Duke University’s semifinal loss to rival North Carolina at last year’s men’s Final Four was coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final game in his 42-year Hall of Fame career. But under different circumstances, Coach K would have had the opportunity to add to his record 101 NCAA Tournament wins, most in NCAA history.
The Duke Blue Devils and Villanova Wildcats, losers to eventual champion Kansas, would have played another game if the tournament still included a consolation game.
A consolation, or third-place game, was played at the national finals from 1946 to 1981 when Virginia defeated LSU at the Spectrum in Philadelphia.