DURHAM, N.C. -- Less than 24 hours after winning the program's fifth national championship, Duke returned home to a crowd of adoring fans -- many of whom had just watched the Blue Devils win said title in Cameron Indoor Stadium themselves via big screen.
They started lining up in hopes of getting in at least an hour and a half before the doors opened, and they filed in to watch a replay of the game. The scoreboard at Cameron kept track, and many watched it as if they were seeing it for the first time, experiencing each high and low anew.
After it was over, the final score of Duke 68, Wisconsin 63 remained up there: as did a time of 20:15. As in the year of the Blue Devils' latest triumph.
The champions, led by senior captain Quinn Cook, emerged from the hallway at the intimate stadium as if they had just won the title, almost as if they hadn't slept the night before. And maybe they hadn't. They still had pieces of the net stuck in their championship hats, and they were all wearing championship T-shirts.
Cook got the biggest roar, naturally, and then Marshall Plumlee -- who came in carrying the trophy itself -- got a pretty big one, too. The bulk of the net lay neatly around its base.
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski took the stage first. He told the fans that it was good to be back home. He even joked that he appreciated seeing fans wearing T-shirts in Indianapolis that said "Our House," considering how at home Duke has felt in Indianapolis.
And he had noticed the fanfare of the night before. Duke fans who made the trip to Cameron to watch the Blue Devils win rushed the court in jubilation afterwards.
"Our tradition here is the only time we rush the court is when we win a championship," Krzyzewski said, "and I think you did yesterday."
It wasntt about winning a fifth title, Krzyzewski said. No, he's already more than proven himself in basketball. For him, it was about this team, a group he's come to love so much. A group he called his favorite, both in the aftermath on Monday night and again on Tuesday afternoon.
Krzyzewski danced to the popular fan song, "Every Time We Touch." He joked about his love of Meek Mill and how in his day, polka was the pregame music of choice.
Multiple highlights videos were shown as well, and the only player to speak was well worth it.
Cook was introduced by his head coach -- "as good a leader as I've had in my 35 years (as a head coach)" -- and while the tears didn't flow as they had the night before, he was gracious, humble and charming as ever.
Cook went into the NCAA tournament as one of only two scholarship players that had yet to win a banner of any sort. He went into last weekend with a Final Four banner to his name, and the joy and relief he felt in that moment was palpable.
But this brought him an even deeper joy.
As he finished addressing the crowd, he turned and pointed behind him, to where Duke's previous four national title banners hung.
"I think we've gotta make some room up there," he said, grinning as the crowd exploded.
Indeed, Duke will have to do that. Krzyzewski, loose as ever, said he talked to President Barack Obama, who apologized for not picking Duke in his bracket and invited his team to the White House. And when he mentioned some moments that were turning points for his team -- including a comeback win in overtime over North Carolina -- he got serious for the only time all afternoon.
"Today's not the day to get into that," Krzyzewski said. "It's about national championships."
The moment he lived in with his team brought him so much happiness that he couldn't help but remind the fans not to look too far ahead, too, and to live in the moment with him and his team.
"Savor this for a little bit before you start talking about next year," Krzyzewski warned them.
And indeed, they will.
