North Carolina advanced to the National Championship Saturday night in New Orleans, beating rival Duke 81-77 in yet another close game. It was the first time the two schools played each other in the NCAA Tournament.
The 17th and 18th lead change of the game came when Brady Manek shot a three followed by a Wendell Moore Jr. three from the top of the key. The 74-73 game was reaching its climax. R.J. Davis grabbed the lead back with two free throws then Armando Bacot fouled out by pushing Mark Williams. Williams missed both free throws. Caleb Love drilled a three in Williams’ face. Jeremy Roach went in for a layup on the other end but that would be the last made field goal of Duke’s season. Love’s free throws were the clincher for a Tar Heel win.
Duke was whistled for five fouls by the 15:02 mark in the first half and was forced into early substitutions with Mark Williams benched. Theo John saw extended time and hold down the fort for Duke. The Blue Devils buttered their bread in the paint with 26 paint points in the half. Davis carried North Carolina along on the power of his jump shot. When John was called for a fourth foul at the 6:07 mark, the Blue Devils were in a bind. Coach Mike Krzyzewski had been buying time for Williams to enter halftime with his two fouls. In contrast to Duke’s paint success, a 2-12 three-point shooting rate hampered any chance to make an extensive run. The half ended with a 37-34 lead for the Blue Devils.
In the second half, Carolina turned a deficit into a 13-0 run for a 47-41 advantage in three minutes. With the game tied at 55, Williams fouled for a fourth time on Bacot’s and-1 so John replaced him again. The Blue Devils drew multiple fouls and masked their spotty shooting. Davis picked up his fourth foul on a Trevor Keel and-1 at 7:17 but stayed in the game. Bacot left the game with 5:18 remaining after landing on teammate Leaky Black’s foot with the score tied at 65. Puff Johnson came in for the first substitution of the half from coach Hubert Davis. Bacot returned after Johnson’s two made free throws. Those were the first and only bench points of the game for the Tar Heels.
Love was 11-20 with 28 points. Davis assisted four times and scored 18 points. Bacot was only 3-10 from the floor but rebounded 21 times. Paolo Banchero scored 20 points and had 10 rebounds. Free throw splits were 17-24 for Carolina and 12-20 for Duke. Three-point percentages were 38.5 percent for Carolina and 22.7 percent for Duke. Banchero and A.J. Griffin have been projected for the NBA draft.
The anticipation before the Duke-North Carolina game was immeasurable. College basketball’s most heated rivalry had two head coaches at the beginning and end of their tenure. Both teams previously split the season series, and Saturday’s implication was a ticket to the National Championship game against Kansas. Krzyzewski coached for the last time but his young team was relentless in two comebacks during a Final Four run. Jon Scheyer will assume the role of the program’s newest head coach.
