But Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, after earning his 800th career victory, couldn't dodge the cup of water that doused him once he entered the Duke locker room after the game.

The culprit with the perfect aim? His own wife, Mickie.

The team, coaches, players, staff, Mickie Krzyzewski and Lindy Frasher, one of his three daughters, also greeted the coach with the 800-264 career record with a loud cheer.

Krzyzewski dried off before going to the podium to discuss how Duke (25-3, 12-2) overcame a 13-point second-half deficit.

"Sometimes the basketball gods smile on you," he said.

Krzyzewski joined Bobby Knight (902), North Carolina's Dean Smith (879), Kentucky's Adolph Rupp (876), Mount St. Mary's Jim Phelan (830) and Eddie Sutton (801) in the 800 Club for NCAA Division I men's coaches.

"When I started, eight victories would have been nice," Krzyzewski said.

Krzyzewski took the third-fastest route -- 1,064 games. Rupp needed 972, Smith 1,029.

"Besides players, assistants and family -- obviously you don't get milestones without those people -- but I particularly would like to thank Coach Knight," Krzyzewski said.

Krzyzewski played point guard for Knight as a West Point cadet and served under Knight as a graduate assistant at Indiana and an assistant at the 1979 Pan American Games in Puerto Rico.

"He taught me the game sometimes in a manner that I didn't want to be taught, but I learned it," Krzyzewski said. "And he has been my friend, teacher and mentor ever since."

Duke senior DeMarcus Nelson said the Devils "would rather have come out here and won by 100," but the Duke players were happy to share the moment.

"It's a great thing," Duke sophomore Gerald Henderson said. "A lot of good players have come through here, and we're all trying to add to his legacy."

The Devils won No. 800 for their coach with eight minutes of efficient effort, not the 40 the Pack gave.

It was the type of game during which you learn what you need to learn, Krzyzewski said.

One thing Krzyzewski had learned long ago and used Saturday was letting players lead discussion in the huddle at timeouts.

"There were a couple when I let anyone talk who actually would want to say something that somebody would listen to," he said. "Sometimes they don't hear. ... Teams become good when they talk to each other. They take ownership. We didn't do that until the last eight minutes. State did for 40 minutes."

With a low-key celebration after a tense game, Krzyzewski reached another milestone in a 33-year career that started at Army, continued shakily in the early years at Duke and yet still packs a wallop 28 years after he began his Duke tenure wearing plaid pants and his hair "a little too long."

"I hope my buddy Jimmy [Valvano, the late N.C. State coach] was looking down. ... He was a good friend," said Krzyzewski, who wore a Jimmy V Foundation tie for the game. "I'm a little bit emotional; I'm rambling. But what the hell -- when you're 61, you're lucky you can talk."