'it Was Heartbreaking': Former Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski Laments Elite 8 Loss

Mike Krzyzewski may not be the head coach for Duke men's basketball anymore, but the Elite Eight loss for the Blue Devils was still heartbreaking.

The No. 1 overall seed Blue Devils were knocked out of the NCAA Men's Tournament when Braylon Mullins knocked down a 40-foot buzzer beater following a turnover by Duke on Sunday, March 29. That gave UConn the 73-72 win to advance to the Final Four this weekend in Indianapolis.

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Meanwhile, the Blue Devils lost in brutal fashion for the second straight year.

Krzyzewski joined the Pat McAfee Show on Monday, March 30, to talk about the loss.

"It was heartbreaking," Coach K said. "I am telling you. Even though I haven't coached for four years now. It was a great, great basketball game. Not a good one. It was a great game."

"It was heartbreaking and it was a great basketball game..

I haven't coached for four years and I couldn't fall asleep last night..

I have such great empathy for our guys"

Coach K #PMSLivepic.twitter.com/r9tXN5x9C8

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 30, 2026

Krzyzewski led the Blue Devils to five national titles between 1980 and 2022, before he retired. While he did win national titles with Duke, he suffered many heartbreaking losses in the single-elimination tournament, with 13 total Final Four appearances.

Even while not coaching actively, the loss still stings for Krzyzewski.

"I could not fall asleep last night," Krzyzewski said. "I felt like I was a part of that. And then you're thinking of all these individual kids and how you are going to take care of them. You have such great empathy for our guys. Obviously, I am a Duke guy and have concerns for them. It's a tough one to get over."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mike Krzyzewski says he lost sleep over Duke's Elite 8 loss to UConn