GREENSBORO -- Moments after wrapping up his historic, 880th career victory, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski waved to the fans at the Greensboro Coliseum with heartfelt appreciation.
Top-ranked Duke's 108-62 defeat of UNC Greensboro on Wednesday night moved Krzyzewski past former North Carolina coach Dean Smith into second place on the Division I career men's basketball wins list.
A largely pro-Duke crowd of 22,178 nearly packed the huge arena to witness the milestone, chanting "Coach K, Coach K" in the final minute.
"To see so many Duke fans - and people told me that a lot of these fans had traveled long distances to be here - for them to stay at the end of the game, I didn't know what to expect," Krzyzewski said. "But I didn't expect that."
The turnout reflected the significance of Krzyzewski's accomplishment. Smith led Division I coaches with 879 wins when he retired in 1997, having built North Carolina into a national power whose fan base dominated the state.
Although four NCAA titles under Krzyzewski have made Duke basketball a huge national draw, the Blue Devils sometimes are seen as less favored in their home state. But the crowd that watched top-ranked Duke (12-0) defeat winless UNC Greensboro (0-12) shows the appreciation fans have for the Blue Devils close to home.
"To see how he's changed the program, how he's changed Duke into what it is, is a really incredible thing," said Duke senior forward Kyle Singler.
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