In a historic first, Duke and North Carolina will meet in the NCAA Tournament Final Four, with Duke entering as a 4-point favorite. The rivals split their regular season series, setting up an epic rubber match in New Orleans.

The 8th-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels have shown incredible resilience, defeating Marquette, Baylor, UCLA, and St. Peter's en route to the Final Four. Their overtime victory against Baylor, where they survived a 25-point collapse and two player ejections, demonstrated their mental toughness.

Duke's path included victories over Michigan State, Texas Tech, and Arkansas. Led by Paolo Banchero, the Blue Devils aim to send Coach Mike Krzyzewski into retirement with a national championship. Duke won by 20 points at North Carolina earlier this season but lost Krzyzewski's final home game to the Tar Heels.

Key Factors:

• Ball control will be crucial for North Carolina, who committed only 5 turnovers in their recent win at Duke
• Duke needs Paolo Banchero to establish rhythm early to avoid pressure mounting about potentially ending Coach K's career against their biggest rival
• The neutral site atmosphere is expected to favor Duke, with fans likely supporting Krzyzewski's final tournament run

This matchup not only features college basketball's greatest rivalry but also carries additional weight as Coach K's potential final game, making it one of the most anticipated Final Four games in tournament history.

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