Duke and North Carolina meet for the first time ever in the NCAA Tournament, facing off in a historic Final Four matchup in New Orleans. Duke enters as a 4-point favorite after splitting their regular season series.

North Carolina, the lowest-seeded team remaining as an 8-seed, advanced through Marquette, Baylor, UCLA, and St. Peter's. The Tar Heels showed resilience in their overtime win against Baylor, overcoming a 25-point collapse and multiple player ejections.

Duke's path included victories over Michigan State, Texas Tech, and Arkansas - all close games where the Blue Devils pulled away late behind Paolo Banchero's leadership. This game holds extra significance as it could be Coach Mike Krzyzewski's final game before retirement.

Keys to Victory:

• North Carolina must limit turnovers (only 5 in their regular season win at Duke)
• Duke needs Banchero to establish rhythm early to set offensive tone
• Mental toughness will be crucial in the rivalry atmosphere
• Duke aims to avenge their home loss in Coach K's final game at Cameron Indoor
• Both teams have proven they can win on the other's home court this season

The winner advances to the national championship game. While Duke seeks a storybook ending for Coach K, North Carolina aims to play spoiler again while pursuing their own title dreams.

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