether going out on top as a champion and going pro factored in his decision to come back to school:

“Not at all.  We kind of talked about questioning my game at the next level.  I feel that I still have things to prove at the collegiate level.  As a player I am very confident and I am hardly ever afraid.  There are still things that I still want to accomplish and I am going to work hard in the off-season, I am trying to accomplish those things this coming year.”

Listen to Kyle Singler on the Dan Patrick Show

Singler dropped 21 points on West Virginia and then a game-high 19 points against Butler in the title game. In total, he shot 15-of-29, grabbed 18 rebounds and doled out seven assists in the Final Four. Singler’s length also proved effective on the defensive end where his length was a problem for both Butler and West Virginia.

Of course, especially after Singler’s bricked bunny in the closing seconds, the conversation may be very different if Gordon Hayward’s last-second shot had dropped to win the championship for Butler.

Kyle Singler joined Isaac and Suke on KFXX in Portland to talk about the end of the Butler, the crowd in Indianapolis, and his decision regarding the NBA.

On what stands out the most from the title game:

“I would say just Butler’s fight to keep on fighting the whole game. By no means were they a Cinderella team. They were a very talented team. I would just say that it was a close game throughout the whole game. Both teams had the will to win.”

On if the crowd affected the team in Indianapolis:

“There were definitely a lot of Butler fans there, but we definitely had a great supporting cast. Our fans are great. We had great support throughout the whole tournament, so thank you guys. But it really wasn’t a big deal really.”

On what he was thinking when Brian Zoubek intentionally missed his last free-throw:

“Well, I didn’t know he was going to miss it until he missed it. It kind of caught me off guard. Then I just tried to do a good job to stay in front of Hayward. I got screened. When the ball came off the backboard and hit the rim, it was just a big sigh of relief that that ball didn’t go in. It looked good. I was on the ground, so I didn’t get a good look at at it, but it looked good.”

On where his head is regarding early entry for the NBA Draft:

“It’s kind of scrambled – just from the emotion of winning a national championship and then having the opportunity to enter your name in the draft, it’s just kind of scrambled. Now I am going to have to take a couple days to gather some information and just kind of thinking about it. I would say my decision is a week away – maybe less than that. I really don’t have any idea what I am going to do. Basically, it’s up in the air. I am going to listen to my parents. I trust their advice. I trust coach’s too. I’m just going to have to listen to what they have to say and make a decision that feels right. “

On what Coach K told him about his draft stock:

“He just told me, ‘I’m here for you, if you needed anything.’ He told me that, from what he’s heard, I am a late first round, maybe second round pick. He basically said that it’s up to me. It’s my decision and he’ll definitely support what I choose to do.”

And on his first memory of the Final Four:

“I really don’t know. I grew up as a hockey guy. I didn’t get into basketball until middle school, so I really couldn’t tell you. I don’t know.”

Listen to Kyle Singler with Isaac and Big Suke on KFXX in Portland.

Coach K joined The Dan Patrick Show on Wednesday morning to talk about his decision to have Brian Zoubek intentionally miss the second of two free throws with the Devils up by 2 and only 3.6 seconds left, why he was scared to go to overtime, how he’s not been offered the New Jersey Nets job, and how he thinks he’d be nowhere near Bob Knight’s win record if Knight hadn’t been forced out of Indiana.

On his strategy to intentionally miss the second free throw when up by 2 and only 3.6 seconds left on the clock:

“Well, first of all, you can do it a number of different ways. And each game, you have to know what the game has done thus far. And the last 9 minutes of that game, Zoubek played with four fouls; the last 5 minutes, Lance Thomas played with four fouls. Going into overtime, for me, is a conservative way of looking at it. It’s not an alternative. I did not want to go into overtime. If we hit the free throw and they somehow hit a three, then we’re okay, we don’t lose. I wasn’t thinking for this game in that way.”

