Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski condemned the state of North Carolina's House Bill 2 on Wednesday, calling the law that directly affects lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people "embarrassing."
"It's an embarrassing bill," Krzyzewski told USA Today Sports. "That's all I'm going to say about it."
NC State coach Mark Gottfried also said that he is "appalled" by the bill.
"I'm against any law that allows discrimination, whether that's based on race, gender, sexual orientation," Gottfried told USA Today Sports. "I don't understand how someone can support this. I think the people at NC State, we believe in inclusion. Being a resident of the state, for me and my family, it's been frustrating."
Gottfried added that it is a difficult topic when parents ask him about HB2 during recruiting trips.
North Carolina's Roy Williams and Elon's Matt Matheny are among other men's basketball coaches in the state to express displeasure with the bill.
Krzyzewski's comment comes a week after Albany dropped its Nov. 12 matchup with the Blue Devils. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has issued an executive order banning publicly funded, nonessential travel to North Carolina, which led to the cancellation, according to a State University of New York system spokeswoman.
Krzyzewski also echoed what Duke athletic director Kevin White told ESPN last week.
"It's most unfortunate. As an institution, if not personally, we have gone on the record indicating that our state position on this [HB2] is very troubling, if not embarrassing," White said.
Duke has not confirmed its replacement for Albany as part of the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off, though Marist is the likely opponent. Located in Poughkeepsie, New York, Marist is a private institution that wouldn't be affected by Cuomo's decision. Neither would Syracuse, a private school in New York that competes against Duke in the ACC.
The North Carolina law signed earlier this year by Gov. Pat McCrory requires transgender people to use restrooms corresponding to the sex on their birth certificates. The law applies only to bathrooms in government buildings, schools and public universities. As a private university, Duke is not subject to the law.
The bill came in response to Charlotte leaders' approval of a measure that allowed transgender people to use the restroom aligned with their gender identity. Supporters have defended the law as a commonsense measure that keeps men from using women's restrooms.
The bill has led to a public and business backlash, with the NBA deciding to move the 2017 All-Star Game out of Charlotte. The NCAA has also said the bill could risk North Carolina's hosting of future postseason events.
Information from ESPN senior writer Andy Katz and The Associated Press was used in this report.