Love's late 3 gives storybook end to dramatic Duke-UNC Final Four clash

By Ryan Bisesi, WRAL multiplatform producer

North Carolina Tar Heels	81
9Duke Blue Devils	77
Final

New Orleans — Duke-UNC Round 3 was an instant classic. There were 18 lead changes and the game boasted a rare intensity and energy that never faltered from the opening tip. There was not much more you could ask for.

Missed free throws for Duke and a clutch trey from Caleb Love was the difference in the last two minutes. UNC's guards came up huge in the second half. Manek and Davis also hit big 3s. The Tar Heels hit seven 3s in the second half after only hitting three in the first half.

Love scored 28 points to lead all scorers.

"It just happened to be in my hands," Love said of the deciding play. "Coach puts in the ball in me or R.J.'s hands and tell us to make a play. We've been doing that all season."

A hectic stretch defined the game better than any - Trevor Keels hit a 3, Brady Manek followed with a 3, than Wendell Moore Jr. got the ball from a Paolo Banchero tip-out for a step-back 3 to put Duke up 74-73 with 1:18 left.

Davis was fouled on a drive on the ensuing possession, hitting two foul shots to give UNC the lead for keeps. Williams then drew a foul on Bacot, which was his fifth. The ACC Defensive Player of the year then missed both free throws as UNC stayed ahead. Love's shot came seconds later.

UNC now goes on to face Kansas in the championship game on Monday night.

"This is a special moment for them, this is a special moment for our program," said UNC coach Hubert Davis.

For Duke, Keels was 8-for-14 from the field. Moore, Griffin and Roach were a combined 7-for-32 and the Blue Devils had to navigate early foul trouble from Williams. Duke attempted 22 three-pointers, hitting just five.

Bacot tweaked his ankle late, but Hubert Davis said he would play on Monday.

"I can read that page, he's going to play," Davis said.

Banchero scored 20 points to lead Duke.

“I had a locker room full of guys crying," said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski after his final game as a coach. "It’s a sight I really respect, It makes me understand just how good this group was.”

UNC owned a 50-41 rebounding advantage.

FINAL: UNC 81, DUKE 77

:07 - Love hits two free throws to put it out of reach.

:10 -Trevor Keels hits one free throw and misses the second. UNC in position to win.

:21 - Love with a massive three as he takes advantage of Williams switching out onto the perimeter to put UNC up four. Mark Williams missed two big free throws earlier.

1:18 - Moore and Manek trade threes and Duke is up 74-73. We're in for an epic finish.

3:06 - Love attacks Williams and gets a huge layup to give UNC the lead again. Manek gets fouled on the rebound attempt and hits one. UNC up 70-68.

3:32 - Bacot is called for his fourth foul on a shot attempt by Banchero. He's going to the line for two. Still tied at 67. John and Williams have four fouls for Duke. Williams is back in.

4:55 - Bacot is going back in after Puff Johnson draws a foul. Johnson hits both free throws to tie the score at 67.

5:18 - Bacot is down and appears to be banged up. We're tied at 65 after Duke draws a foul. Bacot is being helped off the court by teammates and is limping around on the sideline. This is UNC's first substation of the half.

7:17 - Banchero with another drive and a big block at the other end. Roach gets fouled and hits 2 free throws. Back-and-forth we go.

7:44 - Banchero draws another foul on Manek. The Tar Heels have the momentum and have had better success shooting the 3 in the second half. Duke just 3 of 15 from beyond the arc.

9:30 - Love with a big layup and UNC with another spurt.

10:31 - Williams picks up his fourth foul on a 3-point-play. That could be huge. UNC up 58-55.

10:50 - After a Manek corner 3, Banchero outmaneuvers Manek in the paint and we're tied at 55. UNC is finding its stroke from deep, while Duke is finding success dumping it inside to Banchero.

12:24 - Moore with another steal and layup to give Duke the lead back. A 10-2 run for Duke. Davis hits another 3 and UNC back up. That's the 10th lead change.

14:20 - Williams picks up his third foul for Duke on a rebound. Moore gets a steal and draws a foul on Manek on the floor. UNC with four fouls already in the second half.

14:53 - Banchero draws a foul on Manek on a drive to the hoop. Duke stretched its lead to seven before UNC scored 13 straight points.

