During the plane ride back from Houston on Sunday night, after all the celebrating had been done, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski took a satisfying look back.

Coaches often watch film on the team charter to review what went right or wrong during the game. At the end of this viewing session, there was a bonus.

On the replay, Krzyzewski saw Duke director of basketball operations Chris Spatola’s arms go up and a look of sheer joy on his face. Moments like that are what make this 11th Final Four trip special to a coach who’s already won three NCAA titles and an Olympic gold medal.

Krzyzewski and Duke are back in the Final Four after a six-year absence during which doubters questioned his recruiting and the effect of his Olympic commitment on the Blue Devils while rival North Carolina went to three Final Fours and won two NCAA titles. But because it’s has been a while, and Krzyzewski especially enjoys this team, this trip to the Final Four is different than the earlier ones.

Read the full story - Final Fours Never Get Old for Krzyzewski

For Bob Huggins, it has been an 18-year wait to return to the Final Four — nearly two decades filled with job changes, health problems and trouble with both the NCAA and the law.

Only six years — mostly drama free — have passed between trips for Mike Krzyzewski. Yet in many ways, his time away from the top of college basketball has felt longer.

Such is life when you’re the coach at Duke and your program goes that long without making a Final Four.

“People expect us to always be at this stage,” Blue Devils forward Lance Thomas said.

Duke’s opponent in Saturday’s national semifinal is West Virginia (31-6), which is returning to the Final Four for the first time since 1959. It’s Huggins’ first trip since 1992, back at the peak of his long, tumultuous stay at Cincinnati.

Read the full story - Krzyzewski, Huggins Back at Final Four

Now that Duke has worked its way back to a Final Four for the first time since 2004, don’t be surprised to see the Blue Devils make a habit of it again.

Going back to 1986, Mike Krzyzewski’s pattern has been one of repetition. His teams got to five straight Final Fours starting in 1988 and then again in 1994, 1999 and 2001.

At 63, Krzyzewski is still relatively young as college coaching careers go these days, and there’s no doubt he’s still as committed to winning as was the case in the 1980s and 1990s.

Read the full story - Winning still fuels Coach K