Coach K’s career ends with a loss to his archrival in the men’s Final Four.
Duke and North Carolina's first match in the men's NCAA Tournament was always going to be historic. The fact that we got it in the Final Four and during Mike Krzyzewski's final year before retirement made it perhaps one of the most anticipated games in the history of the sport.
With UNC the No. 8 seed and Duke struggling to enter March, this matchup sounded too good to be true. It should have been impossible for the game to live up to such a high level of hype, but somehow it did.
North Carolina secured their ticket to the national championship game by defeating Duke, 81–77. The Tar Heels will now face Kansas for the national championship. The Jayhawks defeated Villanova 81-65 in the second semi-final.
It really was one of the best games you'll ever see. Coach Kay's career ends with the defeat of his opponent.
The game lived up to the hype
The last minutes of this game were absolutely incredible. Trevor Kielce hit a three-pointer to give Duke a one-point lead, with only two minutes left. Brady Manek of North Carolina responded with his three on the next possession to hold Duke back. Duke came down and got Kielce for a three that missed, but Duke caught the offensive rebound, swung the ball to Wendell Moore, and hit him with another forward three.
North Carolina took the lead on a free throw from RJ. Davis. Then Duke's Mark Williams missed a pair of free throws. On UNC's next right, Caleb Love hits a ridiculous pull-up three-pointer to four up the heels. It was the biggest shot of the night.
CALEB LOVE ONIONS pic.twitter.com/OsxCv9uSOV
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 3, 2022
It still wasn't over. Duke's Jeremy Roach dropped down and scored a goal to cut the lead to two. After Love split free throws after a deliberate foul, Duke had another chance three points down. Trevor Keels was fouled and split his own free throw to keep Duke down two.
Duke fouled Love on the next possession, and he made both free throws to give UNC the win.
North Carolina's Final Four Run Was No Fluke
This Tar Heels team was in danger of missing out on the NCAA Tournament in the middle of the year when Duke defeated them by 20 points at their home turf. North Carolina rallied late in the season - famously losing double-digits to Duke in Coach Kay's last home game on March 5.
UNC entered this tournament as the No. 8 seed. 1 seed Boiler in the round of 32, but before doing so, took a lead of about 25 points. Carolina's Sweet 16 victory over UCLA was reassuring enough, but there were still some questions as to whether it was a Final Four caliber team after easily outpacing No. 15 seed St. Peters in the Elite Eight.
UNC proved themselves in the biggest game of the season in the Final Four against Duke. Carolina showed how much talent this team always had. Love was Electric, shooting 20 out of 11 ended with 28 points. Armando Bacot was unbelievable despite having twisted his ankle late on, ending the night with 11 points and 21 rebounds. Davis added 18 points and Manek had 14 points.
This Carolina team checks nearly every box you could want in a college basketball contender, with great guard play, a physical prowess at Bacot, and ample shooting on the wings. These heels absolutely deserve to win it all.
We have pegged Paolo Banchero as our No. 1 prospect in the July 2022 NBA Draft. We also published a longer breakdown of why he's so cool before tip-off. While the other top prospects have struggled in the biggest stages of this tournament, Banchero has been stellar throughout Duke. That turned in another great game against UNC.
Banchero put all his skills on display. At 6'10, 250 pounds, he hit pull-up threes, scored in the post, and showed dynamic driving ability. He finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds shooting 17 of 8 off the ground in the defeat.
Pretty awesome to see Paolo Banchero pulling up like this. 2-3 3PT so far tonight pic.twitter.com/G27HLFt0Mj
— DGC (@Itamar_17_10) April 3, 2022
North Carolina vs. Kansas would be amazing in men's national title game
The Jayhawks are a No. 1 seed and the Tar Heels are a No. 8 seed, but it doesn't look like there's going to be a favorite. Both these teams are playing amazing basketball.
There is one game left in an outstanding men's NCAA tournament. We can't wait to see what surprises are still in store.