Sights, sounds and observations (updated throughout the day) from press row in Charlotte on the final day of the ACC Tournament:

Teary-Eyed Krzyzewski Visited Clemson's Team Bus

Every year, some of the ACC Tournament's best stories go untold, simply because of the nature and mechanics of the event.

Anything that happens before or during a game obviously can be discussed soon after the final buzzer, when the coaches are available for a Q&A with writers and reporters, and the players are available either on the same stage or in the locker room. It's the stuff that happens after those media sessions that typically gets lost in the shuffle, because by the next morning the focus already has turned to that day's game or games, and the coaches and players from the losing teams typically have left the host city by that point anyway.

Case in point: The reactions and actions of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski after the Blue Devils' 78-74 semifinal loss to Clemson on Saturday.

The post-game media coverage included plenty of comments from Krzyzewski, who heaped praise upon the Tigers and was classy in defeat.

"Clemson is as good of a team as we've played," Krzyzewski said. "I'm not saying they're better than North Carolina or a couple of the other teams we've played. We've played a lot of championship teams this year. But Clemson's right there. When they hit their free throws, they're as good as anybody. ...

"I have no complaints with my basketball team. I really think they played a hell of a game and lost to a hell of a team. ... There are games that you lose, and there are games the other guy wins. This was one of those where the other guy won."

Here's what was missed in the post-game and day-after media coverage: After his press conference, and away from the cameras and the microphones, Krzyzewski visited the Clemson team bus and delivered — with tears in his eyes — an emotional message.

"It was a really classy thing to do," Clemson assistant coach Shaka Smart said Sunday morning. "It especially means a lot when something like that — and it obviously came straight from the heart — comes from one of the best coaches in the history of the game."

When Krzyzewski first stepped onto the bus, he spoke directly to Clemson coach Oliver Purnell. The two men are friends who have worked together with the United Stated national team. As their conversation continued, and Krzyzewski realized he had a wider audience, he directed some of his comments to the entire team, and he became more emotional.

Krzyzewski complimented the Tigers on their effort, style of play, teamwork, togetherness and unselfishness. He also mentioned their dedication to Purnell's style and game plans, and their willingness to follow the leadership of senior guard Cliff Hammonds.

"He said he admired us, and that he would be pulling for us in the NCAA Tournament," Hammonds said. "It was a really classy thing to do. I think it meant a lot to a lot of people. It did to me."

Tigers Oblivious To (Ugly) History

Clemson's semifinal victory over Duke sent media members scrambling in search of the record books, because the Tigers have appeared in only one (prior to today) ACC championship game — 46 years ago. The Tigers of coach Press Maravich lost to Wake Forest in 1962.

Even current Clemson coach Oliver Purnell was a little fuzzy on the details.

"Nineteen-sixty-two? What is that?" Purnell said, completely serious, in response to a post-game question. Told the historical details, the coach continued. "I knew it was a long time ago. I knew we'd maybe only been in it once and never won it. I knew those things, but I don't spend a lot of time with streaks with these young guys, because this is this year's team, and our leadership has only been around for five years. So I think those weights are too heavy and insignificant."

The league's four North Carolina-based schools have plenty of experience in the championship game, but that's certainly not the case for the other eight teams in the conference.

Duke and North Carolina have the most ACC titles (16), followed by N.C. State (10) and Wake Forest (four). The four North Carolina-based schools also lead in title-game appearances: UNC (28), Duke (27), State (17) and Wake (10).

Duke and UNC, in particular, have controlled the conference in recent decades. The neighboring superpowers have won or shared 20 of the last 24 ACC regular-season titles and 16 of the last 23 (pending this year's result) ACC Tournament titles. (Under conference rules, the winner of the league tournament is the official champion.) Either the Blue Devils or the Tar Heels (or both) have played in the ACC championship game in 22 of the last 24 seasons, counting this year.

The non-North Carolina teams pale in comparison. Georgia Tech and Maryland each have three ACC championships. Virginia has one. The other five teams in the league, including Clemson, have never won the league title. The Tigers had been to the conference semifinals 10 times before this year, but they had lost nine of those 10 contests, with the exception in 1962.

Asked why his team doesn't seemed fazed by history, Purnell stated the obvious — none of his players was alive in 1962 — and said he certainly wasn't going to remind them of what happened in the Clemson basketball program so many years ago.

"They're not that old. They're just not that old," Purnell said. "As a coaching staff, we don't want them to focus on something they have no control over."