One Cinderella story came to an abrupt end Sunday as North Carolina dominated the St. Peter’s Peacocks in their Elite Eight matchup, but it earned the Tar Heels a supporting role in another incredible storyline.
The eighth-seeded Tar Heels not only advanced to the Final Four by winning the East Regional, but now get to face rival Duke, the winner of the West Regional, in the NCAA Tournament semifinal. It’s the first time ever the two programs, arguably the biggest rivals in all of college basketball, will meet in the NCAA Tournament and it comes during the well-documented final season of Duke head coach Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski. It marks the 13th Final Four appearance for Krzyzewski.
In a rivalry that has featured so many incredible moments — Coach K’s 500th win, The Austin Rivers Game, Zion’s Shoe Game, an extensive list of buzzer-beaters and ACC matchups — the upcoming Final Four clash could be the best-ever in the Tobacco Road rivalry.
The closest the two teams ever came to playing each other in the NCAA Tournament came in 1991, as noted by Sports Illustrated, when both teams made the Final Four as No. 1 seeds. Duke defeated UNLV in its respective semifinal contest while UNC lost to Kansas. Krzyzewski then went on to win his first national championship against the Jayhawks.
Now the Basketball Hall of Famer is looking to end his career with a sixth title. And he’s one step closer after Duke, the No. 2 seed in the West, advanced to the Final Four with Saturday’s win over the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Blue Devils previously defeated Cal St. Fullerton, Michigan State and Texas Tech before a 78-69 victory over the Razorbacks.
For the Tar Heels, it’s the program’s 21st trip to the Final Four, which is the most ever. North Carolina capped its own road to New Orleans with a dominant performance against the No. 15 Peacocks, a 69-49 final. The Tar Heels started their run with a win over Marquette, then took down the regional’s top-seeded Baylor Bears before another seven-point win over the fourth-seeded UCLA Bruins.
Duke opened as a four-point favorite against North Carolina with the total set at 150.5 on DraftKings Sportsbook.
The Midwest Regional champion Kansas Jayhawks (-4) and South Regional champion Villanova Wildcats will play the first game of Saturday’s double-header with the Blue Devils and Tar Heels taking part in the nightcap.
