INDIANAPOLIS — When Duke vs. Kansas began Tuesday night in the nightcap of the Champions Classic, the story centered on who was missing. Mike Krzyzewski, winner of 1,129 games and five national championships as coach of the Blue Devils, has left the arena. Bill Self, winner of 556 games and two national titles as coach of the Jayhawks, was put in timeout for four games by the university as sudden-onset penitence for NCAA infractions that occurred five years ago.
Fixtures were unfixed. In a sport dominated by coaching personas, these were glaring absences.