It has been more than 41 years since Mike Krzyzewski coached his first game at Cameron Stadium indoors, a 67-49-win victory over Duke of Stetson on November 29, 1980. Since then, the court that now bears his name has been home to countless magical, epic moments. wins and exciting rival games.
On Saturday, Krzyzewski will train his last home game against Duke, against his main rival North Carolina, and the celebrations surrounding the coach’s dismissal are shaped by nothing that college basketball has seen before.
Tickets for the match are at prices usually reserved for the Super Bowl, with the cheapest seats on Vivid Seats now costing around $ 3450 as of Thursday night, with the average price being almost twice as high, and reports on some of the best seats on the market for more than $ 50,000 each.
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There are many celebrities who are present to witness the story, including the many greatness of the Duke of all time. In fact, all 208 Krzyszewski’s former players have been invited back for the match, according to Stadium for the first time, a list that includes many college basketball legends.
Duke advises fans to arrive earlier – something that is certainly not a problem for students who have been camping in Krzyszewski for days – as the school plans to honor Krzyszewski on the court before the signal. More ceremonies and a speech by Krzyzewski will follow, with ESPN broadcasting both events.
Duke has even partnered with OneOf, an online marketplace, to offer a collection of customized NFTs celebrating Krzyzewski’s retirement – perhaps appropriate, given that he coached his first Duke game in more than a decade, before most people even to know what the Internet is, let alone an indispensable token.
Krzyzewski, who has tried to downplay his role in the farewell tour this season, has already received his share of the road awards – from meeting on the court with Denny Crum in Louisville to his good friend Jim Boheim, who presented him with a framed photo and part of covers the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. But every home game this season has largely served as a countdown to Saturday’s departure, with fans filling Cameron Indore as Duke approaches his first solo title in the ACC regular season since 2006.
In the last two weeks, as the end drew to a close, many Duke players have commented on Cameron’s energy, but few have felt confident predicting how turbulent the game can be for a game that has no historical precedent.
“I noticed him during the warm-up,” Blue Devils senior striker Joey Baker told the audience during Duke’s last home game against Florida State. “You can’t really explain it, but you can feel it, and we felt it right away. I’m interested to see how it will feel against North Carolina.”