Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski leaves New Orleans, Louisiana to Caesars Superdome on April 2, 2022, after losing 81-77 to the North Carolina Ter Hills in the Final Four semifinals of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Jamie Square / Getty Images / AFP
North Carolina advanced to the U.S. Collegiate Basketball National Championship game with a 71-77 win over Duke University on Saturday, bringing down the bottom line of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s career.
The Final Four match between the extreme internal rivals at the Superdome in New Orleans did not disappoint.
The University of North Carolina’s Caleb Love Final finished the game with a final eight points in 24.8 seconds, scoring the last eight points, with 18 lead changes and 12 ties.
North Carolina booked a championship clash with Kansas University on Monday.
Jayhawks dominated Villanova, leading the wire to an 81-65 victory in the other semifinal.
Kansas snatched Villanova’s nine-game winning streak and avenged a brutal 95-79 loss to the same team in the 2018 Final Four match.
They will play for the national title for the first time since 2012, when they lost to Kentucky in the championship. The Jayhawks last won the title in 2008.
North Carolina coach Hubert Davis could join Steve Fisher of Michigan in 1989 as the only first-year head coach to win the national crown.
“I wanted my seasons to end where my team is crying tears of joy or tears of sorrow, because then you knew they gave everything.”
Coach K reflected on the post-game passion after studying at UNC. pic.twitter.com/jMd0ESkM2s
– NCAA March Madness (archMarchMadnessMBB) April 3, 2022
But the pre-game focus was on Krzyzewski, a 75-year-old veteran who has already announced that this will be his last season and led the 42-year-old Blue Devils to their sixth NCAA title win.
“Coach K,” who also instructed the United States to win Olympic gold medals in 2008, 2012 and 2016, was emotional at the end of a 10-minute video tribute before the competition.
It had a number of his former Duke players, along with players from the United States, including James Harden and Kevin Durant.
Krzyzewski departed with a record 1,202 coaching wins. He won the Duke title in 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010 and 2015, and only 10 of the five championships were won by legendary UCLA coach John Wooden.
Wendell Moore led 74-73 with his Blue Devils 1:24 to play after the three-pointer.
But North Carolina’s RJ Davis was fouled in the next possession and hit two free throws to give Tar Hills a one-point lead. With 28 seconds left, the profit draws a three-pointer to give North Carolina a four-point lead.
“I wanted it bad,” Love said after scoring 21 second half points. “Duke is playing for the chance to win the national championship. It’s crazy that we’re here now.”
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