Duke's Mike Krzyzewski expresses displeasure with slippery court, late-arriving crowd

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Mike Krzyzewski's final NCAA tournament got off to a strong start on the scoreboard, as Duke dominated Cal State Fullerton 78-61 on Friday night, but he was less than pleased with the environment his team had to play in.

Krzyzewski lauded his team's effort as a big step forward after losing to Virginia Tech in last week's ACC tournament, but he was miffed about a late-arriving crowd and slippery conditions on the court.

«There was no crowd when guys were warming up,» Krzyzewski said. «And that damn floor was slippery on both ends.»

Duke's game tipped off at 7:10 p.m., a little more than 90 minutes after the previous game between USC and Miami wrapped. The tight turnaround time left hundreds of fans crowding the entry points to get into the arena, with long lines remaining midway through the first half. Krzyzewski said the sparse crowd for shoot around and the early action made for a placid setting as his team began its tournament run.

«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.»

Moreover, Duke players slipped repeatedly on the court — a space typically used for hockey — and Krzyzewski said there was a potential for serious injury as a result.

«Somebody should look at it,» Krzyzewski said. «That's not good. We've got to be concerned about that.»

Krzyzewski joked that he'd phoned Nike's offices to ensure the slips weren't due to shoe issues, a reference to Zion Williamson's famed sneaker blowout in 2019. Despite the jokes, Krzyzewski said there was a real risk to some of his current stars, too.

Krzyzewski said forward Paolo Banchero slipped in