Back in early March, when longtime conference foes Duke and North Carolina faced each other in Mike Krzyzewski's final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, ticket prices reached record numbers, with the average minimum cost almost $4,000 per seat. At that time, there was little reason to anticipate both teams sharing the court in the postseason. After all, it'd never happened before.
But a brand-new chapter of college basketball history will be made during the Final Four on Saturday night in New Orleans. For the first time, the Blue Devils and Tar Heels have a hot date in the NCAA Tournament, and the winner of this national semifinal matchup will advance to the championship and earn special bragging rights for years, if not decades, to come. An epic heavyweight bout.
"I'm calling this game what it is: this is the biggest rubber match in the history of college basketball," CBS Sports hoops insider Jon Rothstein told The Zach Gelb Show on Monday. "Because if UNC were to beat Duke on Saturday, their program, their fans, and their alumni can always say they beat Duke in Coach K's final game at Cameron and knocked him out of the tournament in his final season. They'll have one-up on Duke fans and the program for eternity...
"If Duke is going to beat Carolina and Kansas to win a national championship, Mike Krzyzewski would've beaten the last two coaches who had succeeded Roy Williams in his two previous jobs. And then, it would also mean that Duke would beat Kansas, who Roy Williams coached when Krzyzewski won his first national championship, 31 years ago. That's called putting a bow on things."
Krzyzewski advanced to his record-setting 13th Final Four on Saturday when the Blue Devils defeated Arkansas in the West Regional final. Duke held onto the lead for 32 minutes, and four of its starters combined to score 60 points. Mark Williams recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, and freshman sensation Paolo Banchero added 16 points with seven boards.
As for North Carolina -- led by first-year coach Hubert Davis -- they annihilated Cinderella hopeful Saint Peter's in the East Regional final on Sunday. Armando Bacot scored a team-high 20 points with 22 boards, and also became the first player since Hakeem Olajuwon (1983) to post that stat line in the Elite Eight or later. The Tar Heels' run to the Final Four was unquestionably sparked by their stunning upset win over the Blue Devils in Durham, just a few weeks ago.
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 college hoops conversation between Rothstein and Gelb can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The Zach Gelb Show on Twitter @ZachGelb and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.