GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — The world could be mere moments away from a historic Final Four rubber match in the greatest rivalry in college sports.
It was just three weeks ago when the Tar Heels earned a statement 94-81 victory over the Blue Devils in Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski’s final home game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The victory helped UNC avenge their Feb. 5 loss to Duke who earned a decisive 87-67 win over UNC at Dean E. Smith Center.
https://embed.sendtonews.com/player4/embedcode.js?fk=ThMj3EBx&cid=9867&offsety=140&floatwidth=400&floatposition=top-rightThat victory helped UNC earn an 8-seed in the East Regional of the NCAA Tournament after previously being viewed as a team that could miss out on qualifying for the tournament altogether.
As for Duke, they would go on to earn a 2-seed in the West Regional of the NCAA tournament.
The two historic programs have never met during March Madness.
There was a close call in 1991 when Dean Smith’s Tar Heels and Coach K’s Blue Devils almost battled for the National Championship as both teams qualified for that year’s Final Four.
The Blue Devils would narrowly win their contest against UNLV 79-77.
However, the Tar Heels were defeated by the then Roy Williams-led Kansas Jayhawks 73-65 preventing the matchup from taking place.
Duke would go on to defeat Kansas 72-65 in the 1991 National Championship game in what was the very first of many future meetings between Roy Williams and Coach K.
In the present day, we are once again just one game away from history as UNC and Duke have both made it to the Elite Eight.
It has been business as usual for the Blue Devils as they have collected victories over 15-seed Cal State Fullerton, 7-seed Michigan State and 3-seed Texas Tech to set up a match with 4-seed Arkansas at 8:49 p.m on Saturday.
As for the Tar Heels, they continued their unexpected late-season emergence with a dominant 32 point win over 9-seed Marquette.
The Tar Heels then collected a wild and stunning upset victory over the defending national champion 1-seed Baylor, before extending their magic on Friday with their 73-66 win over 4-seed UCLA, the defending East Regional champion.
UNC will now face off against fellow tournament Cinderella 15-seed Saint Peter’s on Sunday at 5:05 p.m.
If Duke and UNC can win their Elite Eight games, the two rivals will meet for the third time this season, in the Final Four, for a chance to play in the National Championship, in Coach K’s final season.
Buckle up North Carolina, things could get crazy real fast.
Source: Fox 8 News Channel