The pressure was high during the Duke–Texas Tech Sweet 16 game on Thursday night, especially with the possibility of Mike Krzyzewski coaching his final collegiate contest.
The legendary coach is retiring from coaching following this season after 42 years at the helm. His final game will come at some point during this year’s NCAA tournament.
But, even with the Blue Devils trailing for the majority of the first half against the Red Raiders, Coach K found a way to loosen up a bit.
When Duke’s Jeremy Roach lost control of the ball and accidentally ran into a referee on the sideline, knocking him over, Coach K looked over at the ref and motioned for a block call.
This exchange caught on video captured a smile from the 75-year-old coach along with a laugh from the referee.
No one was hurt during the incident.
Officials have been blasted during this year’s tournament due to a multitude of seemingly missed calls. It was a nice change of pace to see a positive exchange on the court between an official and a coach.
The Blue Devils ended up winning 78–73 to continue Coach K’s career at least until Saturday when Duke faces Arkansas in the Elite Eight.
