Boeheim comes to Coach K's defense: Oats 'should know better'

Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim came to Mike Krzyzewski's defense two days after Alabama bench boss Nate Oats questioned the legendary Duke head coach for wanting the NCAA to reassess the current collegiate season.

"Everybody knows Mike K is a friend of mine, but Mike said in the summer in September and October that we should delay the season," Boeheim said Saturday, according to Syracuse.com's Mike Waters.

"For some young coach who should know better, but didn't, to suggest that Mike Krzyzewski doesn't want to play because he lost a couple games? Yeah, he's only won 1100. Anybody who knows anything about college basketball knows that Mike Krzyzewski said that in the very beginning."

Oats believed the timing of Krzyzewski's comments was curious, considering that the Blue Devils were coming off their largest non-conference home loss in Coach K's 40 years in charge.

Boeheim didn't take too kindly to that notion and fired back at Oats for making such an assumption.

"I feel bad for somebody who would make a statement like that," Boeheim said. "I can understand the bloggers do that because that's what they do. All the unknown people out there that have that voice. But Mike Krzyzewski isn't saying that because he doesn't want to play or he doesn't have a good team.

"It's sad to see somebody say something like that. It speaks to somebody's character."

Duke canceled the remainder of its non-conference scheduled for the 2020-21 campaign on Thursday. The Blue Devils were supposed to play Gardner-Webb on Dec. 19.