Coach K then elaborated on the decision:

“I had time to think about it and it wasn’t an easy decision because Brian was fouled on one end of the floor, when they walked to the other, I really tried to go through everything. Whether it was the right decision or not, it was a decision we were prepared for, and they had no timeouts. I know how good they are and how well schooled they are – they’re going to have something really good after the make. And whether we could foul them, or whatever, they’ll probably get something decent, even if we foul them. It’s going to produce a number of plays. And my feeling is the clock will start as soon as we miss, and I had everybody set up to defend their guys. And then Zoubek after the miss, he did what he was supposed to do, he jammed whoever got the rebound. And he did, he missed and we jammed. And Kyle got blown out on the side, and they got what I thought was the very best thing they could have gotten and that is a desperation half court shot. I thought we could play 3.6 seconds in the half court, and you know, it came close, but Dan, that’s what our game is. In another situation, I probably would have done another thing, but I’m supposed to read the situation I’m in, and there’s always alternatives. It turned out right…it turned out well. I don’t think you can say one’s right and one’s wrong, it’s always the thing that turns out well that turns out right, but when you analyze it, a lot of times you don’t analyze what could have happened. If it goes into overtime, it’s not a good situation for us. David and Goliath, we’re playing an away game, and we’re in foul trouble. To me, that didn’t even enter the conversation. If they hit a 3, well sure, then we’d be tied, but I think we lose. Not to have a defeatist attitude, but I think we have a better chance of losing if that extreme happens, than a better shot of winning if the extreme that occurred happens.”

On if he has any interest in the New Jersey Nets job:

“The Nets job has never been offered to me. I’ve never been offered – a month ago, today, yesterday – I’ve never been offered the New Jersey Nets job.”

On if he would have any interest in the job if it were to be offered to him:

“Well are you going to say what if I was married to someone else? Or let’s say I was the President of the United States. Is your show going to be change to ‘Let’s Say?’ That’s not a bad show.”

On being within shouting distance of Bob Knight’s all-time wins record:

“Well, let me put it this way, Bob Knight, if things didn’t get messed up at Indiana and if he was still at Indiana, he’d have like 1,050 wins or whatever. And he’d probably have at least one or two more national championships.”

Listen here to Coach Krzyzewski on The Dan Patrick Show

Mike Dunleavy joined 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis to talk about the Pacers recent success, what he most remembers about his days playing for Duke, whether he had Duke in his bracket going to the Final Four, and whether he has Duke winning it all.

On the Pacers recent success:

“Yeah, you know I think it starts out a little bit with you beat some teams that aren’t so good, they are down in the dumps and have some injuries.  From there it just kind of starts snowballing and you get some confidence and guys start playing a little better and just kind of rolled at home especially and unfortunately it is a little bit too late to make the playoffs, but hopefully we can build on it going into next year.”

How tough injuries are to battle with during a long season:

“Yeah it has been a long year, as long as I can remember.  It is just a lot of weird things have gone on and a lot of weird things have happened and certainly coming back from the knee injury last year and this summer, it has just been a strange year, really been hard for me to put into words.  I am sure when the season is over I will look back on it and have some more thoughts about it.  At this point it has just been a weird year and one that I am quite frankly looking to put behind me.”

What he most remembers about his days playing for Duke:

“Just the winning to be honest with you.  I have been in the NBA for eight years now and not been on a winning team.  That is the thing that I look back at Duke, just going out every night expecting to win.  Just playing with other great players, certainly playing for Coach K.  It was such a special thing and just the adrenaline.  Going out each night knowing that you are going to get the other team’s best shot because you have Duke on your chest.”

What he would tell a freshman in college that is having second thoughts about leaving early for the NBA:

“That is tough.  I was in that situation although I was a junior looking to come back for my senior year.  It is tough.  I wanted to stay in college so bad, but just from a financial standpoint and the opportunity at hand of reaching the NBA accomplishing your dreams.  It is really hard to turn down.  I would just recommend that you think things through thoroughly.  Follow your heart, but having been in the situation before it is really hard to turn down security that the NBA offers.”

