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

Bench

Depth may be a huge factor in this game as both teams only usually play six guys. Duke has had the same rotation all year long with their five starters and their one main bench player who plays Starters minutes. The Tar Heels have their depth tested a lot this year. Their five starters have all stayed relatively the same, but they have had some key injuries and their depth is different now than it was a month ago. North Carolina lost Kerwin Walton, Dawson Garcia, and Anthony Harris earlier this year which shrunk their depth way down, and usually to a five-man rotation.

Duke will play other guys mainly Joey Baker and big man Theo John, neither of them play over 12 minutes a game. Baker is going to come in and shoot threes as he shoots 40% from deep and John will spell both big men. Other than that, it is going to be the starting five for Duke. It has been a productive starting five as the Blue Devils are one of the most prolific offenses in the country as they average a shade over 80 points per game. It is going to be a battle of the starters for both teams as North Carolina plays their bench very sparingly.

Given how little the bench has played for North Carolina this year, the Tar Heels would not be playing in this game without their bench contributions. In the second-round game against Baylor, seldom used Justin McKoy had a key rebound which led to points for the Tar Heels, and freshman Dontrez Styles who plays about three minutes per game, hit a huge corner three in the opening seconds of Overtime which ended up propelling North Carolina to a win.

Both teams have talented players on their bench, but they don’t use them. Guys are likely going to get in foul trouble or need a breather in this one.

Whichever bench can play the best is going to give their team the best chance to win. This will likely be the best game of the NCAA tournament this year and will be one of the top 10 games of the last 10 years.