73 wins is almost 3 more seasons worth. Dean did it all on the highest level and coahced nearly half his career where just 1 team per conf made the NCAA Tourney and early in his career he ran into the UCLA dynasty numeorus times in FFs.
K only has 1 more title(a sham title in '01) and he's been to 10 FFs, all in an era where you diodn't have to win your conf to get in and up until after the '99 season K neevr lost a player arly. The Heels would have beena title contender in '73 had Bob McAdoo not left early, in '83 the heels made the elite 8- do you think james Worthy could ahve helped out? In '85 the Heels made the elite 8- do you think Michael Jordan could have helped out? in '90 the Heels made the Sweet 16- do you think JR reid could have helped? In '96 & '97 the Heels made the 2nd rd and the FF- do you think Stackhouse and Wallace could have made a difference in '96 & '97 and Mcinnis in '97?
Dean also did it w/ class unlike K. He didn't quit on a team b/c they sucked, he didn't exile a loyal assisstant out of MCBB, he didn't berate players the way K does, he TOLD Jordan to leave early b/c it was in MJ's best interests while K chided guys like William Avery and Dunleavy, Dean didn't use the "name a player team captain" so they come back instead of entering the draft trick like K uses so often. Oh and Dean could develop players, yeah he always got big time talent just like K but K's talent turns to busts alot while Dean developed players and rarely did his recruits become busts unlike K.
Dean was all class and did it when it was more difficult to win. Dean didn't care about the wins record but k is consumed by it which is why he schedules so many creampuffs each year. In the old days K used to schedule a very difficult non-conf sched but he wants the record so bad he doesn't do it anymore. I think that's a major reason why duke always disappoints in the Tourney now.
Knight cannot be in the discussion simply b/c his teams haven't done a thing since the early 90s. If he was still winning at IU when the Neil reed incident happened he never would have been fired. From the early 70s to the last 80s maybe I could agree but factor in the entire carer and he can't touch Dean.