Whether he had Duke in his bracket going to the Final Four:

“I did.  I did.  I have had Duke going into the Final Four the last eight years, but this year is something.  I thought that they had a good draw and then the way that they are playing towards the end of the season with the balance they had inside and outside.  It seemed like guys really understood their roles.  As I mentioned before, understanding your roles is a really important thing and I think they do a nice job inside rebounding, defending and the perimeter guys get it done offensively so it is a nice system.”

Whether he has Duke winning it all:

“I think they have got a great shot.  I think really any team that is in the Final Four can win it this year.  West Virginia is going to be a really tough out but they can do it.  They are playing well.  I hope that it will be a Duke vs. Butler Final Monday night.”

Mike Dunleavy Jr. on 1070 the Fan in Indy with Eddie White on Duke in the Final Four and the Pacers recent success

Coach K joined Dan Patrick to talk about whether he thinks West Virginia will play man-to-man or zone defense, whether he expects to win the National title, and whether he expects to beat West Virginia.

On Bob Huggins’ comments that he is thinking about playing man-to-man coverage against Duke because of Duke’s ability to get offensive rebounds:

“Well my feeling is that he will play zone because of their length and that it is different.  (Host: Why is it different?)  Because you don’t see it every day.  Jim Boeheim, who is one of my dear friends, he and I have talked about this a lot, you are accustomed to seeing a lot of man-to-man.  So you practice against man-to-man and then especially at the end of the year you don’t practice that long anyway.  All of a sudden you see something different and you have practiced against it a little bit but you haven’t played against it in game competition so it can mess you up a little bit.  I thought that we did a good lob against Baylor’s zone and one day preparation, but it distracted us from not playing as well defensively, especially in the first half because you are concentrating so much on attacking the zone.  I expect to see both from Bob.  They have such good length with Eubanks or Da’Sean’Butler up on the top of that 1-3-1 and start waving their arms boy.  It is tough to throw east west against it.”

Whether he has talked to Jim Boeheim about West Virginia:

“You know I have not.  I wouldn’t do that.  I don’t want to put those guys in a situation where they are trying to help us and they are a member of their league and he is good friends with Hugg.  So I try not to do that.”

What he would say to Kyle Singler during the last game when he shot 0-10 from the field:

“Please hit a shot.  No you can’t.  You just say, ‘Take it easy’ or ‘Get on the boards’ or ‘get fouled.’  The cool thing about it is that he hit four free throws when we needed them in spite of having his worst offensive game of the year.  He was guarding Dunn.  Dunn had twenty-two, he got some in transition but he was only two of eight from threes.  That can mess you up a little bit.  I think Dunn is the best two-guard in the country.  Yeah he is good.”

When the last time an assistant coach has asked him about retiring:

“They have never asked me that.”

Whether he can pick his successor:

“I won’t be able to do that.  I will give input and I don’t think that I should be able to pick my successor.  I think I should have amazing input, but I think that is the role of our athletic director and our president.”

What he would do if any of his assistants came to him and told him that another college is interested in them becoming a head coach:

“With any of my guys, I want them to explore any opportunity that I presented to them and I would give them a fair assessment of what I thought that opportunity is a good one or a not so good one.  I want all of my guys to be head coaches and have opportunities and I would be all for them.  Whatever happens happens.”

Whether he expects to win the National title:

“This is the way that we have done this the whole tournament.  I am totally focused on West Virginia.”

Whether he expects to beat West Virginia:

“I think you have to go into a game expecting that you are going to win, and, if you don’t you have lost already.  You have to prepare like you are going to win.  Do you like expect that it is going to be easy or whatever?  No but you have to go about it feeling like you are going to win and I am sure that Bob is going to do the same thing with his team.”

Coach K on the Dan Patrick Show

The Hall of Fame head coach joined 790 The Zone in Atlanta to talk about how he feels this team is more complete than other Duke teams in recent years, how he thinks his team has a chance to cut down the nets in Indianapolis, how he’s never been tempted to break the rules to land star players, and finally, to answer some ‘quick hit’ questions like who the toughest players were that he’s ever coached against.

