NEW ORLEANS — The UNC Tar Heels will advance to the National Championship after beating the Duke Blue Devils 81-77 in Final Four Saturday in New Orleans.
The two went head-to-head in the Battle of the Blues! After more than 100 years of bitter contests between the two schools, this was the first-ever meeting between Duke and North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament.
At around the 2-minute mark, the teams traded three straight 3s. Wendell Moore Jr.’s 3-pointer with 1:19 left ended the flurry and gave Duke a 74-73 lead. It was the last lead of Krzyzewski's career.
R.J. Davis came back with two free throws, then after Duke's Mark Williams, in foul trouble all night, missed a pair from the line, Carolina worked the ball around the perimeter.
Tar Heels guard Leaky Black set a pick -- make that threw a block -- on Trevor Keels to free up Love, who drained a 3 from near the top for a 78-74 lead. Love made three more free throws down the stretch, and then it was over for a thrilling victory.
The game was a significant one for UNC’s new head coach Hubert Davis. He’s the fourth UNC head coach to lead his team to an NCAA Tournament berth in his first season at the helm.
Davis and Bill Guthridge are the only coaches to win at least four games in their first NCAA Tournament as head coaches.
This marks UNC’s 52nd appearance in the NCAA Tournament. It also marked their 21st appearance in the Final Four the most in NCAA history. The Tar Heels are 130-48 in the NCAA Tournament. The 130 wins are the most all-time. The Tar Heels won NCAA titles in 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009, and 2017.
The game marks the end of an era for Duke Men’s Basketball Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski as it’s his last NCAA Tournament after announcing his retirement before the 2021 season. The university named former Blue Devil All-American, and associate head coach Jon Scheyer as Krzyzewski’s successor for the 2022-23 season.
Duke is 114-38 (.750) all-time in the NCAA Tournament, marking the best winning percentage in tournament history. Duke's 114 wins are also third-most in the event's history. Duke has been a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in 20 of its last 24 NCAA Tournament appearances since 1997. Duke earned its 44th all-time bid to the NCAA Tournament -- fifth-most in NCAA history and 36th under Coach K, the most appearances by a head coach right behind Jim Boeheim.
Coach K is retiring after a legendary career. He led Duke to five NCAA National Championships in 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010 and 2015. He coached Duke to the Final Four 13 times and is tied for most in NCAA Tournament history. He led Duke to win 12 ACC Regular-Season Championships and 15 ACC Tournament Championships and still holds the ACC record. He holds the record for the most wins of any college basketball coach. He has been devoted to Duke basketball for more than 40 years.
UNC will battle Kansas Monday for another shot at a National Championship title.
SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 2022
1st half
**Score at end of first half: Duke Blue Devils lead 37 to 34**
20:00 Jump Ball won by Duke
19:36 Caleb Love Defensive Rebound.
15:38 UNC --3, Duke -- 4 at the first break
15:02 Free throw Brady Manek
13:45 Duke's Wendell Moore Jr. misses Jumper.
13:27 UNC's Leaky Black misses Three Point Jumper.
11:44 Offensive Rebound Duke's Theo John
11:12 Official timeout
10:34 UNC ahead by 1 point, leading 14 to 13 with over 10 minutes left in the first half
9:03 Duke now ahead 19 to 16 with over 9 minutes left in the first half
7:56 Duke Offensive Rebound.
6:17 Duke's Wendell Moore Jr. misses Three Point Jumper.
5:17 Duke, UNC tied with 24 with over 5 left in the first half
4:36 Duke now with 26
1:45 Duke leading 31-28 with over a minute left in the first half
0:52 Duke Timeout
0:00 Duke -- 37, UNC -- 34
2nd half
20:00 Jump Ball won by UNC Tar Heels
17:22 Duke ahead 41 to 40 with 17 minutes left in the second half
16:48 UNC's Brady Manek makes three point jumper. Manek assisted by R.J. Davis.
15:40 UNC ahead with 47, Duke with 41with over 15 minutes left in the second half
14:53 Official timeout Duke
14:45 UNC's Caleb Love misses three point jumper.
12:22 Wendell Moore Jr. makes layup
11:44 Duke's Wendell Moore Jr. makes jumper. Assisted by Jeremy Roach.
10:50 Duke, UNC tied with 55
9:14 Duke's Trevor Keels made Layup.
7:44 UNC Tar Heels lead 62 to 57
7:17 Free throw Duke's Jeremy Roach
7:02 Offensive rebound Trevor Keels
3:32 Foul on Armando Bacot.
3:06 UNC's Caleb Love makes layup
UNC beats Duke Blue Devils 81-77.
WFMY News 2 Crews out in New Orleans, Durham and Chapel Hill
10:23 p.m. WFMY's Jenna Kurzyna is sticking out like a sore thumb in her red jacket in the Battle of the Blues
9:45 p.m. UNC fans describe the UNC-Duke matchup in one word.
9:04 p.m. WFMY's Avery Powell is out in Durham where Duke fans anticipate Saturday's game
Duke Blue Devils arrive ready for battle in Final Four!
UNC arrives just in time for Final Four!
8:58 p.m. Duke with 3 fouls but 4-3 lead.
8:44 p.m. Head coaches Mike Kryzewski and Hubert Davis heading to courts for Saturday's matchup
8:08 p.m. Duke and UNC players head to the court
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