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

The 8th-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels reached the Final Four by defeating Marquette, Baylor, UCLA, and St. Peter's. They showed resilience in their overtime win against Baylor, overcoming a 25-point collapse and two player ejections. Coach Hubert Davis' team will need similar mental toughness playing their rival in a football stadium environment.

Duke's path included victories over Michigan State, Texas Tech, and Arkansas - all close games where the Blue Devils pulled away late with strong defense and offensive weapons. Led by Paolo Banchero, they aim to send Coach Mike Krzyzewski into retirement with a championship. While North Carolina spoiled Coach K's final home game, Duke won their road matchup by 20 points earlier this season.

Key Factors:

• Ball control is crucial for North Carolina, who had only 5 turnovers in their recent win at Duke
• Duke needs Paolo Banchero to establish an early rhythm to avoid pressure of potentially ending Coach K's career with a rivalry loss
• The neutral site crowd is expected to favor Krzyzewski and Duke

The winner advances to the national championship game, adding another chapter to college basketball's greatest rivalry.

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