UNC vs Duke: Live observations from Final Four game, winner will face Kansas for title

Duke and North Carolina are at Caesars Superdome, set to play for a third time this season.

The winner of the NCAA tournament semifinal game, which is scheduled to begin just before 9 p.m. ET on TBS, will face Kansas Monday in the national championship game here. The Jayhawks beat Villanova, 81-65, in the first Final Four game of the night.

The News and Observer has seven journalists on site at Caesars Superdome, including Luke DeCock, Andrew Carter, C.L. Brown and Steve Wiseman. They will have live observations from the scene at the arena.

Duke-UNC updates

UNC wins: Duke’s oldest and fiercest rival ended Mike Krzyzewski’s run as Blue Devils coach in a thrilling game that matched all the intensity Krzyzewski brought to the Duke-UNC rivalry over the last 42 seasons.

In a game that saw 18 lead changes and 12 ties, Caleb Love scored UNC’s final eight points over the last 24.8 seconds and the Tar Heels beat Duke 81-77 in an NCAA tournament national semifinal game at the Superdome Saturday night.

Bacot fouls out: UNC forward Armando Bacot fouled out with 46 seconds remaining in the game. Bacot finishes with 11 points and 21 rebounds in 33 minutes.

Rebound record: Bacot pulled down his 21st rebound, which tied former Kansas forward Nick Collison, who grabbed 21 in the same building in 2003.

Bacot injured: UNC forward Armando Bacot appeared to roll his ankle with 5:18 remaining in the game. Bacot stepped on the foot of teammate Leaky Black under the Duke basket. Bacot fell to the floor behind the basket and laid on the floor before being helped off by teammates. At the time of the injury the game was tied at 65. Bacot had 11 points and 19 rebounds. Before he reached the bench, Bacot was able to walk without help from teammates. Moments later, Bacot jogged off to the locker room area. The ankle injury wasn’t series as Bacot checked back in at the 4:36 mark.

Karl honored at halftime: UNC alumnus George Karl was among the Naismith Hall of Fame class of 2022 inductees recognized at halftime. Karl, who played for the Tar Heels from 1970-73, coached in the NBA for 27 seasons most notably led the Seattle Supersonics to the 1996 NBA Finals.

Duke 37, UNC 34 (Halftime): Jeremy Roach converted a three-point play to end the half as Duke took a three-point lead at the half. The Blue Devils led by as many as six in the first half. The Tar Heels closed the gap, getting consecutive baskets from Caleb Love and Brady Manek. Duke forward Mark Williams got off to a hot start (4 points, 2-2 shooting) but quickly picked up a second foul. Williams only played five minutes in the first half. UNC guard R.J. Davis led all scorers with 14 points in the first half. Davis shot 5-7 from the field. The rest of the Tar Heels were 5-27. the Tar Heels shot 35.3% (12 of 34) from the field while making just 3 of 13 3-pointers (23.1%). Duke also struggled from behind the arc, hitting only 2 of 12 3-pointers (16.7%).

Duke scored the majority of its first-half points in the paint, tallying 26 of them.UNC led by five points early in the half before Duke’s interior scoring allowed it to push in front. Trevor Keels’ basket in the lane at 8:29 gave the Blue Devils a 21-18 lead. Jeremy Roach added a free throw and when Wendell Moore hit a reverse layup, Duke led 24-18 with 7:30 left in the half.The Tar Heels scored the game’s next six points on a Leaky Black tip-in and two free throws each from RJ Davis and Armando Bacot, to tie the game at 24 with 5:17 left until halftime.

Duke foul trouble III: With Mark Williams in foul trouble after picking up two early, Duke let Theo John occupy the post for most of the rest of the first half ... until he picked up his fourth foul with 3:54 to play in the half. At that point John had six points and four fouls, as the Duke students might chant at an opponent. Duke went with its so-called ball-handling lineup after that, with Paolo Banchero in the post.

Roy Cooper in the Dome. Governor Roy Cooper made it to New Orleans and had a prime seat in the third row across from the North Carolina bench. Cooper, famously, has never witnessed his alma mater win a Final Four game.

More foul trouble for Duke. (Duke 28, UNC 26; 3:54 1H) Theo John picked up his fourth foul with 3:54 remaining in the first half. That’s four on him, two on starter Mark Williams. Despite John picking up foul No. 3 with just over 5 minutes until halftime, Duke left him in there rather than play small ball. UNC’s Armando Bacot has started to pick on John inside.

Early foul trouble for Duke. (Duke 21, UNC 18. 7:51 first half) Less than 5 minutes into the game, Blue Devil big man Mark Williams picked up his second foul and had to sit. He had 4 points (including a monster dunk) and a rebound before exiting the game and being replaced by Theo John. John has played well in his stead with 4 points, 3 rebounds and an assist. Despite Duke being without its starting center, UNC hasn’t tried to work inside much, instead relying on outside shooting by RJ Davis; he has 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.

Energy, tension are palpable (UNC 13, Duke 13; 11:12 1H): Has felt so far as though every possession has taken place in the final minute of a one-possession game. That sort of energy and tension to all this.

Slower start for Duke, UNC (Duke 4, UNC 3; 15:38 1H): Teams are a combined 3-for-14. Perhaps some time needed to settle down here, which ... would be understandable.

Pregame: Jim Phillips told staffers from UNC and Duke that he’d take this in from behind one team’s bench during the first half and from behind the other during the second.

Pregame reading

• How a week in March helped Duke reach Final Four in Coach K’s last NCAA tournament run
• UNC’s journey to Final Four was as much about revolution as it was evolution
• Hubert Davis and the ultimate call-up, from UNC’s JV coach to leading Heels to Final Four
• UNC turned Duke’s ‘magical’ sendoff for Coach K sour. Blue Devils aim to reverse that
• As UNC meets Duke in Final Four, former Tar Heels reflect on Dean Smith’s first title
• Duke and UNC took different paths to Final Four, but they were both missing same thing
• I snuck into a Duke-UNC game in 1999. A beige door changed my life, led me to Final Four
• Why the Duke-UNC Final Four game is North Carolina’s biggest sporting event ever
• How Sean May’s influence is helping Armando Bacot have special season for UNC
• Bunkers, dread and drinking: The unspeakable anxiety of Duke-UNC in the Final Four
• Amid coaching transitions, Duke-UNC Final Four meeting could change rivalry forever
• Duke-UNC Final Four debate, what Gov. Roy Cooper in New Orleans could mean and picks
• How Duke matches up against UNC ahead of Final Four meeting
• How UNC matches up against Duke ahead of Final Four game
• Ahead of Final Four game with UNC, Duke’s Coach K ‘frustrated’ with NCAA policies
• Duke, UNC arrive in New Orleans and Final Four party begins ahead of historic meeting

This story was originally published April 2, 2022 at 5:27 PM with the headline "UNC vs Duke: Live observations from Final Four game, winner will face Kansas for title."