The No. 8 North Carolina Tar Heels are advancing to the National Championship game after defeating the No. 2 Duke Blue Devils, 81-77 on Saturday at the Superdome. The Tar Heels will take on No. 1 Kansas Jay Hawks on Monday. An 8-seed, the Tar Heels are tied for the lowest –seeded team to reach the final since seeding began in 1979.
With this victory over Duke, the Tar Heels ended legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski’s Hall of Fame career in his 13th appearance in the semifinals.
First year coach Hubert Davis talked this moment into existence by placing a photo of the Superdome in the North Carolina locker room. He told his players to get ready for the trip. He was confident in his team’s ability to reach the Final Four.
The Superdome was filled with electricity in the minutes leading up to the tip off. The crowd of 70 thousand plus did not relax for the next two hours.
“I think it reached a level that you would expect,” Krzyzewski said. “I mean, the crowd was standing most of the game, I think. It was a heck of a game.”
The much hyped trilogy between the two programs, the rivalry’s first ever NCAA Tournament showdown, lived up to its expectations, with 12 ties and 18 lead changes and both teams trading haymakers down the stretch. A Jeremy Roach three-point play with 3.1 seconds left in the half separated the teams going into the break.
Duke went into halftime with a three point advantage, 37-34, despite limited minutes from center Mark Williams, as he picked up two fouls in the early going of the contest. His backup, Theo John, got into extreme foul trouble, collecting four.
In the second half, Caleb Love hit a number of crucial shots to keep North Carolina in striking distance. Coming out of a final media timeout, with 3:32 remaining in the game, coach Davis had a slight smile on his face. He may have been thinking what everyone else that was witnessing the contest thought: It does not get much better than this in college basketball. Duke, Carolina, 67-67. Spot in the National Championship game hanging in the balance.
The drama only intensified from that point. Trevor Keels hit a shot from downtown, with just over two minutes left, to give Duke a one-point lead. That was followed by North Carolina’s Brady Manek hitting a three on their next possession and Duke’s Wendell Moore responded with a three of his own, with just over one minute left in regulation.
Point guard R.J. Davis, who put the Tar Heels on his back during the first 20 minutes of play, was fouled on the ensuing possession, knocking down both of his free throws, to give the Tar Heels a one-point advantage.
It was going to come down to one of the teams making a mistake in the final minute and Duke blinked first. Williams missed two shots at the charity strike on the next possession, with 46 seconds left and Love hit a massive three, putting the Tar Heels up four, with 25 seconds to go. Love put the final nails in Duke’s coffin, connecting on free throws, with eight seconds left.
“One of the things that these guys have done a really good job at is celebrating a win but also putting that aside and focusing on the task ahead of us,” Davis said. “I want them to celebrate tonight. This is a special moment for them. This is a special moment for our program. So I want them to enjoy themselves. … We’re playing for a national championship. If you’re not motivated for that, you shouldn’t be playing.”
After 47 years of coaching, 42 of them at Duke, Krzyzewski’s career officially comes to a close, one step short of the sport’s biggest stage. He ends his time at Duke with a total of 1,202 win, the most in NCAA history. He has five national championships, nine appearances in the title game and 13 Final Fours.
Paolo Banchero led Duke with a double-double, with 20 points and 10 rebounds and two assists. Keels scored 19 points, with two assists. Moore added 10 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
Love had a game-high 28 points for North Carolina, with four rebounds and one assist. Davis scored 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Manek finished with 14 points and four rebounds. Armando Bacot contributed 11 points and 21 rebounds.
Love added, “Just one game away from a national championship. What else can you say?”
