Duke vs. UNC: Coach K's Final Dance
After a March full of upsets and Cinderellas, four blue bloods remain in the Final Four, ready to battle it out for the national championship. But that’s not the major storyline heading into Saturday's matchups. In storybook fashion, Duke, led by all-time great head coach Mike Krzyzewski, has advanced to the Final Four in Coach K’s final season. Widely considered the greatest of all time, Krzyzewski has announced his retirement from coaching following this year. Not only that, but Duke will face archrival North Carolina for the first time in tournament history. Duke and North Carolina are bitter rivals with a storied history of hatred that some even consider the most heated rivalry in sports. After years of upsets, blowouts, and buzzer beaters, Coach K will face North Carolina one final time this Saturday with a chance to amend this March’s heartbreaking loss to the Tar Heels in Coach K’s final home game. Both teams haven’t lost since the ACC Tournament, with both teams losing to Virginia Tech.
Duke has handled all of their NCAA Tournament opponents relatively easily, with the closest call coming in a 78-73 win over Texas Tech. They controlled Arkansas in the Elite 8, winning by 9, setting up Coach K’s 13th Final Four trip. North Carolina has made a surprising tournament run after nearly blowing a 25 point lead in overtime to Baylor in the round of 32. In the Elite 8, the Heels breezed by Cinderella, 15 seed Saint Peter’s. Right now, Duke is a four point favorite and according to ESPN, the Blue Devils have a 68.3% chance of winning the matchup.
North Carolina is being led by first year head coach Hubert Davis, who is replacing coaching legend, Roy Williams. Despite a rocky start to the season, North Carolina has made their way to the pinnacle of college basketball once again.
Despite North Carolina’s unprecedented run, I will take the Blue Devils by a wide margin this Saturday. Though North Carolina has experienced success this year, they have demonstrated a lack of discipline and poor coaching at times. Duke will come out motivated, not only for their coach, but with the opportunity of a national championship looming just two games away. The Tar Heels have established a resilient culture in year one of the Hubert Davis era, but persistence does not beat out talent, pristine coaching, and discipline. I will take Duke to cover the 4 point spread and advance to the National Championship next Monday.
By Sawyer Sugarman