President George H.W. Bush attends Duke-N.C. State game

Duke had a special guest in the building for its 95-60 blowout victory against N.C. State.

Former President George H.W. Bush was sitting courtside as the Blue Devils romped the Wolfpack, becoming the first U.S. President to watch a basketball game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

"It was an amazing honor for us to have the 41st President of the United States here today," Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "He does not travel anymore, and over the last two decades we have become very close friends in the fight against cancer. For him to honor us in this way was as big an honor as we could possibly have."

After the game, Bush spent some time in the Duke locker room interacting with players and coaches, providing the team with a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

"I just want to thank him publicly, for my team to have that experience with really one of the great Americans in the history of our country," Krzyzewski said. "You're talking about a guy who was the youngest pilot in World War II, a pretty good baseball player, a guy who opened up the doors for us to have relations with China, who led our country, was our Commander-in-Chief, and then privately over the last 15 years has started two organizations to fight cancer."

Bush came to Durham to recognize Krzyzewski for his commitment toward eliminating cancer. Bush served for 13 years as the honorary chair for C-Change, a non-profit committed to assembling cancer leaders and eliminating the disease. After Bush stepped down, he offered the position to Krzyzewski.

The Duke head coach said that the fight against cancer has become more personal for him after the death of his older brother Bill less than a month ago.

Bush was also on hand during the 2010 NCAA tournament as the Blue Devils topped Baylor in their Elite Eight game in Houston to punch their trip to the Final Four. Duke went on to win the national championship that season.

"He brought us good luck," Krzyzewski said. "I asked him what he's doing on Wednesday if he wants to come to Miami, but I don't think he's coming. We'll have to do it on our own."