In four-plus decades as the head coach of Duke, Mike Krzyzewski won 50 of 98 games against North Carolina. But the winning record against his longtime archival seems trivial now, considering how the Blue Devils fared in their final two meetings. The closing chapter of Krzyzewski's storied career was written by the Tar Heels, once triple zeros hit the clock and the buzzer sounded.
The greatest rivalry in college basketball made its NCAA Tournament debut on Saturday night, and before a sold-out crowd inside Caesars Superdome, Duke suffered a heartbreaking 81-77 loss to North Carolina in the national semifinals. Hopes of Krzyzewski cutting down the nets and achieving a storybook ending were dashed. North Carolina earned long-lasting bragging rights, as a spoiler.
"How does Coach K not have major regrets about that game?" Maggie Gray said during Maggie and Perloff on Monday. "How much is that going to haunt him? I don't think [a faux retirement] is going to happen with Coach K. I had a theory that maybe if he went out in the first week of the tourney, maybe he'd come back. But how do you not live with that regret of saying, 'We were right there.' They were right there, and in the last minute, couldn't execute."
"The first round going out would've been awful. And then I think, you're right, he would've seriously considered coming back," Perloff said. "But this isn't how he wanted to lose. They had the lead in the second half. This is one of the most frustrating losses. I agree with you, I don't think he's coming back. But it has to cross his mind... If you made me pick either program right now, still feel like Duke is in a much stronger position than Hubert Davis and UNC."
More than 70,000 fans in New Orleans witnessed an instant-classic that lived up to its billing. Across 40 minutes of action, the high-stakes tension could've been cut with knife, as there were 18 total lead changes, 12 ties, and constant give-and-take. With 28 seconds left, North Carolina guard Caleb Love drained a three-point dagger from the top of the arc, giving them a decisive four-point lead. At that time, Duke's fate was sealed. Krzyzewski's farewell tour was over.
In the Blue Devils' regional final victory over Arkansas last week, four starters racked up double-digit points. Against the Tar Heels, only freshman superstar Paolo Banchero accomplished the feat (20 points), and their second-leading scorer was Trevor Keels, off the bench. The end result could've played out in Duke's favor -- both teams shot 42-percent from the field -- but this team will long be remembered for losing to North Carolina in the Final Four, and during Krzyzewski's last home game at Cameron Indoor Stadium in early March.
Maggie and Perloff's complete thoughts on Duke-Carolina and Krzyzewski's legacy can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Maggie and Perloff Show on Twitter @MaggieandPerl and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.