Because the summer after a presidential election has to be a pretty boring time to be a pollster, a North Carolina polling company recently surveyed ACC basketball fans about their opinions of Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski. Somewhat surprisingly, fans of the other Tobacco Road schools (North Carolina, North Carolina State and Wake Forest) collectively had a favorable opinion of the man whose teams inspire so much ill-will from opponents.

Almost 53 percent of non-Duke basketball fans had a favorable opinion of Coach K (53 percent from UNC, 53 percent from Wake and 51 percent from State). The unfavorable ratings ranged from 12 to 23 percent. (Remarkably, eight percent of Duke basketball fans said they had an unfavorable opinion of Krzyzewski, which just goes to show that eight percent of people are idiots.) 

Initially, these results seem startling because of how much Coach K seems to be despised nationally. But, as Dean Debnam, president of Public Policy Polling said:

"The average fan respects the other team's coach, but not surprisingly the few who do have a lot of ill will toward their rival are louder about it and attract more attention." 

Yeah, people who do that sort of stuff disgust me. 

I give Coach K a hard time, but it's mostly in jest. (OK, it's somewhat in jest. It riled me up just looking through pictures of him to find for this post.) On the court, I can't stand him. I could write a book about why, but basically he's turned into everything he used to hate about Dean Smith. But I, like most rational ACC fans, still respect the man.

Oh, I'll curse his existence multiple times during college basketball season, but that sort of enmity is reserved for the basketball court (and those smarmy post-game press conferences). From what I read and hear, Mike Krzyzewski the man is as good as Mike Krzyzewski the coach. 

It's always assumed that most people can't separate the two. Judging by that poll, I think they can. 

(Thanks Deadspin via Under The Dome)