Blast from the past: Mike Krzyzewski secures 500th coaching win with comeback victory

In honor of Duke’s Centennial, the Blue Zone’s Blast from the Past series highlights pivotal figures and events in Duke sports history. Next, we look at a storybook moment for the 1997-1998 men's basketball team:

As minutes ticked off the clock, Duke fans felt a win against rival North Carolina slipping through their fingers. But as the game clock hit zero, Cameron Indoor Stadium erupted with Blue Devil cheering and Tar Heel taunting. In one of the most exciting comebacks in Duke basketball history — and Mike Krzyzewski’s 500th coaching win — Duke had secured a seemingly impossible victory against North Carolina. 

Earlier in the season, North Carolina had dominated in the first of the teams’ two matchups. Veteran players like junior forward Antawn Jamison, who racked up 35 points, helped the Tar Heels assert a formidable lead throughout the game. Duke’s depth just couldn’t overcome the Tar Heels’ experience, as it fell 97-73 in the Dean Smith Center. 

Just a few weeks later, on Feb. 28, 1998, No 1. Duke and No. 3 North Carolina tipped off for what would be an unpredictable game for Krzyzewski and his team. Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, the beginning of this game felt the same as the previous rivalry matchup. For the first 28 minutes, lights-out shooting and relentless defense carried the Tar Heels to a strong lead. Duke went into the half trailing by 12, but with an ACC regular season title on the line, it was determined to turn the tide and see its blue on top. 

With just over 11:30 left on the game clock, Duke finally started answering, chipping away at North Carolina’s 17-point lead of 64-47. Finding the basket on four straight possessions, it was freshman Elton Brand who first lit a fire under the Blue Devils. In the original Chronicle Sportswrap article, Krzyzewski described Brand’s quick 13-point spark: “He looked like a jet… I don't know how he did that.” With Duke’s momentum only picking up, senior Steve Wojciechowski took control of the court and added pressure on all Tar Heels, while Roshown McLeod also started to deliver offensively, making aggressive drives to the rim and hitting from deep. 

As Chris Carrawell scored to tie the game 75-75, the roar of the crowd echoed throughout Cameron Indoor. Victory was within reach. The Blue Devils’ defense held the Tar Heels to only two field goals in the last 11 ½ minutes, and a rowdy Blue Devil crowd taunted the North Carolina team, forcing four missed free throws in the last four seconds. The Chapel Hill crew had crumbled to this gritty Duke team. 

As the buzzer sounded, Duke fans stormed the court from every angle, and the celebratory hug between Wojciechowski and Krzyzewski cemented itself as an image of Blue Devil victory forever. Not only had Duke made a historic comeback, but it captured a hard-fought win in a rivalry that would last years to come. The ACC regular season title was its alone, and Krzyzewski secured his 500th win, further solidifying his legacy as one of the greats in college basketball. 

Of course, students across campus celebrated the only way they saw fit for the rivalry win — burning benches. Flames blazed as fans cheered, continuing a tradition that remains at the heart of Duke’s spirit and pride today.