Mike Krzyzewski's final home game as the longtime head coach of Duke set record-breaking ticket prices and featured dozens of star alumni and famous celebrities inside Cameron Indoor Stadium. The sold-out crowd was electric, the emotion was palpable.
But the rightfully-earned retirement ceremony and celebration for Krzyzewski didn't distract Duke's archrival on Saturday. Unperturbed by the send-off was bubble-watcher North Carolina, which managed to pull off a shocking upset, 94-81, and spoil the planned festivities. It was also the Tar Heels' first victory against a top-five-ranked Blue Devils squad in Durham since 1990.
"That was incredible pressure [for players], and the building looked different than it normally looked," CBS Sports college columnist Gary Parrish told the Reiter Than You show on Tuesday. "That looked and felt like a big event, and they seemed to buckle, a little bit, under that... I do think it can maybe snap them back into reality, though. 'We can't get caught up in something like that again. Let's just go play basketball.'
"But it's undeniable that, when the NCAA Tournament starts, those players will know that their next loss -- in some cases, it'll be the players' last game -- it'll definitely be Coach K's last game. And I couldn't pretend to know how they'll respond to that. Different people respond to the pressure-packed situations differently... Duke players will enter the NCAA Tournament carrying something that other players won't be carrying..."
Duke, which finished the regular season ranked No. 7 in the AP's top-25 poll, will be the top seed in this week's ACC Tournament in Brooklyn. According to CBS Sports bracketologist Jerry Palm, the Blue Devils are currently projected as a No. 2 seed in the West Region, opposing No. 15 seed Longwood. As for ESPN's bracketologist Joe Lunardi, he also has Duke among the No. 2 seeds, but facing Jacksonville State in the South Region.
The entire college basketball conversation between Parrish and Reiter can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Reiter Than You show on Twitter @sportsreiter and @CBSSportsRadio, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.