These teams are certainly special to Huggins, Krzyzewski

INDIANAPOLIS - Bob Huggins and Mike Krzyzewski will share asideline for the fourth time in their storied coaching careersSaturday night.

They have matched basketball wits in Hawaii, in Alaska, in theDistrict of Columbia and this time, their first in a Final Fourmeeting, here under the dome of Lucas Oil Stadium - aka Peyton'sPlace, Manning, of NFL fame.

Huggs is 2-1 against Coach K and Duke - 1-1 while at Cincinnati,and West Virginia's triumph at the Verizon Center in an NCAA second-round game two years ago.

Every time Huggs and K have met, the Blue Devils have been ranked- 13th in a Rainbow Classic semifinal loss for the Bearcats in 1989,No. 1 for a Duke loss in a Great Alaska Shootout title game in '98,ninth for the NCAA date in 2008, and No. 3 this time (to WestVirginia's No. 6).

This is the 11th time Krzyzewski, 63, has won at least 30 gamesin a season. The Mountaineers' 31 wins have tied Huggins' NCAADivision I career best, although he went 34-1 in his final NAIAseason at Walsh (Ohio).

When two coaches have combined for 1,436 victories, as these twohave, it's obvious they've guided plenty of talented teams. However,if their 2009-10 teams aren't the favorites of Huggins andKrzyzewski, they've got to be right up there.

Try pinning down a coach on his "favorite team" in a career. Goodluck. You might get "best team" or hardest-working team," butfavorite? Most coaches won't go out on that proverbial limb.

However, Huggs and Coach K seem to be climbing that tree withthese 31-6 Mountaineers and 33-4 Blue Devils.

"They're just good guys," Huggins said of his team, which hereally seems to enjoy coaching. "They're good guys. As I've saidbefore (at the NCAA Tournament), I want them to enjoy the experienceand have a good time.

"They know when it's time to go to work. They know when it's timeto have a good time ... The wonderful thing about these guys is thatthey never doubt, never ask why. They never kind of bucked (Huggins'change of philosophy from his predecessor, John Beilein).

"They just said OK, that's what we have to do; we're going to doit. And they've done it with great enthusiasm and great vigor. Andthey deserve all of the credit for it."

Krzyzewski said earlier this week that he thinks the Blue Devilshave been somewhat burdened by expectations and the fact that Dukewent five seasons without a Final Four appearance after having 10 in19 years, and three from 1999 through 2004.

"I'm really very, very excited for my team," Krzyzewski saidearlier this week of the return to the national semifinals. "Ireally love these guys. They have suffered from comparisons, whichshouldn't happen. It absolutely shouldn't happen ... to what'shappened before.

"You know, it's a different landscape, you know. It's different.They haven't been given credit along their careers for what they aredoing or for what they are trying to accomplish.

"I'm really pleased for them, especially my senior class. They'vebeen great kids to coach, and true competitors along the way."

While Krzyzewski has been at Duke for three decades and has wonthree NCAA titles (and had seven championship game appearances),Huggins inherited about half of his rotation from Beilein whenHuggins returned to his alma mater three years ago next week.

Huggins credits WVU senior star Da'Sean Butler for much of theway his team approaches things, not to mention how its personalityhas been shaped.

"We're very fortunate to have Da'Sean," Huggins said. "Da'Sean isthe first one in every day, the last one to leave. He's got greatrespect among his teammates. He's a wonderful, wonderful human beingto be around. I think that permeates down through your whole team.

"We've just got good guys. Everybody keeps asking me what ourstrength is. I think the truth is, we got really good guys. We gotgood guys. They like one another. They play their butts off. They'rejust good people."

Coach K sees that in his opponent in Saturday's semifinalnightcap, too.

"Bob is one of the great coaches," Krzyzewski said. "You know,he's a good friend. His kids do what he asks them to do, and he asksthem to do a lot, and he asks them to do it together.

"It shows on the defensive end of the court. They're a veryunified team."

In other words, what Krzyzewski and Huggins are saying is thatthe teams they have this season just don't come along every year -sort of like a trip to the Final Four.