What a crazy second half. What a crazy game. And at the end of the madness, it was North Carolina pulling the upset to win 81-77 and join Kansas in the championship game.

Duke started the half off to extend their lead to 7 off two dunks by Mark Williams and Paolo Banchero. Then, Caleb Love hit two three-pointers and led the Tar Heels on a 14-0 run. Then, Trevor Keels hit a three-pointer to start off a 10-2 run for the Blue Devils, finished up by one of multiple steals by Wendell Moore, Jr. that watched Moore drive to the basket and lay it in.

With about 10 minutes left in the game, Mark Williams picked up his 4th foul and had to deal with foul trouble. With about 7 minutes left, UNC guard RJ Davis picked up his 4th foul and had to deal with foul trouble. With about 5 minutes left, UNC forward Armando Bacot twisted his ankle after stepping on his teammate’s foot trying to block a shot. He had to leave the game, but he walked it off and somehow managed to come back in the game. There would be 18 lead changes throughout the game as one team would score just to watch the other team answer.

With 2:30 left in the game, UNC’s Brady Manek gives the Tar Heels a 2 point lead by hitting a free throw. Duke came down the court, and Paolo Banchero passed the ball to super-sub Trevor Keels who drilled the three pointer and the Blue Devils re-took the lead. But not for long…UNC’s Leaky Black found Manek outside for three, and after Manek had missed a wide-open three pointer and 3 of 4 free throws, he answers Keels with a three-pointer with a Duke player right in his face. Then, Keels missed a three pointer, but Paolo Banchero jumped high above everyone to get the offensive rebound and get the ball out to Wendell Moore Jr – who drains the three-pointer to give Duke the lead again.

RJ Davis drove to the basket and drew a blocking foul on Jeremy Roach. Davis’s two free throws made it 75-74 Tar Heels. Duke went down low to Mark Williams, and he got fouled by Armando Bacot. An ankle injury couldn’t stop Bacot from getting 11 points and 21 rebounds. But this shove into Williams’ back was his 5th foul – his incredible night was over.

But Mark Williams, a 75% free throw shooter, would miss the first free throw long off the back of the rim, and then miss the second free throw short off the front of the rim. The Blue Devils would need to get a stop. Caleb Love took the shot clock down as he waited at half court, dribbled toward the top of the key, suddenly stopped and drained a three-pointer to give UNC a commanding 4 point lead.

Jeremy Roach quickly drove down the court to cut the lead to 2 with a drive to the basket. But at this point, the Blue Devils have to foul. Caleb Love got the ball and hit one of two free throws to send the lead back to 3.

Trevor Keels got the ball outside but couldn’t get a clean three-pointer off, so he drove to the basket. He gets fouled driving to the basket, and he quickly throws the ball up with his right hand and it looks like he might be able to tie the game from the free throw line. But the refs judged that he was fouled before the shot. Keels, who scored 19 points from the Duke bench, hit the first free throw but missed the second. Somehow, Caleb Love managed to get the rebound over a leaping Banchero, and the Blue Devils would have to foul again.

This time, Love calmly sinks both free throws. Duke’s Keels put up a desperate three-pointer to try to cut the lead to 1 and give the Blue Devils one last time. But the three-pointer missed, RJ Davis would grab the rebound and dribble out the clock.

Coach K’s final season would have to settle for just one last Final Four. There would be no storybook ending to give the legend one last championship. Instead, the school that gave Coach K his first ever loss at Duke on December 5th, 1980 by a score of 78-76 would be the same arch-rivals who would give him the final loss of his career on April 2nd, 2022 by a score of 81-77. In between, Mike Kryzewski would coach the Blue Devils to 1,202 wins, 13 ACC regular season championships, 15 ACC tournament championships, 13 Final Fours, and 5 National Championships.

The North Carolina Tar Heels remarkable season continues on. Hubert Davis’s first season has been a roller-coaster. While starting 9-3 through December, the key games against Purdue, Tennessee and Kentucky all ended in losses, the last one to Kentucky by 29 points. The conversation started that UNC might not even make the tournament this year. On February 16th, UNC lost to Pittsburgh to fall to 18-8. The Tar Heels would go on to win the last 5 games of the regular season, including the game at Duke that gave them their big resume victory.

But the Tar Heels did not plan to go quietly. They destroyed Marquette to advance. They would beat #1 Baylor in overtime. They would end UCLA’s attempt to return to the Final Four. They made the clock strike midnight on Cinderella St. Peter’s. And now, they have ended Duke’s season to advance to the championship game.

So, we will have #1 seed Kansas against #8 seed North Carolina for the National Championship on Monday. And with the Tar Heels liking to run, and Kansas not being afraid of that high-paced game, it should be really entertaining! Congratulations to the North Carolina Tar Heels – they will join the Jayhawks Monday night to play for the title!