The NCAA Tournament is down to only four teams. The North Carolina Tar Heels, the Duke Blue Devils, the Villanova Wildcats, and the Kansas Jayhawks. There is no question these four teams are the best remaining, and it could go down as one of the greatest Final Four’s ever. 

Duke vs. North Carolina

A third matchup. No one can imagine a Final Four game quite like this. And it’s quite ironic that Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski) has to go through the Duke Blue Devils’ bitter rival in North Carolina.

Legendary Coach K announced before the season that it will be his last, after coaching at Duke for 42 years. Coach K was set to play his final regular season home game against none other than North Carolina. Duke students had to camp out for a month in tents just to get a ticket to the game. The cheapest ticket cost $3,000.  

In that game, North Carolina blew out Duke, 74-46. Players after the game felt like they let Coach K down, and that the season was over. They took that defeat and determination into the tournament, won four games, and now what stands in their way for coach’s sixth National Title is North Carolina. You couldn’t script it any better.

North Carolina is led by first year head coach Hubert Davis. He took over for another legendary coach in Roy WIlliams. It wasn’t a normal North Carolina season. At one point a lot of people were talking about North Carolina not even making the tournament. They finished with a record of 24-9, and earned an 8-seed. The first game, they blew out Marquette, then pulled off a stunning upset over 1-seeded Baylor. From there, they beat 4-seeded UCLA, and 15-seeded St. Peter’s to reach the final four.

Duke has a very talented roster. They are led by star freshman Paolo Banchero, who averages 17.1 points per game. A player that’s made an impact out of nowhere has been Duke guard Jeremy Roach. He scored 15 points off the bench against Texas Tech, and 9 against Arkansas. We can’t forget about Duke big man Mark Williams, who is a freak down low. He averages 7 rebounds per game and 11 points per game. 

Looking at North Carolina’s roster, the Heels’ center Armando Bacot will match up with Duke’s Williams. Bacot averages 16.5 points and 12 rebounds per game. Safe to say it will be an interesting matchup down low. Duke will have to look out for R.J Davis who averages 13.4 points per game and has been on fire lately. 

This game should go down as one of the all time greats. However, I don’t think Coach K can end his career losing to his biggest rival. I think Duke beats North Carolina 78-74 in a close one. 

Kansas vs. Villanova

Speaking of legendary coaches, two will match up in this game as well. One of them is Kansas coach Bill Self. He’s never missed the tournament as the head coach of Kansas. However, over the years the Jayhawks have been known for choking when it comes to winning in the tournament. He led Kansas to a national championship in 2008. SInce then, he lost in the championship to Kentucky in 2012, and lost in the Final Four to none other than Villanova. That was followed by losses in the Elite 8, Sweet 16, round of 32, and round of 64. 

Bill Self has the chance to change the narrative. He’s got a solid all-around team and is definitely capable of winning this thing. 

Villanova, on the other hand, has been successful when reaching the Final Four. The last two times they made it, they won the whole thing in both 2016 and 2018. Villanova entered the tournament as a 2-seed. To get here, they defeated Delaware, Ohio State, Michigan, and Houston. 

Kansas is led by one of the best guards in the country in Ochai Agbaji, who averages 18.9 points a game. Villanova will have to contain him in order to win. Kansas also has big man David Mckormic down low and Remi Martin at point guard, who can also make a lot of noise for the Jayhawks. 

Villanova is led by senior point guard Collin Gillispee, who averages 15.6 points per game. He really gets the motor running for Villanova’s offense. ‘Nova’s other leading scorers include guard Justin Moore who averages 14.8 points a game and Jermaine Samuels with 11.1 a game. 

This should be a close game. I think Kansas is the better team, but I like Villanova’s experience. I do think Kansas will win the game, 71-66. 

This has the chance to be one of the greatest Final Four’s we’ve ever seen. It should be a good one!