North Carolina Upsets Duke in Coach K’s Home Finale

After 42 years at the helm at Duke, Coach Mike Krzyzewski is hanging it up at the conclusion of this season. His last home game was on March 5th, vs. arch rival North Carolina. There was a plethora of former Duke players and other celebrities on hand for the finale, as one would expect for a coaching legend who has won five NCAA Championships. A victory over the Tar Heels in his final home game would be the icing on the cake.

Alas, the Tar Heels had other ideas. After trailing at half time, North Carolina outscored Duke 55-40 in the second half for a 94-81 victory. The win avenged a 20 point loss to the Blue Devils at Chapel Hill earlier in the season.

While that isn’t the kind of ending Coach K would have liked, the Blue Devils are in good shape going into the ACC Tournament Duke won the regular season ACC title with a 16-4 record in conference play, and is 26-5 overall. The Blue Devils were also ranked 4th in the country going into the Carolina game. They are in good shape for a top seed in whatever region they end up in for the NCAA Tournament, and should be considered a legitimate contender for the national championship. Winning NCAA Title #6 would be a great way for Coach K to go out in style, and make this loss in his last home game a mere footnote in his remarkable career.