Duke is preparing for an emotional season with coach Mike Krzyzewski set to retire at the end of the year.

The Blue Devils are expected to be one of the top teams in the country this season and are one of the favorites to win the ACC. With that in mind, Krzyzewski is trying to be aware of how the attention around his final season will impact the team.

“I hope I’ll be able to handle that well and put myself in the moment of my team and my coaching responsibilities,” Krzyzewski told college basketball analyst Andy Katz. “First of all, I want to make sure it does not impact my team in a negative way. I think in some respects, it’ll make our opponent even want to win more and put even more of a spotlight on a specific game.

“If I’m making some mistakes early, I’ll correct them. We gotta careful not to be too emotional. When you get too emotional, you get really into you, and that’s not a good thing to do as a coach.”

Here’s part of his sit down interview with Katz:

Duke will open its 2021-22 season on Nov. 9 against Kentucky at Madison Square Garden. The Blue Devils and Wildcats are ranked No. 10 and No. 17, respectively, in preseason KenPom rankings.

Tip off vs. Kentucky is at 9:30 p.m. ET on Nov. 9. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.