NEW ORLEANS — Through all the chaos in the final 80 seconds, Mike Krzyzewski mostly just sat on his stool, taking in the moment more than coaching to extend his career by two more days.
But perhaps he knew: If you’re going to go out, might as well go out on an all-timer.
Krzyzewski said all along this was about the players, not him. And that’s exactly what North Carolina 81, Duke 77 was in the Superdome on Saturday. With everything on the line — a spot in Monday’s national championship game, most of all — the players delivered. North Carolina’s just delivered a little bit more.
Few things in sports live up to the hype. But this game did, and now it will be the No. 8 seed Tar Heels playing Kansas for the title while Krzyzewski’s career ends with five national titles and perhaps a few regrets about the way his last game he played out.
For North Carolina fans, the last month was scripted out of a movie. Their Tar Heels, who were on the cusp of missing the NCAA Tournament entirely in early March, beat Duke in Krzyzewski’s last game in Cameron Indoor Stadium. And then when this unlikely matchup happened again in the Final Four — the first time they’ve ever played in the NCAA Tournament — it happened again with almost the same script.
Krzyzewski did not show any emotion in the final seconds. His face of him remained in the same half-scowl it was in the final few minutes. Then, he calmly got off the stool and shook UNC coach Hubert Davis’ hand. And that was that.
Krzyzewski’s final year was always likely to end with a young team playing young. But through the first four rounds of this tournament, the Blue Devils seemed to be growing out of that possibility, getting better and tougher by the round.
But this moment, against this opponent, was just different. And ultimately, it led to their undoing — not in one dramatic failure, but a season that died by a dozen small mistakes.
Superstar freshman Paolo Banchero mindlessly trying to save a loose ball under his own rim that led to three points — and big man Mark Williams’ fourth foul — at a critical juncture of the second half. AJ Griffin hoisting early shot-clock 3-pointers despite not coming close on four attempts. A few missed foul shots in key moments. An inability to grab defensive rebounds, as North Carolina big man Armando Bacot grabbed and tipped enough balls around the rim to give his teammates second chances.
The game and the atmosphere were everything we wanted. Player introductions melted into a cacophony of noise. Both teams made runs, the tension growing with each body blow. It was intense and physical, and certainly as nerve-wracking as anything those associated with either program have ever experienced.
Every time Duke started to pull away, the Tar Heels responded with a flurry of offensive cutbacks and jump shots. The Blue Devils found a way to punch back with their defense and aggressiveness going to the rim. And the entire time, it was impossible to see where this thing was ultimately headed.
And then, after Wendell Moore drilled a three from the top of the key to put Duke on top 74-73 with a little more than a minute left, it seemed like it might just be meant to be for Krzyzewski.
But the magic ran out in the final minute, with Williams missing a pair of free throws and North Carolina guard Caleb Love hitting a cold-blooded three that essentially clinched it.
Regardless of what happens next, North Carolina fans will always have this: After 42 years of trying to chase Krzyzewski, they are responsible for ruining the two biggest moments of his final season.
It doesn’t take away anything that Krzyzewski accomplished. It doesn’t make him anything less than the greatest college basketball coach of all time. But on this night, in this building, in a forever March Madness moment, they rose to the occasion.
And all Krzyzewski could do was watch.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism