Mike Krzyzewski gives an emotional thank you to Louisville, Denny Crum

Prior to No. 9 ranked Duke‘s 74-65 win over Louisville on Saturday at the KFC Yum! Center, the Cardinals’ program gifted Blue Devils’ head coach Mike Krzyzewski with a custom-made Louisville Slugger bat and bottle of Maker’s Mark bourbon – recognizing Coach K on his farewell tour as he retires at the end of the season.

While Louisville surprised Coach K with those special gifts, what made the longtime coach feel even more honored was the fact that legendary Cardinals’ head coach Denny Crum presented the gifts to Krzyzewski.

A pair of longtime head coaches who have known each other for a long time, Krzyzewski and Crum exchanged a conversation and a few hugs before tipoff – which made Coach K’s day.

“Before talking about the game, let me just say thank you to the Louisville basketball program for honoring me before the game,” Krzyzewski said. “They could not have honored me in a higher manner than to have Denny here. Got emotional. He’s one of the true icons of the game and someone that I’ve admired my entire life when he worked for Coach [John] Wooden and the amazing job he did here.

“Anyway, that was really special. I hugged him a few times. That was really a great thing, so, thank you. The Louisville program is one of the all-time best. The tradition of excellence and high play is, again, something I’ve watched for my entire life.

Coach K: Duke assistant Nolan Smith ‘did an unbelievable job’ with Louisville scout

As Duke picked up the 74-65 win over Louisville, Blue Devils’ head coach Mike Krzyzewski credited assistant coach Nolan Smith – a Louisville, Kentucky native – for the job he did scouting the Cardinals ahead of Saturday’s game.

“Obviously on our staff, Nolan Smith – this is where he was born, this is how he was raised, and his dad being one of the great players in history of the program,” Krzyzewski said. “It was Nolan’s scout, and he did an unbelievable job in preparation.

“We’re all very emotional and proud of being able to win, but I’m really happy for him. It was a really neat thing.”

No. 9 Duke – now 17-3 overall with a 7-2 mark in ACC play – returns to action Monday on the road at Notre Dame. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.