Mike Krzyzewski, for the first time in a long time, had to watch from the outside as Duke fell in the Round of 32 to Tennessee last Saturday. The Vols bullied the Blue Devils, especially on defense, in a 13-point win to move to the Sweet 16.

On Tuesday, Krzyzewski joined the crew at SiriusXM College Sports radio to relay his thoughts on the game. He took his hat off to a Tennessee team he explained was a bad matchup for head coach Jon Scheyer’s group, saying their defense and experience gave them the win in a game that simply did not go Duke’s way from the jump.

“Tennessee, they lost their point guard 3 weeks ago and everyone kinda was putting dirt in their grave, you know,” Coach K said. “That’s it. They didn’t realize they’re coached by one of the great coaches in our country in Rick Barnes. And they play defense, they’re one of the top 5 defensive teams in the country. Talking to Jon Scheyer, he (was) unbelievably worried about the game because they’re older and very physical. And they played outstanding defense, outstanding defense. And their offense clicked that game and that’s it. Hats off to Tennessee, they deserved to win.  As much as that loss stings, when you can look back, the guys were prepared, we lost to a team that played really well.”

All in all, it was still a pretty impressive first season for Scheyer at the helm of the Blue Devils program. Duke won the ACC Championship and finished the season with a 27-9 record, falling only to a Tennessee team that seems to be well on its way to an Elite 8 bid if not further.

It’s only a matter of time before Duke is on top once again.