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NCAA Tournament 2022: 5 storylines for Duke vs North Carolina in Final Four

By Bryan Mauro

Mar 5, 2022; Durham, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard RJ Davis (4) drives to the basket against Duke Blue Devils forward Paolo Banchero (5) during the first half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2022; Durham, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard RJ Davis (4) drives to the basket against Duke Blue Devils forward Paolo Banchero (5) during the first half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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North Carolina Tar Heels NCAA Tournament (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
North Carolina Tar Heels NCAA Tournament (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /

Future National Champion

I have gone on record a few times saying that the winner of this game will go on to win the Championship on Monday night. It would be the 7th National Title for North Carolina and the 6th for Duke.

Sure, there is still another game that each of these teams must win but both are playing at such a high level that I do feel like each of these teams will win the National Championship. These teams have been able to keep their emotions in check the entire tournament and have not gotten too high or too low that an emotional victory has not derailed the goal of winning the title.

Diving deeper into Duke and their motivation. Obviously, they must get by North Carolina first, but if they do, they are going to have the extra motivation to win the game for their legendary coach. There is no better story than when a legendary coach who has won so many games go out on top.

Too many legends stay too long and tarnish their legacy but not K as his team has gotten better as the year has gone on and are trying hard to win one for their coach. Win or Lose it will be crazy seeing a new face roam the sidelines for Duke as K has been the head coach for my entire life and I have never seen another head man roaming the sidelines in Cameron and it will be a change for sure.

North Carolina is playing with house money right now, however, don’t tell them that. The Tar Heels were in no way expected to make the Final Four when the brackets were released. North Carolina has been playing at a different level since the middle of February and found its way into the tournament.

Honestly, throughout the tournament, the Tar Heels have been able to do no wrong, even after blowing a 25 point lead midway through the second half in their second-round game against Baylor. The Tar Heels still won the game in overtime. Pulled away late against UCLA and destroyed Saint Peter’s in the Elite Eight.

They are playing with a ton of confidence and they match up well with the other side of the bracket in the Title game. The fact that North Carolina who was out of the tournament a month ago is two wins away from a title is amazing.

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