It felt like the plot from a Hollywood movie, with Duke facing North Carolina in the Final 4 in Coach K's "last dance". However, sports have a way of playing out differently than movies. Had this been a movie script, legendary veteran coach would have found a way to get the win and move on. He would have went on to win the National Title and rode off in the sunset.
However, real life had something different in the cards altogether. Coach K was KO'd in his final game at the helm of the Duke program. It is fitting that Duke met rival North Carolina long the way, though. The two teams are "blue blood" programs in college basketball. Their rivalry is without question the biggest and best in college hoops, and arguably in all of sports.
The Tar Heels edged Duke 81-77 Saturday night in New Orleans. It was a back and forth, nip and tuck type of affair. However, UNC made the plays late and Duke was unable to do so. The Tar Heels closed the game on a 8-3 run in the final minute, which including hitting 5 of 6 free throws in the game's closing minute.
North Carolina contested Duke's outside shots pretty well and even when they didn't, Duke failed to connect. The Blue Devils shot just 5 of 22 from three point range. Duke also struggled at the foul line, UNC was able to shoot a higher percentage at the line, especially down the stretch.
UNC had four players in double figures, including a game high 28 from Caleb Love. Big man Armando Bacot had 11 points but was "all Windex team" cleaning the glass, all night long. Bacot's 21 rebounds is just one shy of the all time single game Final 4 record of 22, set by Hakeem Olajuwon in 1983. Duke had three players in double figures, led by a double-double performance of 20 points and 10 boards by Paola Banchero.
The Coach K era at Duke ends with 13 Final Four appearances, 11 trips to the National Title game and 5 National Championships. Saturday night, marked the first time since 2004 that Duke made the Final 4 but failed to advance to the National Title Game.
North Carolina will now make it's 3rd trip to the National Title game since 2016. The Tar Heels will meet Kansas in another match up of Blue Blood programs, after KU downed Villanova 81-65 in the other Final 4 match up. It is the 16th Final Four appearance for the Jay Hawks and their 6th trip since 2002. The two teams met in the 1993 Final 4 with UNC downing Kansas before winning the National Title over Michigan, where was the Final 4 that year? You guessed it, New Orleans. Monday night's National Title game is set to tip around 9:20 PM, you can hear all the action on the Fan Upstate.
