Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski's hand in front of his face told the whole story Saturday night.
While seated in front of the microphones at the Greensboro Coliseum, he was trying to hide his ear-to-ear grin as he watched Duke players Jon Scheyer, Gerald Henderson and Kyle Singler explain how it felt to reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
Thursday's 9:57 p.m. game against Villanova in Boston will be Duke's first regional semifinal game since 2006. Krzyzewski, who has coached in 10 Final Fours in 28 previous seasons at Duke, is thrilled to see the current team's joy at reaching a point that's still two wins short of the Final Four.
"I'm just smiling because I'm so happy for these kids," Krzyzewski said Monday, explaining his own feelings Saturday night. "Because that’s the first time they've been able to do that. And for me, that's something I've gotten over the years watching Johnny Dawkins be able to do that. Or Grant Hill. Everyone thinks it's, go to Duke, get that free pass. And it doesn’t work that way. It never works that way. And I love my team."
Krzyzewski said Duke’s players aren't trying to prove their critics wrong, and they're not trying to measure up to the accomplishments of past Duke teams.
Players on other Duke teams might have felt pressure to reach the Final Four, and they might have been satisfied with nothing less.
A short drive down Route 15/501 in Chapel Hill, Duke's rivals at North Carolina probably won't be happy if they don't reach the Final Four.
But these Duke players have been thrilled to get to the Sweet 16, and their coach is savoring their reaction.
"I think it's a neat thing, because it's refreshing,” Krzyzewski said. "It's fun. Our kids were so happy the past two weekends. I mean, true happiness. I love it."
