Former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski talks NCAA Tournament expansion, life after coaching and more things to know

Hall of Fame former Duke and Army coach Mike Krzyzewski sat down for a wide-ranging interview on the Inside College Basketball podcast with CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein this week to talk about life in coaching retirement, ideas of a potential ACC/Big East merger and his expectations returning to West Point -- where he graduated -- on Tuesday. (Duke faces Army at 7 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network on Veterans Day.)

Krzyzewski, who still has an office in Durham and works for the school as an ambassador, made clear he is keeping plenty busy despite retiring from coaching. And as is always the case, he was not shy to share his opinions about the state of college athletics as well as ideas -- for the NCAA, for the ACC, for the Big East, and heck, for anyone willing to listen -- about how to address it.

Coach K is intrigued by a proposed Big East and ACC merger to create a superconference

Kyle Boone

Here are five things to know from Coach K's conversation with Rothstein.

Life in coaching retirement

Krzyzewski does not attend every Duke home game but he is no doubt around and tuned in as ever watching his protege, Jon Scheyer, lead the Blue Devils. He says right now his coaching retirement has freed him up to be a speaker for the Washington Speakers Bureau all over the country and also allowed him to work as a special advisor to Adam Silver and the NBA. He keeps a busy schedule between all that and also is a professor of leadership at the Fuqua School of Business. 

"And then we have 10 grandkids who all live within 10 minutes of us," he added, "and we also have our nonprofit in Durham, the Emily Krzyzewski Center, which services about 2,000 kids. It's all good stuff. And I try to be there if Jon Scheyer needs me. He doesn't need me often, but sometimes he does, because he's done a great job."

Krzyzewski says he doesn't miss coaching "at all." He stepped away from the profession at 75 and is just as happy about the decision now, at 78, as he was then. He does, however, miss parts of the benefits of coaching.

"The only thing I might miss is the personal relationships with young men and their development," he said. "Being around young people keeps you young. I was blessed to be a teacher and a coach. The interaction with players, not just in developing them as basketball players but as men, was special. We've had good guys play here, and Jon Scheyer is doing the same with his guys. That's been a trademark of our program. We not only have really good players, we have really good guys."

Thoughts on NCAA Tournament expansion

The NCAA Tournament will remain at 68 teams in 2025-26 but the idea of eventually expanding to 72 or even 76 teams in the short-term is one constantly pushed. Coach K has his own thoughts on it.  

"I think it should stay the same," he said. "You don't know the future. You don't know how many teams will truly be worthy. Expanding now is like building a house with extra rooms because you think you'll have more kids, then finding out you won't. To change the tournament when we don't know the state of college sports is not smart. Let's first get everything governed and structured."

That last point is well-heard. There are innumerable issues in college athletics that are more pressing than changing the structure of the greatest tournament on earth or adding to the number of teams in the NCAA Tournament. Maybe it will expand at some point, and maybe it should. But to focus on that now would be nonsensical before dealing with other more pressing issues laid bare in recent years in the era of NIL. 

Does Coach K still yell at officials?

Ask Dan Hurley and he'll tell you that working the officials -- bending their ear, or sometimes doing a bit more than that -- is part of the job. Krzyzewski was as good at that as any. He revealed in his interview with Rothstein that he still does that, but from the luxury of his own home.

"I enjoy being [at Cameron Indoor], but I don't enjoy not being able to show emotion," he said. "When I'm home, I show a lot more [emotion]. I yell at officials more. Well, I'm not yelling—I'm giving them encouragement. It's just a human thing to do."

"Giving them encouragement." That's a traditional way to put it. The modern way: he crashes out like any other fan. Human, indeed.

Grand ideas of a remodel

As a West Point graduate, Krzyzewski is a stickler for systems and responsibilities. Everyone must have a role. Systems must be organized and clear.

That's why the current, messy landscape in college athletics is always a topic when he's talking. It needs to be cleaned up, he says, and perhaps even remodeled.

"The whole thing needs a new model," he said. "Especially with the influx of international pros, plus a couple of G League players. If international pros can play, why aren't we acknowledging that they're pros? There's nothing wrong with that—just come up with a new way to do this. And the reason we haven't is a lack of leadership. The NCAA has never given college basketball real structure.

"College football has gone outside the NCAA and created outstanding structure," he added. "The CFP has done it really well. They are the leader in what will happen with college sports.

"College football has leadership. Basketball needs the Power Four conferences along with the Big East to form a coalition. Get a commissioner. Run it like a business."

On this topic, Krzyzewski may be preaching to the choir. 

ACC, Big East merger idea

Conference expansion and realignment has been a key piece of the shifting landscape in college athletics in recent years -- and it's a topic Krzyzewski feels, as someone who coached in the ACC, is one leaders in the league must seriously explore.

His idea: merging the Big East and ACC to form a new megaconference.

"It's worth looking at," Krzyzewski said. "People would be naive to think all conferences will look the same five years from now. Once certain milestones pass, it becomes less expensive to move, and the ACC is a terrific conference. Why not do something unbelievable in basketball?