Dukes Mike KrzyzewskiMarcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press
From the moment news broke in early June of Mike Krzyzewski’s intent to return for one final season with Duke, some of you knew his farewell tour was bound to end this way.
One last trip to the Final Four – the 13th of his career, which now puts him one ahead of John Wooden on the all-time list.
Another shot at the sixth national championship of his illustrious career.
And another week at the center of a sport he’s more or less dominated for the past four decades.
All will perish in New Orleans, a city famous (among other things) for its lavish funeral processions.
Seems fitting, because whether you’re celebrating Coach K’s legacy or celebrating the fact that the ACC’s Wicked Witch is finally gone, we’ll all be ready for a parade down Bourbon Street next weekend.
Two days after surprisingly defeating Gonzaga, the 4th-seeded Arkansas Razorbacks had a chance to stop that save.
However, the fourth game in Duke’s journey to the 2022 Final Four was one of the easiest yet.
The Blue Devils struggled to recover from a 70-65 deficit in the final five minutes of the second round against Michigan State. They found themselves in a similar predicament late against Texas Tech in the Sweet 16 before ending that game with red-hot shooting as well.
However, Duke was never behind against Arkansas in the last 34 minutes.
Arkansas’ Jaylin Williams had another impressive performance with 19 points, 10 rebounds and multiple draws. JD Notae and Stanley Umede also hit a couple of big shots each.
But this trio was no match for Duke’s six-headed monster.
Mark Williams set the tone early with his unbeatable size and strength, finishing with a double-double. AJ Griffin made a big impression in the arc for a change, leading Duke by 18 points. All three guards (Wendell Moore Jr., Jeremy Roach and Trevor Keels) had several impressive hits. And Paolo Banchero overcame a slow start to do his usual “potential No. 1 NBA draft” thing, carrying the team through the second half.
Add it all up and despite 15 turnovers, Duke pretty much drove to a 78-69 win.
If there were still demons when Arkansas defeated Duke in the 1994 national championship game in Charlotte, North Carolina, perhaps they were cast out with this Blue Devils win.
And now we’re heading into one of the greatest Final Four games of all time.
Dukes Paolo BancheroEzra Shaw/Getty Images
When North Carolina defeats Saint Peter’s in Philadelphia on Sunday, it will be Duke vs. North Carolina for the first time in the NCAA tournament.
je.
It hardly seems possible that these arch-rival programs, with 333 total NCAA tournament games, 36 Final Fours and 11 national championships, have never managed to run into each other in the dance, but it’s true. (They met once in the 1971 NIT semifinals, though never in that tournament.)
An entire book could be written about the iconic moments in the history of this tobacco road rivalry, one of which happened just a few weeks ago when the Tar Heels ruined Coach K’s last home game.
But a Final Four showdown?
Even if it were a blowout, it would instantly jump to number one on the list of the most incredible moments in the rivalry, and the hype surrounding it would make the Villanova vs. Kansas/Miami Final Four game seem like a consolation match. (Until the winners meet on Monday, of course.)
However, the other option is arguably even more attractive.
Move over, Duke-Butler 2010 National Championship Game, because a Duke-Saint Peter’s Final Four game could be the greatest David vs. Goliath moment in sports history.
When it happens, we’ll let sports historians debate how it stacks up against Super Bowl III and Miracle on Ice. But the No. 15-seeded St. Peters’ victory over Duke in the Final Four would undeniably edge NC State over Phi Slamma Jamma in 1983 and Villanova over Georgetown in 1985, which is the most unlikely thing that would ever happen in an NCAA tournament.
Ten days ago, the Peacocks had never won an NCAA tournament game. They hadn’t even competed in the tournament in over a decade. And in the program’s history, which stretches back to 1964, they don’t even have a winning record, which stands at 826-827 overall.
But if they can knock off the Tar Heels, they’d be shooting at a coach who has won 1,202 games since 1976.
And call me crazy, but I think Duke-Saint Peter’s would generate even higher ratings than Duke-UNC. Because while the vast majority of college basketball fans would love Duke-UNC, any sports fan could stand behind Duke-Saint Peter’s.
Regardless of what happens between the Tar Heels and the Peacocks, Coach K and one of his all-time star-studded squads will be waiting for the winner.
Hoping to avoid an embarrassing final loss of his career.
Kerry Miller covers men’s collegiate basketball for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter: @kerrancejames.