Everyone came for Mike Krzyzewski’s final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, former players and celebrities and basketball greats. They all wanted to catch one last glimpse of the Hall of Fame coach in the place he has called home for 42 years.

North Carolina, however, wasn’t there for the spectacle. The on-the-bubble Tar Heels were there to win a basketball game, and they spoiled Coach K’s swan song in one of the season’s most stunning results.

North Carolina gave its bitter rival’s coach a parting gift, a 94-81 defeat that should assure the Tar Heels an NCAA Tournament bid in coach Hubert Davis’ first season. With the loss, Krzyzewski fell to 50-48 against the Tar Heels, who had lost to fourth-ranked Duke by 20 in Chapel Hill a month ago.

“I’m sorry about this afternoon,” Krzyzewski said in a brief impromptu speech to the crowd before a postgame ceremony in his honor. “Today was unacceptable, but the season has been very acceptable. And the season isn’t over.”

Duke, led by the one-and-done Paolo Banchero, a projected top-three draft pick, will be the top seed this week in the ACC Tournament at Barclays Center and could wind up getting a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament as well.

This game, however, was the end for Krzyzewski in Durham, N.C., where he built Duke into a national powerhouse. The three-time Naismith Coach of the Year, he has won five national championships and reached 12 Final Fours after arriving at Duke from Army in March 1980.

Shortly before tipoff, the 75-year-old Krzyzewski made his way onto the floor through a tunnel of 96 of his former players that extended from the corner of the baseline to midcourt. He posed for photos with the large group, an impressive assortment of Duke legends, after bumping fists and hugging most of them.

There were Jay Williams and JJ Reddick, Grant Hill and Shane Battier, Christian Laettner, Danny Ferry and Elton Brand. Celebrities, such as comedian Jerry Seinfeld, NBA commissioner Adam Silver, Raptors coach Nick Nurse, former Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki and Hall of Fame NFL receiver Terrell Owens, were there to see the end of the legendary coaching career in Cameron Indoor Stadium. It was such a popular ticket that Duke students began camping out in Krzyzewskiville on Jan. 23. The average seat on the open market was going for over $5,000, more than it cost to attend Super Bowl LVI.

“Greatest sports venue in the world,” Krzyzewski, who was flanked by his family, said in an emotional and heartfelt speech to the crowd after the loss. “It’s hard for me to say this is over. So I’m just going to say the regular season’s over.”

He later added: “This has been so darn good, I appreciate it.”

Once the game, which he jokingly referred to as his “Senior Day,” began, Krzyzewski was all business. When Duke got off to a slow start, trailing 11-4 in the opening minutes, he jumped up onto the court, stomping his feet and barking out encouragement.

The Blue Devils (26-5, 16-4) rallied to get ahead, but not for good. The Tar Heels (23-8, 15-5) didn’t let the pageantry of the game impact them, and with four players scoring at least 20 points, led by led by Armando Bacot’s 23, they left victorious in Krzyzewski’s final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. But as Coach K said afterwards, the loss didn’t end his career. There remains a championship to be won.

“We need to fight for Duke, we need to fight for the brotherhood, and we need to fight with all of our might through the remainder of the season,” he said, speaking directly to his team. “Then I’ll be ready to get the hell out of here.”