On if this team is more complete than many of the Duke squads he’s coached in recent years:

“I think it’s more than fair. Whether we win the National Title or not, I think we’re competitive. It’s such a hard thing to win. This team has a chance. It’s not a great team, but it’s a very good team. It can play defense and it’s really together as a group. It can score enough points and it can rebound. It doesn’t play all aspects of the game – it’s not a pressing team, we can’t force tempo and stuff like that. But it has a chance. It’s been awhile since we’ve not had a hole that someone can exploit. Our kids have done a good job in the last few years trying to plug a hole or two and we just didn’t have enough. But we have a chance and that’s what you want as a coach and as a player – you want a chance.”

On if there was ever a temptation to break or rule or two over the years in order to land certain recruits:

“No, going to West Point, I’m sure you Pete Dawkins the Heisman Trophy winner and General Dawkins, he was an instructor there when I was a cadet, and one of the things he said was to win by cheating is not to win. And because you know, whether someone else knows doesn’t matter. What I call that is character – what you do when no one’s looking and would you do the honorable thing. I’ve been at two schools, one that wouldn’t allow it, and two the atmosphere is…you don’t do that. It’s a road you don’t even travel. That doesn’t mean you have…you know, over the years you break a rule. I think rules are broken by everybody, whether that means you made an extra phone call because you didn’t keep tabs with your staff. Things like that, what they call secondary violations. But knowingly that’s never been [an issue].”

The best one or two players he’s coached against:

“Jordan and Len Bias.”

Best player he’s coached against in the Olympics:

“Ginobli.”

The college basketball analysts he respects:

“You know, a lot of them. Coach Knight. He’s the guy I have the most respect for. But you know, Bill Raftery, Jay Bilas. There’s quite a few guys. The analysts are pretty good.”

Favorite city to visit:

“Vegas.”

On if he texts with LeBron or Kobe:

“Not texts, I’ll talk to them every once in awhile.”

Listen here to Coach K with The Morning Mayhem on 790 The Zone in Atlanta

Despite the acclaim, the record, the seed and the superstars, Duke is not a popular pick to win it all. Coach K may have something to do with that. He is stoic, rarely showing any emotion or affirmation of his team’s performance on the court. He even tends to downplay his successes and moonlights with NBA players as Team USA’s head coach in the off-season. He also wins a lot and consistently brings good, but not great teams to the tournament.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff may not be a concern for the Blue Devils in the first round, but the reputation of the team and the coach – and many people’s brackets – will be on the line soon as Duke advances.

Mike Krzyzewski joined Steve Hartman and Pat O’Brien on Fox Sports Radio to discuss keeping players focused in the tournament, how he feels about this year’s team, why he doesn’t smile, and the NBA.

On keeping players focused:

“We give them brackets for this weekend. We play (Arkansas Pine-Bluff) and if we win we play the winner of Louisville and Cal. We don’t want any other brackets. We don’t care who is seeded where. We really don’t care what happens in other games. If you start thinking ahead or looking at other games, you’re going to get beat.”

On if he has a gut feeling about this team going into the tournament:

“I think you should know what horse you’re riding. Do  you have a horse that can win? Do you have a team that has to do something amazing to get by. For the last few years, we have had a team that, to win the whole thing, you would have to get really, really lucky. With this year’s team, we need to be really, really good. We have some veterans. They are really old school like my teams from the ’80s. They are more of a half-court defensive team. Everybody in the starting five has a good ego about who they are as players. We are coming along. We are not a great team, but we are a very good team. We have a chance to beat anybody, but we could lose to more people than some of the teams I have had in the past.”

