Bittersweet Cameron finale
Rival Tar Heels won’t cooperate in celebration of legendary Coach K
DURHAM, N.C. — North Carolina spoiled the emotional home finale of retiring Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski, beating fourthranked rival Duke 94-81 on Saturday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The day that was all about the coach who has 1,196 career victories and five NCAA championships abruptly turned into a season-defining performance for the Tar Heels, who played fearlessly in an extra rowdy arena and shot 59% after halftime.
It marked the first time an unranked North Carolina team had beaten a top-5 Duke team in Cameron since 1990, and it came a month after the Blue Devils had won by 20 in Chapel Hill.
“All week, we just talked about our competitive fight,” first-year UNC coach Hubert Davis said, “that we had to do three things: We had to plant our feet, we had to stand our ground and we had to fight . . . . I just felt like, as the game went on, we started to just gain more and more confidence.”
By the final minutes, the Tar Heels (238, 15-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) were stretching the lead to double figures, hitting clinching free throws and leaving the “Cameron Crazies” in disbelief that Krzyzewski’s final home game after 42 years at the helm of Duke would end this way.
The school held an on-court ceremony for Krzyzewski after the game, though the Chicago native first grabbed the microphone with the loss on his mind.
“I’m sorry about this afternoon,” he began, then waved off cheers from the fans. “Today was unacceptable, but the season has been very acceptable. And the season isn’t over.”
Krzyzewski, who attended elementary school (St. Helen) and high school (Weber) in Chicago, could only watch from his seat at the end, when UNC was in firm control. And when the horn sounded, the Tar Heels mobbed each other to celebrate on the court, while Caleb Love — who overcame an 0-for-8 shooting start to score 15 of his 22 points after halftime — jawed at the Crazies.
Krzyzewski had tried all season to deflect questions about his looming retirement — even eschewing the use of the word “last” — and trying to avoid being a distraction or creating additional pressure on his team. That began to change more in recent days as the moment drew near for a coach who has long taken a live-in-the-moment approach.
More than 90 former players were in attendance, including some of the program’s biggest names like Grant Hill, Shane Battier, J.J. Redick, Jay Williams, Danny Ferry and Christian Laettner. They gathered to create two lines on the court — several motioning to the student section for more noise — to make an aisle for Krzyzewski to walk to midcourt to join them for a group photo captured from the rafters.
After returning for the final pregame minutes, Krzyzewski appeared to be fighting back tears during the national anthem and dabbing his eyes with a tissue during the final huddle before tipoff.
Associate head coach Jon Scheyer, a Glenbrook North product who is designated as Krzyzewski’s successor next season, took a moment to pat his mentor on the right shin before the opening tip.
Freshman Paolo Banchero scored 23 points for the Blue Devils (26-5, 16-4), who shot just 42%.
UNC led by just two with 5½ minutes left when they made their move, with Davis getting by Banchero for a driving layup, followed by Love penetrating to find Manek for the score to take a 79-71 lead with 3:52 left.