Duke narrowly escaped UCF to advance in March Madness in one of the wildest games of the NCAA Tournament. After two clutch baskets from Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett, UCF missed two go-ahead shots, including a last-second tip-in that rolled around the rim and out. After the game, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said he was emotional and said UCF was "deserving of winning." Duke men's basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski was emotional after the Blue Devils narrowly escaped the UCF Knights in March Madness on Sunday. Duke came away with the 77-76 win after a frantic final minute that saw Zion Williamson make a clutch layup on an and-1 opportunity. Williamson missed the free throw, but R.J. Barrett got the offensive rebound for the putback with 11 seconds left. UCF then missed a go-ahead jump-shot, and a last second tip-in that rolled around the rim and out, securing the win for Duke. Read more: 'It can't get any closer than that:' Duke barely survives against UCF to avoid the biggest upset of March Madness After the game, Krzyzewski said he was emotional for UCF, saying they were "deserving of winning." "They played great ... They were deserving of winning," Krzyzewski said. Krzyzewski credited UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins and said he's been lucky and unlucky in the tournament and knows how it feels. "I feel bad for Johnny. I'm emotional about it because I love him, and his son was magnificent, sensational." Aubrey Dawkins, Johnny's son, led the Knights' charge, scoring 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting. It was his final tip-in that rolled off the rim to secure the game for Duke. Duke now advances to the Sweet 16. Watch Coach K's interview below: —NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 24, 2019<doc-sep>Mike Krzyzewski has been around long enough to experience his fair share of gut-wrenching defeats. So after his Duke Blue Devils dealt one out on Sunday, beating ninth-seeded UCF by a matter of inches, Coach K got emotional himself. In the postgame handshake line, he stopped to console one of the fallen Knights: Coach K consoling sobbing ucf players in the handshake line. This month, man... pic.twitter.com/sqYPGcvMpX — Shawn Krest (@ShawnKrest) March 24, 2019 The UCF player was Dayon Griffin, a senior. His career was over. And he was devastated. Griffin lifted his jersey over part of his face while listening to Krzyzewski’s words. Then he hugged the Duke head coach before moving down the line. UCF’s players were understandably stunned. When B.J. Taylor’s layup rolled off, then Aubrey Dawkins’ put-back did the same, they were in disbelief. Terrell Allen fell backwards to the floor. Taylor struggled to pull himself to his feet on the baseline. Griffin sunk to the floor as well, his jersey up over his face while prone. As his teammates helped him up, tears were already flowing. In the locker room later, while head coach Johnny Dawkins spoke to his team one final time, sobs were irrepressible all around: “We end in tears...that’s because we’ve invested so much in each other. I love you guys. It’s been amazing coaching this group.” -@Coach_Dawkins pic.twitter.com/B58DbNZzWO — UCF Men’s Hoops #GKMO (@UCF_MBB) March 25, 2019 Meanwhile, Coach K was in another type of disbelief. He clearly understood the heartbreak. Coach K gets emotional postgame While Duke players celebrated, Coach K turned toward UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins, his former pupil, and threw his hands out with his palms facing up. Then he did it again. And he shook his head. Story continues As he embraced Dawkins, and while Dawkins spoke in his ear, he had an understanding smirk on his face: (Original video: CBS) Krzyzewski got emotional at his postgame news conference talking about Dawkins, whom he coached in the 1980s, and who coached under him for 10 years in the 1990s and 2000s. “Look, I love Johnny,” Coach K said, holding off tears. “I’m gonna start crying. That’s what I told him. I love Johnny Dawkins. And the moments, the times that we spent together, building the program, 10 years on our staff, and the connections we’ve had while he was at Stanford and Central Florida. He’s a member of – we’re family. “I feel bad that they lost. I mean, I’m exhilara ... I’m hap ... It’s like, a ying and a yang here. Because they were deserving of winning. They were so good. And I’m so proud that those kids played at the level of their coach. Coach K gets emotional talking about @UCF_MBB’s HC Johnny Dawkins, who spent 14 years as a player & coach with @DukeMBB. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/aBLPfsu4L6 — NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 25, 2019 Coach K, at various points of the answer, was genuinely lost for words. He also talked about seeing Aubrey Dawkins – who scored 32 points on Sunday, “the best player on the court,” K said – grow up. And about how Johnny Dawkins became a father figure for Nolan Smith – a star on Duke’s 2010 title team, and now a Blue Devil assistant coach. “It’s a tough moment,” K continued. “It’ll take me a little while to get through it, to be quite frank for you.” Mike Krzyzewski and Johnny Dawkins embrace after Duke's dramatic win over UCF in the NCAA tournament. (Getty) More from Yahoo Sports:<doc-sep>
Having coached at Duke in 35 NCAA Tournaments, Mike Krzyzewski has been on both ends of the agony of defeat and the joy of triumph. Following Duke's victory over UCF on Sunday -- a 77-76 survival inches away from going the other way -- Krzyzewski empathized with the Knights' players whose season ended in heartbreak. When the team's lined up to shake hands after the game, Krzyzewski identified one player, senior Dayon Griffin, who was weeping about what had just transpired. In a touching show of sportsmanship, Krzyzewski consoled him, and the two hugged before parting ways. Video from after the game also shows the somber scene inside UCF's locker room. In the room was lots of sobbing and plenty of heartbreak, but an upbeat message from coach Johnny Dawkins, who himself was fighting back tears. "I'm really proud of what you did this year, representing our program and our university" Dawkins said. "You guys have been terrific. Look, man, it will end two ways when you invest like we invest. It will end celebrating, or we're going to end crying, in tears. We end in tears because we invested so much in each other and so much in what we were doing." Krzyzewski himself got emotional after the game discussing his relationship with Johnny Dawkins in his postgame presser. "I feel bad that they lost," he said. "They were deserving of winning. They were so good, and I'm so proud that those kids played at the level of their coach." Krzyzewski got choked up on numerous occasions despite getting the win by inches, and it was genuine. The scene from both sides just shows the joy of victory and the gut-wrenching reality that hits when your team is eliminated.