No. 1. 2022 Final Four (UNC 81, Duke 77) — If there were ever a single game that could stand above all others in the most heated rivalry in college basketball, this was it. The North Carolina–Duke rivalry has produced unforgettable moments for more than a century, but nothing — absolutely nothing — compares to what happened on April 2, 2022, in New Orleans. This wasn’t just another classic. This was the game that rewrote the rivalry’s history.
For decades, fans on both sides quietly agreed on one thing: North Carolina and Duke should never meet in the NCAA Tournament. The regular season was painful enough. The ACC Tournament already felt like playing with fire. March Madness, though? That was sacred ground — too risky, too emotional, too final. A tournament loss would live forever, etched into banners, highlight reels, and trash talk until the end of time.
Then fate ignored tradition.
When the Tar Heels and Blue Devils collided in the Final Four — the first NCAA Tournament meeting between the programs — the stakes were impossibly high. It wasn’t just a trip to the national championship on the line. It was legacy. Bragging rights. History. And hovering over it all was one unavoidable truth: this was the final game of legendary Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s career.
That detail alone made the moment seismic.
Duke entered the game loaded with talent and expectation, carrying the weight of a storybook ending for Coach K. North Carolina, meanwhile, arrived with something to prove. Hubert Davis, in his first season as head coach, had already silenced critics by leading the Heels on a stunning late-season surge. But this? This was the ultimate test — against their greatest rival, on the sport’s biggest stage.
From the opening tip, the game felt different. Tense. Electric. Every possession carried the energy of a championship and the bitterness of a rivalry. North Carolina played with fearless confidence, refusing to shrink under the spotlight or the emotion of the moment. Duke threw its best punches, but the Heels answered every time.
Caleb Love delivered the performance of his life, pouring in 28 points and repeatedly breaking Duke’s defense when it mattered most. His deep threes and fearless drives weren’t just baskets — they were statements. Armando Bacot battled inside despite a painful ankle injury, providing toughness and leadership when UNC needed it most. Brady Manek, Leaky Black, and the rest of the rotation embraced the moment, playing with poise beyond their years.
Down the stretch, the tension was unbearable. Every free throw felt like it could decide the rivalry itself. When Love knocked down a dagger three in the final minutes, the air shifted. Duke pushed back, but North Carolina never flinched. When the final buzzer sounded on an 81–77 victory, the impossible became reality.
North Carolina hadn’t just beaten Duke.
They had ended Coach K’s career.
They had won the rivalry’s first and only NCAA Tournament meeting.
They had done it in the Final Four.
The magnitude of that moment cannot be overstated. For UNC fans, it was pure basketball nirvana — a once-in-a-lifetime convergence of victory, validation, and vengeance. For Duke fans, it was heartbreak of the highest order, a loss that will forever sting no matter how many banners hang in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Historically, this game reshaped the rivalry. Any future debate about “the biggest win” now has a clear answer. Regular-season classics, ACC Tournament thrillers, even national championship runs — none carry the same emotional and historical weight as knocking out your archrival on college basketball’s grandest stage.
Beyond the rivalry, the game cemented Hubert Davis as more than just a successor. He became the coach who led North Carolina into uncharted territory and emerged victorious. It validated the resilience of a team that refused to be defined by early-season struggles. And it delivered one of the most dramatic chapters in NCAA Tournament history.
Years from now, fans will still talk about where they were when UNC beat Duke in the Final Four. They’ll remember the shots, the stops, the tears, and the disbelief. Rivalries thrive on moments — and this was the moment that changed everything.
Among all of North Carolina’s greatest wins against Duke, past and future, one truth is undeniable:
