With every year that passed with a Duke-free Final Four, the skeptics became louder: Had Mike Krzyzewski somehow lost his touch?

Maybe not.

Perhaps the 63-year-old Hall of Famer was merely waiting for his current crop of maturing players to figure out how to storm through a bracket. It might have taken longer than it ever did during his three-decade reign in Durham, but Coach K is back at the Final Four.

And at least one of his former stars never questioned whether he’d return to college basketball’s biggest stage.

“I didn’t have any doubts. One thing people need to know about Coach K, is if they have doubts, they are mistaken,” said Utah Jazz forward Carlos Boozer, who led Duke to its most recent national title in 2001.

Read the full story - Coach K’s Still Got His Touch

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