Duke Blue Devils

SOURCE SPORTS: North Carolina Advance to the Championship Game, Ending Coach K’s Career in the Process

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Duke’s coach Mike Krzyzewski’s first game was a loss to North Carolina. It only fits his last game would be just like his first one. The North Carolina Tar Heels advance to the NCAA championship game beating the Duke Blue Devils 81-77 in another instant classic.

An 8-seed, the Tar Heels are tied for the lowest-seeded team to reach the final since seeding began in 1979.

“Our belief all year was strong that we can get to this point,” junior center Armando Bacot said. “I don’t know if it was belief or if it was just us being delusional. I mean, at every point of the season, we knew if we came together as a team that we could get to the championship. And that’s what we did.”

The Tar Heels will play the only number 1 seed to make it to the Final Four this weekend in the Kansas Jayhawks.

After 1,202 wins, 13 Final Fours, and a career that redefined the bounds of coaching success in college basketball, Krzyzewski’s career. While this loss will sting Duke for a while, Krzyzewski built a powerhouse program like no other. While the Duke vs. North Carolina rivalry will carry on, it will seem odd next year without Coach K on the sidelines after 40 years.

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SOURCE SPORTS: Duke, North Carolina, Villanova, And Kansas All Are Final Four Bound

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For the first time in a long time, it will be all blue bloods in the final four.

On one side of the bracket are two historic rivals. Duke and North Carolina have faced one another 257 times in the 102-year history of the rival, but next Saturday in New Orleans, they’ll meet in the NCAA tournament for the first time.

On the other side of the bracket are two teams rich in tradition and have built their respective programs to be national powerhouses. Villanova eliminated Kansas during Jay Wright’s title runs, rallying late to edge the Jayhawks in the 2016 Elite Eight before burying them with a barrage of early 3-pointers at 2018 Final Four.

The final four will be filled with intrigued and drama. Duke’s head coach Mike Krzyzewski will be coaching his last game either Saturday or Monday night in the national championship game. Can Kansas run the table as the only number 1 seed left in the tournament? Next weekend will be must-see television, thanks to the four blue blood programs remaining.

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