During his 42-year career at Duke, Mike Krzyzewski had yet to win an NCAA tournament game that took place on the West Coast heading into Thursday’s contest in San Francisco.
That losing streak was broken in Krzyzewski’s final season as his Blue Devils beat Texas Tech 78-73 on Thursday night.
This was the sixth time Krzyzewski had brought his team to the Pacific Time Zone during an NCAA tournament. The previous five games resulted in losses for the Blue Devils, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
The only other team to have more losses without a victory in the Pacific Time Zone is New Mexico State.
In 1984, the curse began when Duke lost to Washington in the second round while playing in the state of Washington. In ’89, the program’s loss to Seton Hall in the Final Four stung a bit more. This game was played in Seattle.
The next three losses came in the Sweet 16, all in California. Coincidentally, Duke played in the Sweet 16 once again in California this year. But, this was finally the year the curse was broken.
Duke’s time on the West Coast is not over. The Blue Devils will face No. 4 Arkansas on Saturday in San Francisco again.
