The independent news organization of Duke University
In the endless struggle to establish the better basketball team, a Final Four win is certainly an ace of spades, but there will always be more hands to be played.
For the first time ever, the two will face off in the NCAA tournament, with the elusive date coming in the Final Four. As exciting a matchup Kansas-Villanova will be, it takes a rightful backseat to what is arguably the most anticipated national semifinal ever.
The stakes have never been higher for No. 2-seed Duke and No. 8-seed North Carolina, with the two sides facing off Saturday in the Final Four in New Orleans for the first time in NCAA tournament history. With a spot in the national championship game on the line, here's who our beats predict will come out on top.
It’s finally here: Duke and North Carolina, in the Final Four, for all the marbles. The Blue Zone’s got you covered with some can’t-miss prop bets.
It’s Duke-North Carolina for the third time this season and for the first time in NCAA tournament history. Before the two blue-blood rivals face off in the actual final installment of the Coach K era, the Blue Zone brings a player from each team that can be the difference.
Duke finished in fourth place at the Valspar Collegiate Monday and Tuesday. The three-round competition took place in Palm City, Fla., where 15 competitive programs were invited to tee off as postseason play approaches.
Each March brings a new breakout star for every college basketball team, and for Duke that player has undoubtedly been Jeremy Roach. The only problem is that he isn’t breaking out at all.
The Blue Zone looks back at the top Final Four games of Coach K's tenure.
Chen entered the final round Tuesday just two shots off the pace, but vaulted into the lead with a front-nine 32. Then, birdies on 11 and 18 finished off a pristine bogey-free 66, and made it official. In her 13th try, Chen was a winner at the college level.
Hubert Davis has proved that he is up to the quality of North Carolina’s championship pedigree and can push this rivalry to the ultimate spectacle it’s capable of being. As Scheyer finally receives the baton, he must do the same for Duke.
Though we already know that the Blue Devils have what it takes to score with any of their opponents, this game will be a test of how strong their defense is.
A key member of the Blue Devils’ coaching staff is headed elsewhere.
To this day, defense wins championships. For Duke, a program that cut its teeth as a menacing defensive unit under Krzyzewski, why should it be any different?
The recipients of these tickets were decided by a true lottery—no sleeping outside in the rain, no walk-up line, just pure luck.
Four of Duke's top incoming freshmen, Dereck Lively II, Dariq Whitehead and Mark Mitchell and Ashlon Jackson—competed among the nation’s best at the McDonald's All-American Games, and certainly held their own.
Within a three-day span, Duke, North Carolina, N.C. State and Wake Forest all held their pro days, allowing a convenient half-week trip for NFL representatives to assess potential picks before April’s NFL Draft in Las Vegas.
In San Francisco, the Blue Devils often looked not just like the most talented team in their region, but in the wider NCAA tournament. They were supposed to be on that stage, celebrating that win.
And then there were four.
Six members of Duke United Black Athletes participated in a March 15 panel led by Alexis Joseph, a senior on the women’s lacrosse team and recipient of the 2022 Samuel Dubois Cook Undergraduate Award, to discuss inclusive environments, support for minority athletes and policy changes to improve athletes’ experiences at Duke.
The stage is set for a historic Final Four in New Orleans.