Mike Krzyzewski: Conference realignment is undercutting college tradition

While many cheered the ACC's addition of Louisville to replace Maryland last week as another realignment coup for the conference, Duke head basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski is still not a fan of the trend.

Krzyzewski told CBSNews.com on Wednesday that he "hates" the fact that schools are pursuing more revenue with conference realignment at the expense of decades of traditions in college sports.

"I hate the fact that we get rid of, in our own conference, with Maryland leaving, 60 years of tradition based on a decision right now because you think you're going to make more money in a certain situation," Krzyzewski said. "You give up what really makes college athletics, which is the traditions."

Last week, Louisville joined Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and Syracuse on the list of schools jumping to the ACC in the past 16 months. The Cardinals are the seventh Big East school to leave for the ACC in the past decade.

The winningest coach in NCAA Division I men's basketball history has voiced wariness about realignment before. In October, Krzyzewski suggested that powerhouse conferences could eventually flee the NCAA once they have the coffers to do so.

Krzyzewski, who's won four NCAA championships in his 33 years at Duke, said that when it comes to the ongoing conference shuffle, he sees no end in sight.

"I think it's a long way from ending," he said. "(Traditions) are priceless and I hate that we're not looking at those things close enough as we look into the future of college athletics."

[syslmod]

What a hypocrite! Where was he when the ACC took 3 teams from the BE (BC, Miami, and VTech). No other conference has done this.

[audemus]

Tradition, Sma-dition ... it's all about the economics of realignment. Can't keep them over-paid professors happy and sticking around campus and about a billion other things functioning behind those ivy-covered walls without kissing the ring of big-time college athletics....

I think it would only be fair, however, if the NFL and NBA and MLB and last and least the NHL were required to throw a few bucks towards that higher-education Dream that sadly a minority of their players ever obtain for maintaining the "Developmental League" that is Major College Sports.

[Maximus7676]

http://sportsking76.blogspot.com/2012/12/how-college-football-tournament-would-be.html
If college football went to a tournament bracket the way all the other sports do, then non of this realignment stuff would be necessary. Everyone would have a fair shot at the big games, and big money. Everyone would rake in the cash, and no one would be left out. That's the real problem.

[Tallaman87]

"You go where the money is..." Or you maximize the money with the situation you are in. That might mean renegotiating a TV contract or it might mean getting to work and improving the athletic environment to the point that demand for your product increases. Every team and conference making less than the top dogs are doing that right now. Only a few are preparing to take advantage of their national appeal and marketability by exercising the ability to move.

[TimeToRetire]

You go where the money is. Not that complicated.

[Mathion]

If one accepts the ideology that college is all about athletics, then I suppose he has a point. But since college is SUPPOSED to be about EDUCATION, I fail to see any relevance to this at all.

[Kieren1]

I find Coach K's comments very hypocritical ... he's apparently fine with the ACC poaching 4 schools from other conferences but upset when another conference lands an ACC school.

[ugacrew]

Sheer Greed. What's new. It's already destroying the country.

[eroteme2]

The tradition of college athletiocs could be described as the lust for money.