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Coach K concerned about ACC future in wake of Maryland move

Mike-Krzyzewski.jpg

Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski is worried about the future of the Atlantic Coast Conference in the wake of Maryland's departure.

"I think the ACC is vulnerable right now, I'm concerned about our conference," Krzyzewski said on Monday afternoon, taping a segment for his Basketball and Beyond show on Sirius XM Radio. The show will air on Wednesday night.

When a guest asked Krzyzewski if he'd prefer Louisville or Connecticut to replace Maryland, which announced its departure for the Big Ten on Monday, Krzyzewski said before he could answer that he'd wanted to get everyone in a room and "close ranks and see who's still here."

Krzyzewski added: "I think there could still be some movement in our conference."

Krzyzewski added that one of the keys to determining the future will be what plays out with Maryland's $50 million buyout. When the ACC added Notre Dame in September, many college sports officials figured a payout of that magnitude would prevent further significant realignment movement.

But on Tuesday afternoon, Maryland Presiden Wallace D. Loh said of the buyout: "As the exact amount of that sum, that is something we will discuss with the ACC." Krzyzewski said that he's worried about poaching, especially if that buyout figure isn't real.

"I do think more people are going to go after people in our conference now," he said. "Especially if Maryland shows that in some way they can reduce or get out of that $50 million commitment."

Krzyzewski noted that "maybe we should have done something else" when the ACC added Notre Dame as a partial member with a scheduling agreement for football in September. He mentioned perhaps the ACC should have considered adding UConn, Louisville or Rutgers.

"For my own conference," he said, "its time to circle wagons and take attendance and make sure we have who we have."