It may lead to a civil war in the state of North Carolina.
However, like it or not, the Final Four game between the Duke University men’s basketball team and the team eight miles down the road – the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – is taking place on Saturday, April 2. There are so many storylines to the game that, even before the UNC Tarheels finished beating the St. Peter’s Peacocks to earn the fourth slot in the final four, television sports analysts were raving about the upcoming game.
Even those who don’t live in the state of North Carolina were expressing tremendous excitement about seeing the greatest rivalry in college basketball occur on the NCAA Final Four stage for the first time. One ESPN analyst said the game would be “absolutely insane” while another agreed and added that he was just going to get out the popcorn and not take his eyes off the screen for a second during the game.
This would be a huge game any year. However, in 2022, it takes on a much greater significance: This is Duke Coach Michael William Krzyzewski’s final season coaching college basketball after being one of the best in the game for over 40 years. Carolina, on the other hand, is being led by a first-year head coach, Hubert Davis, whose team struggled early in the year. Now, Davis could see the greatest coaching accomplishment of his lifetime come about in his first year as a head coach.
The tip-off time at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans will be 8:49 p.m. for the Game of the Century, which will be broadcast on TBS. The winner will move on to the national championship game to face the winner of the Villanova- Kansas game, and the losing team, along with all of its fans, will crawl into an emotional hole and not mention the word “basketball” for at least a year.
“Game of the century” That’s a bit much. The “game of the rivalry” was a month ago in Durham when the Heels spoiled the Coronation of K.
This week several ESPN commentators called it the most important game in the history of college basketball. They are also expecting a higher viewership for this game than for the finals Monday night.
I went to the “other” school nearby. Whoever wins, is who I am pulling for. Too bad they weren’t in opposite brackets.
Even if Duke wins, a majority of Tar Heel Nation will still look at alumni and fans of Duke, Wake Forest, and NC State as 2nd class citizens.
I am a born and raised Duke fan but have to respect the job Hubert Davis has done with his team this year. He seems to have that touch to be another great legacy for UNC. It was a very different team that spoiled Coach K’s last home game from the team Duke crushed at the Deam Dome earlier in the year.
College basketball is the best!!!!
Am hoping for a Great Game on Saturday night … Have been a DUKE FAN since 1958, so I will be rooting hard for a Blue Devil win. That, and a 6th National Championship would be an incredible, storybook ending to a fantastic coaching career… !
I am not a NC native. My college team was knocked out last weekend by Duke. As a now 30-year resident of NC I am always proud to talk about the great basketball teams from this area (ACC). When you speak about NC you are talking about great schools and great basketball. Be proud folks.