When the Final Four begins on Saturday in New Orleans, the stage will be set for the biggest installment of college basketball's greatest rivalry. For the first time in history, longtime enemies Duke and North Carolina will play each other in the NCAA Tournament. And with a coveted trip to the title game now up for grabs, stakes couldn't be higher. It's the epitome of appointment-television.
The Blue Devils, which won the West Region title, are undoubtedly under the most pressure to survive and advance. They have an opportunity to complete the ultimate storybook ending for Mike Krzyzewski in his farewell season, and earlier this March, the Tar Heels spoiled the 75-year-old legend's last game at Cameron Indoor Stadium with an upset victory. Unprecedented drama.
"Duke's in an amazing situation right now as a favorite to win the national title. You obviously can't do any better than being in that situation heading into the Final Four," CBS Sports college columnist Gary Parrish told the Reiter Than You show on Monday. "Duke's also in an awful situation right now. Because if UNC is able to end Coach K's career in the Final Four, after ruining his final game at Cameron Indoor...
"I don't want to say forever bragging rights, but boy, it's a bullet point you can point to for such a long time... The idea that, in theory, two of Coach K's final three losses could come to his bitter rival, that North Carolina can actually be the school that ends his career. That's a lot of stuff to really get excited about if you're a Heels fan... If you're a fan or TV exec, you can't do better than this."
Krzyzewski advanced to his record-setting 13th Final Four on Saturday, with a 78-69 win over Arkansas in the Elite Eight. The Blue Devils scored 45 points in the first half, led by 12 at the break, and didn't surrender the lead once during the second half. Four of their starters combined for 60 points, and star center Mark Williams recorded a double-double with a dozen points and rebounds.
Duke and North Carolina are scheduled to tip-off at 8:49 p.m. ET on Saturday night, at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. According to FiveThirtyEight's projections, the Blue Devils currently have a 62-percent chance to make the championship game, set for Monday, April 4. The winner of this matchup will face either top-seed Kansas or 2nd-seed Villanova.
The entire March Madness conversation between Parrish and Reiter can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Reiter Than You show on Twitter @sportsreiter and @CBSSportsRadio, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.