Winning is never easy. Even at 900 and 901.

First and foremost, CONGRATULATIONS to Coach Vivian Stringer for her 900th victory last night.

Some of us…scratch that- most of us will never get so much as one win as a Head Coach in NCAA basketball- be it men’s or women’s. To think about getting 900? That’s inconceivable. But, as it stands now, with Vivian Stringer’s win last night; seven Coaches have achieved the 900 wins mark. But, there is one very interesting trend when it comes to their 900th win. Check this out:

The seven Coaches to notch 900 wins are as follows:

Pat Summitt (University of Tennessee, 2006)

Jody Conradt (University of Texas, 2007)

Bob Knight (Texas Tech, 2008)

Mike Krzyzewski (DUKE, 2011)

Jim Boeheim (Syracuse, 2012)

Sylvia Hatchell (UNC, 2013)

Vivian Stringer (Rutgers, 2013)

Of these seven, four achieved number 899 but went on to lose one game (at least) before getting to 900:

Jody Conradt: In 2007, as she sat on win 899, her Texas team lost to Texas A&M before beating Missouri for her 900th win.

Bob Knight: In 2008, as he sat on win 899, his Texas Tech team lost to Oklahoma State before beating Texas A&M for his 900th win.

Sylvia Hatchell: In 2013, as she sat on win 899, her UNC team lost to DUKE before beating Boston College for her 900th win.

Vivian Stringer: In 2013, as she sat on win 899, her Rutgers team lost to DePaul, UConn, Syracuse and St. John’s before beating South Florida for her 900th win.

That alone is interesting, I think. But what about the other three coaches? Pat Summitt, Coach K and Jim Boeheim cruised from 899 to 900 unscathed. What was more difficult for them, however, was getting to win 901. Now check this out:

Pat Summitt: In 2006, after her Tennessee team beat Vanderbilt for her 900th win, they turned around and lost the very next game to DUKE- halting Summitt’s quest for 901.

Mike Krzyzewski: In 2011, after his DUKE team beat Michigan for his 900th win, they turned around and lost the very next game to Arizona- halting Krzyzewski’s quest for 901.

Jim Boeheim: In 2012, after his Syracuse team beat Detroit for his 900th win, they turned around and lost the very next game to Temple- halting Boeheim’s quest for 901.

And the craziest part about these three losses? They were all upsets.

Winning is never easy- even for those in the 900 club.