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Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski Says He Would Have “Faked An Illness” Had He Seen Last Night’s Loss Coming

You have to hand it to Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski, who was able to poke a little fun at himself, as well as his team, after they were upset by the Temple Owls, 78-73 last night. It was the Blue Devils’ second loss of the season.

After the game, Krzyzewski met with the media and was asked whether or not he saw a performance like this coming from his fifth-ranked Blue Devils. Coach K took a second, paused, and then responded with a comment that was amusing, but also brought to mind something else:

What it specifically brought to mind: the 1994-95 season, when Coach K took a leave from the team due to exhaustion and a back injury. However, that particular team turned out to be one of the worst of Coach K’s tenure at Duke, and in an unusual step, the team’s 4-15 record in the games Krzyzewski missed was attributed to interim coach Pete Gaudet rather than Krzyzewski himself.

And some especially stringent anti-Dukies suggested that maybe he took a leave from the team in order to avoid the losses that followed (one such rumor is vaguely referenced here). Were Krzyzewski’s comments above a reference to that 1995, and the subsequent rumors surrounding it? Maybe, maybe not, but it’s hard not to hear those words and think of that ill-fated year.

Either way, Coach K definitely didn’t see this Temple loss coming, and it definitely won’t be pinned on an interim coach, like many accused him of doing to Gaudet back in 1995. As much as we enjoyed Coach K in the above clip, we imagine Gaudet isn’t laughing much about that season.

Video via CJ Fogler