There have been plenty of upsets over the first few days of the men’s NCAA tournament, but Mike Krzyzewski’s Duke Blue Devils were not among those displaced.
In what will be his final final tournament, Krzyzewski’s team got off to a hot start, defeating Cal State Fullerton, 78-61, on Friday night. But that does not necessarily mean the coach is happy. In fact, he’s not. Not at all.
Following Duke’s victory, Krzyzewski vented his frustration over multiple issues.
“There was no crowd when guys were warming up,” Krzyzewski said, via ESPN. “And that damn floor was slippery on both ends.”
The lack of fans was due to the quick turnaround between games. Duke-Cal State Fullerton tipped off at 7:00 p.m. ET, which was roughly 90 minutes after the previous game had concluded. As a result, hordes of fans crowded the entry points causing slowdowns, while the traffic outside the arena clogged the parking lots and garages.
“If there’s some way in the future they can change that because these kids from both teams need to go out on the court and have band, crowd and whatever,” Krzyzewski said. “They shouldn’t have empty seats.”
While on the court, Duke players continued to have issues. Several slipped throughout the game, leaving Krzyzewski concerned about the potential for serious injury.
“Somebody should look at it,” Krzyzewski said. “That’s not good. We’ve got to be concerned about that.”
No. 2 seeded Duke will take on No. 7 seeded Michigan State on Sunday evening, and Krzyzewski hopes both issues will be resolved by then.
Photo: Mar 18, 2022; Greenville, SC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski reacts during the first half against the Cal State Fullerton Titans during the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
