Duke Blue Devils crush North Carolina Tar Heels in coach Mike Krzyzewski's final game at Chapel Hill

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Mike Krzyzewski walked out of the tunnel and onto the court at the Dean E. Smith Center for pregame warm-ups on Saturday. It was his 36th trip into the belly of the beast and also his last one.

His presence on the court instantly ignited the crowd, a packed house that had come to say — well, not so much farewell, but perhaps, good riddance, to their most hated nemesis.

It's exactly what Mike Krzyzewski was hoping for.

«I'm used to it,» Krzyzewski said. «I got what I expected, and I'm always ready for it.»

So, too, was his team. In mere minutes, Duke had silenced the raucous Carolina crowd, jumping to a 31-8 lead through the first 10 minutes, fending off a late charge at the end of the first half, then cruising to an 87-67 win, the fourth-largest of Krzyzewski's career in Chapel Hill.

Duke's dominance siphoned nearly all the energy from the Smith Center, and North Carolina, which has now lost four games by 20 or more, did little to reignite the fire.

What began with a chorus of boos and epithets from the rowdy UNC fans ended with a race to the exits with nearly 8 minutes still left on the clock.

«Not even getting punched first, but going out there and fighting,» said A.J. Griffin, who led the Blue Devils with a season-high 27 points. «That's what I love about this team.»

Krzyzewski's final season at Duke has already been filled with its share of sentimentality, from signature wins over Gonzaga and Kentucky to an emotional send-off alongside legendary coach Denny Crum at Louisville last month.

Saturday's festivities included no such emotion. There was a photo displayed before the game of Krzyzewski, coach-in-waiting Jon Scheyer, former UNC coach Roy Williams and current coach Hubert Davis, but beyond