Duke vs. North Carolina Final Four Preview
An argument can be made that this latest edition of the iconic Tobacco Road rivalry is the most anticipated game in the history of the sport.
With coach Mike Krzyzewski’s storybook ending on the line and Hubert Davis looking to begin his career as the first coach to win a national championship in his first season, there are enough storylines to make this a highly anticipated game without mentioning the magnitude of college basketball’s greatest rivalry.
The annual graphic that compares the last 100 games between the Blue Devils and Tar Heels is easy to picture, but these games pale in comparison to their first ever meeting in the NCAA Tournament coming in the Final Four of Coach K’s 41st and final season in Durham.
Duke probably had the toughest road to get here out of any of the remaining four teams, going through No. 15 Cal State Fullerton, No. 7 Michigan State, No. 3 Texas Tech and No. 4 Arkansas on their way to their 17th Final Four in school history.
Getting through these four teams was no easy task as the Spartans and Red Raiders had the Blue Devils on the ropes, with each holding a lead in the final four minutes of the game before the Devils stormed back in crunch time.
Big shots by sophomore guard Jeremy Roach and freshman phenom Paolo Banchero helped the team pull away and extend the career of their Hall of Fame coach who isn’t going down without a fight.
As for the Tar Heels, few believed they could make it this far, but even fewer believed they could knock off the Blue Devils in Coach K’s final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
They’ve spent the entire month proving their doubters wrong and it has them fighting for a national championship in Hubert Davis’ first season since taking over for Roy Williams.
These Heels have relied less on late-game heroics and more on incredible individual performances on their way to their third Final Four in the last six years.
Senior forward Brady Manek scored 28 points in a blowout win over No. 9 Marquette in the First Round, while sophomore guard R.J. Davis stepped up with 30 more points to upset No. 1 Baylor
Sophomore guard Caleb Love scored 27 of his 30 points in the second half to knock off No. 4 UCLA in the Sweet 16. Finally, junior forward Armando Bacot booked their trip to New Orleans with 20 points and 22 rebounds to end the Cinderella run of the No. 15 Saint Peter’s Peacocks.
During the actual game, all eyes will be on Manek on both ends of the floor. The Blue Devils will do everything they can to exploit him on the defensive end in isolations against their physical and skilled ball-handlers in Banchero and junior forward Wendell Moore Jr.
These two stars should be able to take advantage of the less athletic Manek and get high-percentage looks at the basket, a strategy Krzyzewski implemented in both of the previous games against the Tar Heels.
On the other end of the floor, Hubert Davis will spread out the floor as much as he can with Manek stretching out to the 3-point line in an attempt to outscore the Blue Devils with a barrage of perimeter jumpers.
Also, look for the dynamic backcourt duo of Caleb Love and R.J. Davis to shoot over the top of the zone if Coach K goes to this defensive look that he’s thrown in throughout the NCAA Tournament.
At the end of the day, the closer looks inside the 3-point line will fall far more often than the perimeter jumpers that the Heels will settle for. These baskets should send Coach K to his 10th and final national championship appearance.
Score prediction: No. 2 Duke Blue Devils 84, No. 8 North Carolina Tar Heels 79
Derek Bast is a third-year majoring in digital/print journalism. To contact him, email dmb6699@psu.edu