On coaching in the NBA:

“I love the pro game. I love the guys I have a chance to work with in the summer.We are getting ready for the World Championships this summer. We have a pool of about 30 players that we’ll choose from and those guys are great. If I was a younger guy and had some of the success I’ve had in the college game, there is a good chance I would go to the pros. The last time was with the Lakers – five or six years ago. I had created so much equity and it was too good to leave. But with the Lakers in LA, you know is a basketball town. And with Kobe and Mitch, they do a great job. I don’t go there and they get the best coach of all-time.”

And on why college basketball coaches don’t smile:

“In the tournament, you don’t want to be in the place you just finished at. You don’t want to be in that moment. You have passed it and you want to get ready – the coaches get ready for the next thing. Until you are in Indianapolis on Monday night, there is another game and you always want to make sure your team is ready for the next play. ”

Listen to Mike Krzyzewski on Fox Sports Radio with Steve Hartman and Pat O’Brien.

Mike Krzyzewski joined ESPN 1050 in New York with Michael Kay to talk about coaching his 1000^th game, the New Jersey Nets rumors, and whether or not money would be a motivating factor to get him to leave Duke.

On the emotions of coaching his 1000th game:

“Afterwards when I got together with family and former players and that was it. I really tried to downplay that with my team because Maryland is so good. They have done a great job with their team. It couldn’t be because we’re playing in my 1000th game that we’re gonna win. We had to prepare for it the same way. You put a lid on your emotions and then afterwards it was just neat to see so many players, managers and people that have been a part of our program for 30 years back and that was a nice thing.”

On whether he dreamed about coaching his 1000th game:

“I never have and I won’t dream about going to 1500 or whatever. That’s not gonna happen. Also I’m more of a guy in coaching that does what he needs to do now. I don’t look back and I don’t look forward.  I look into right now. I’ve tried to do that since I coached at Army starting 35 years ago. It’s paid off for me focusing on what’s on hand, not what’s happened or is going to happen.”

On whether he would consider the Nets job:

“I would not. I was asked over the weekend about that after the game. First off all, I have a lot of respect for them. I think it’s a good job, it’s just not a good job for me and the Nets haven’t offered that. I hate to comment and make it appear that the Nets have done something that they haven’t done. They haven’t done that. I was goofing around after the game…I said for a Russian to hire a Polish guy, that’s just not gonna happen. That wasn’t meant in disrespect to them it was just a way of putting it behind us. When we come up there we always practice at the Nets facility, Rod Thorn and I are friends for decades and I think it has a lot of potential especially with really good financial backing. A lot of people have said no one would want that job. If I was a younger guy, and wanted to go into the pros, that would be appealing to me because you have a chance to build something with new ownership, hopefully a new arena soon, there’s a lot of newness there. I do think it’s something that will turn out very good, but I’m not gonna be a part of it. I’ll be cheering for them because they’re a really good organization.”

On whether or not he is bothered by people reporting things that aren’t fact:

“There is none. I think Michael that’s part of today’s day and age with blogs and twitter and all that stuff, talk shows. You don’t have to be accurate with your information. In fact you can be dead wrong. If I was contacted it would be all private and very, very respectful. That’s with any NBA team because I have the utmost respect for the NBA. I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of the NBA players on our national team and have gotten to know people throughout the league very, very well. It’s a great, great league as evidenced by the spectacular event last night with 108,000 people.”

On whether or not he would take a job with the Nets if he was offered around 20 million dollars:

“No. I know it’s a lot of money. I really love what I do. I don’t know what price you would be pay for that but I’ve been lucky. I said after the game on Saturday…it was really neat with the crowd, my family and everybody. I said it’s been a privilege and an honor to coach at Duke for 30 years and I could not have dreamed of a better situation for me. I’ve led a great life with my family and my team here. I don’t know why you’d wanna change that. It doesn’t mean you don’t wanna make money, but I make enough money. I wanna be happy and be at the place I’m at and do what I love to do instead of doing what I’m paid to do. I’m paid right now for doing what I love to do. What a great thing that is huh?”

Listen to Mike Krzyzewski on ESPN 1050 in New York here