Quick Hitters - North Carolina vs. Duke (NCAA Tournament - Final Four)

Isaac Schade presents Quick Hitters from North Carolina’s 81-77 win over Duke in the NCAA Tournament National Semifinals.

Author:
Isaac Schade
Apr 3, 2022 5:24 AM EDT

Quick Hitters from North Carolina’s 81-77 win over Duke in the NCAA Tournament Final Four.

Highlights:

Condensed Game:

Isaac Schade's postgame 1-minute wrap up:

An absolutely electric night of basketball. The first-ever UNC-Duke NCAA Tournament game delivered exactly what we hoped for in a tight, back-and-forth game, resulting in an 81-77 UNC victory. Without question, this now becomes the single biggest non-championship game victory in UNC history, jumping just ahead of another victory the Tar Heels celebrated over this same Duke team a few weeks ago.
With the victory, Hubert Davis becomes the first head coach in NCAA history to lead his team to the NCAA Championship in his first full season as head coach. Incredible stuff.
On the flip side, recently retired Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski finishes his career 50-50 against North Carolina.
As the game drew tight down the stretch there was a nervous energy inside Caesar's Superdome from both fan bases. It was an odd blend of sheer excitement mixed with the reality that we were witnessing an historical moment.
You won't hear this narrative from certain media entities, but UNC has won four of the last five against Duke.
North Carolina becomes the fourth eight-seed to make the National Championship in the modern NCAA Tournament era (dating to 1985). Only one of the first three to do so (Villanova, ’85) won the championship.
The Tar Heels survived a 4-0 Duke run to start the second half and then made as many threes in a 1:45 span as they did in the entire first half (three). In total, it was an 11-0 run and gave Carolina a four-point lead at 45-41. That stretch proved pivotal in the outcome of the game.
So many Tar Heels in attendance, but what really caught my eye were three aisle seats in back-to-back-to-back rows occupied by Coach Roy Williams, Antawn Jamison, and Tyler Hansbrough. Carolina royalty.
From the outset, Duke’s offensive plan was plainly evident – use Banchero’s athleticism to attack Brady Manek. Banchero’s (& Duke’s) problem was that Manek did a more than serviceable job walling off the projected top-3 draft pick. Banchero finished with 20 points, but took 17 shots to get there.
Speaking of defense, Leaky Black once again did a number on AJ Griffin. The talented Duke freshman was just 1-7 FG, 0-4 3FG for six points. Black’s ability to erase an opponent’s offensive capability is uncanny. Let’s not forget that Black made two threes tonight, including the first points of the game.
Neither team shot well from deep in the first half. Carolina finished at 3-13, while Duke was 2-12. I said at halftime that whoever was able to get going from three would win. It came true. UNC was 7-13 in the second half, while Duke made just three of 10.
For the first time in UNC history, two Tar Heels have 90-plus made three pointers. Brady Manek sits at 95 while Caleb Love has 92. Both have a great shot at passing Cam Johnson (96) to become No. 2 and No. 3 on the all-time list.
Armando Bacot just keeps doing Armando Bacot things. He recorded his 30^th dub-dub (Isaac Schade shorthand for double-double) of the season and 48^th of his career. In so doing, he sets a new ACC record, passing Tim Duncan for most in a single season. He also passes Tyler Hansbrough and Sam Perkins for sole possession of third place on the Carolina career list.
Bacot is up to 496 rebounds this season and will likely become the first-ever Tar Heel to crack 500 (after becoming just the second Tar Heel to make it to 400). He also has 20-plus rebounds in back-to back games. His 21 rebounds tonight is a North Carolina Final Four record.
The biggest question for Bacot is the health of his ankle for Monday night. We need to get him the Joel Berry 2017 treatment. You have to imagine that unless his ankle is broken, Bacot will play.
I believe that had Bacot not gotten hurt or had not fouled out, we probably would have seen the return of the #IronFive in the second half.
North Carolina is now 15-0 in Caleb Love’s career when he scores 20 or more points.
After having split the first two games in this category, UNC won tonight’s rebounding battle 50-41.
In quite the reversal from earlier in the Tournament, Carolina recorded a season-low 25.9% assist percentage (7 assists on 27 made baskets).
RJ Davis picked up his fourth foul with 7:02 remaining in the game, but managed to say on the floor to help his brothers. He finished with another impressive stat line: 18 points on 6-13 FG, 2-4 3FG, and 4-4 on free throws. Davis also had seven rebounds, four assists, only one turnover.
Instead of switching the role of “back court stud” from one game to the next as Caleb Love and RJ Davis typically have done in the NCAA Tournament, they decided to take turns today. Davis did the heavy work in the first half, while Love bore the brunt in the second half.
In the final 1:18 of the game, Duke was out of timeouts and Carolina still had three. Across the court, Roy Williams was probably smiling under his mask.
I’m going to have to go back and watch the sequence of the last several minutes. So many big plays. So many swings. So many missed free throws. Caleb Love’s three from the left wing felt like the dagger.
Neither Manek, nor Love shot well in the first half. The remedy? Both players started working at getting downhill to the rim, and it opened up the outside shot for them.
The bench scored precisely two points. But ooooh my, were they two hugely important points. Down two with 4:36 left, Puff Johnson drew a foul and calmly sank both free throws to tie the game at 67. Johnson also had a steal that led to a Caleb Love fastbreak layup.
Due to foul trouble, Mark Williams, the ACC DPOY, only played 16:16 in the entire game. Duke’s problem was that Williams’ replacement Theo John was saddled with four himself.
Carolina now has a rather quick turnaround before facing Kansas on Monday in what I’m dubbing the “Roy Williams Bowl”.

Box Score

Postgame Press Conference

Head Coach Hubert Davis & the #IronFive

Players postgame

Brady Manek

Leaky Black

Armando Bacot

RJ Davis

Remember to check in for Quick Hitters after every North Carolina basketball game. Next up is the National Championship against Kansas on Monday, April 4. Tip is at 9:20pm ET on TBS.