NEW ORLEANS — The Duke players stood there motionless, shocked at the finality of it all. Mike Krzyzewski stoically strode to center court to shake hands for the final time. Large segments of Duke fans remained in the stands for several minutes.
Coach K’s unforgettable career came to a close Saturday night at the hands of his bitter rival — four weeks to the day after that same rival crashed the party at his final home game — in stunning and apropos fashion.
If it was going to end with a loss, make it a classic. In a national semifinal that more than lived up to the hype and featured 18 lead changes and 12 ties, the eighth-seeded Tar Heels stunned No. 2 Duke, 81-77, in front of 70,602 at the raucous Caesars Superdome to advance to Monday’s national championship game and an era at Duke.
“Tonight was a battle,” Krzyzewski, the winningest coach in college basketball history, said after his 47-year coaching career came to a close with five national championships and 13 trips to the Final Four. “I mean, it was a game where the winner was going to be joyous and the loser was going to be in agony.”
He added: “I think it reached a level that you would expect.”
The Blue Devils’ season was finished by the hated Tar Heels and sophomore guard Caleb Love, who scored 22 of his 28 points after halftime, and hit the clinching free throws with 7.8 seconds left that sent Krzyzewski into retirement. North Carolina, on the bubble as recently as February, advanced to meet No. 1-seed Kansas in Monday night’s title game, ruining Coach K’s hopes of going out a champion.
“We’re going down in history,” North Carolina guard R.J. Davis, the White Plains native who had 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists, said after the Tar Heels won for the 17th time in 20 games. “This team will definitely be talked about for years to come. We changed the whole script.”
The showdown — the first meeting between Duke (32-7) and North Carolina in NCAA Tournament history — surpassed the considerable build-up. Neither team led by more than seven points. Momentum swung back and forth like a pendulum. The game had it all. An ankle injury late in the second half to North Carolina (29-9) star forward Armando Bacot, who became the first player since Tim Duncan in 1997 with consecutive NCAA Tournament games of 20-plus rebounds. A shouting argument between Krzyzewski’s successor, Jon Scheyer, and North Carolina director of recruiting Pat Sullivan after the horn. Impeccable shotmaking from both sides.
Duke’s Trevor Keels (19 points) and Wendell Moore Jr. and North Carolina’s Brady Manek hit 3-pointers on successive possessions, the lead changing hands after each one, to set up the frantic final 80 seconds. Davis gave North Carolina the lead with two free throws with 1:01 to go, and Love’s top-of-the-key 3-pointer pushed the lead to four with 24.6 seconds to go.
“Just one game away from a national championship. What else can you say?” Love said.
Krzyzewski didn’t want to reflect on his career afterward, preferring to focus on his young team of future NBA players that came within a few points of playing for a title. He praised their ability to flip a switch in the NCAA Tournament after late-season struggles, and raved about their performance Saturday night. He didn’t want them to feel like they let him down. He was thinking about how he could build them up in the days and weeks to come.
“I’ll be fine. I’ve been blessed to be in the arena,” Coach K said. “And when you’re in the arena, you’re either going to come out feeling great or you’re going to feel agony, but you always will feel great about being in the arena.
“And I’m sure that that’s the thing when I’ll look back that I’ll miss. I won’t be in the arena anymore. But, damn, I was in the arena for a long time. And these kids made my last time in the arena an amazing one.”
After his emotional press conference, Krzyzewski was greeted by a bevy of photographers and writers as he hopped onto a golf cart in the bowels of the Superdome. He thanked everyone as he rode off.
“Maybe you can superimpose a sunset,” Krzyzewski said jokingly.