15:58 - Love with a big layup in transition and Keels hits a 3 to curb the UNC momentum. 47-44. Love now has 16 points.

16:21 - UNC gets on an 11-0 run guided by a Manek trey and Love layup and the Heels have their largest lead at 45-41. In the last meeting, UNC used a strong second half to pull away and they're starting out hot in the first four minutes as Duke calls timeout.

17:25 - Love hits a big 3 to get the UNC fans going.

19:07 - Bacot gets his third foul as Williams draws a charge on a consequential call. Banchero drives and dunks it for a 41-34 lead.

19:30 - Williams starts the second half for Duke and gets a dunk on the first possession.

HALF - Duke 37, UNC 34

:3 - Roach with a huge three-point play to end the half. The Blue Devils lead 37-34. Williams only played just over four minutes for Duke after picking up two fouls.

Both teams are really struggling from three-point land (UNC 3-13, Duke 2-12). Davis is picking up UNC with 14 points to lead all scorers. Banchero has 10 to lead Duke. The Blue Devils led by six at two different points, but UNC has responded each time.

UNC hasn't been able to take advantage of Williams' foul trouble. Bacot and Manek are a combined 2-for-10. The Tar Heels are outrebounding Duke 25-22.

:26 - Manek challenges Moore on the drive and gets his first field goal to tie the game. Duke will get the last possession of the half.

:51 - UNC forces a turnover and Love drives down the floor for layup. Duke calls timeout as its lead dwindles to 2.

1:30 - Love with a drive to the hoop pulls UNC within 3. Banchero hits a trey and its 34-28 Duke.

2:36 - Duke is 1-for-10 from beyond the arc. Moore draws a foul and hits a free throw for a 31-26 edge.

3:54 - John picks up his fourth foul and Duke has a decision to make with both big men in foul trouble well before halftime. Blue Devils lead 28-26. Bacot misses the 1-and-1 and John goes to the bench. Duke going small with Williams and John out.

5:32 - Duke is now 1-for-7 from 3 as both teams are struggling to find their shot. John picks up his third foul after Bacot grabs a rebound. Bacot hits two foul shots and we're tied at 24.

6:07 - UNC is 3-for-11 from 3 to start the game. Davis drives and draws John's second foul. He'll shoot two free throws.

7:55- Duke has 10 points off the bench from Keels and John. A Keels layup puts Duke up 21-18. Bacot has only attempted two shots from the field so far. Davis is 4-of-5 with 10 points to lead all scorers. Duke is scoring most of its points in the paint.

9:35 - Davis hits a runner, Banchero answers with a fast break slam. Duke up 17-16. Seven lead changes so far.

11:12 - Griffin with a drive to the hoop and we're tied at 13. Williams still on the bench with two fouls. Love off to a tough start for UNC, missing his first four shots. Both teams have 10 rebounds each.

11:50 - Theo Jon with a dunk and Banchero hits his first shot on a 3 to give Duke an 11-10 lead. RJ Davis answers with a trey for UNC.

13:15 - Banchero goes at Manek and draws UNC's first foul. UNC up 10-6.

15:02 - Brady Manek hits two free throws. Trevor Keels comes in for Duke.

15:19 - Williams picks up his second foul and heads to the bench. Big opportunity for UNC here.

15:38 - Mark Williams whistled for a foul on the rebound. Duke leads 4-3 at the first TV timeout. Duke has three fouls to UNC's none. Williams has two slams for Duke. The teams are a combined 3-for-14 from the field so far.

18:00 - Leaky Black with a 3 for UNC to start the scoring. Mark Williams answers with a dunk for Duke.

18:35 - Paolo Banchero misses his first two shots for Duke, Wendell Moore Jr. whistled for the game's first foul.

Pregame:

Four NCAA Tournament wins brought both Duke and UNC to New Orleans for the first tournament meeting in 257 games facing each other.

This will be the final time Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski faces the Tar Heels. He's 50-47 all-time against UNC.

UNC is making its 21st Final Four appearance. Duke has reached 17 Final Fours. The Tar Heels lead the all-time series with a 142-115 advantage. The team split the head-to-head matchups during the regular season with Duke winning in Chapel Hill 87-67 and UNC taking the rematch in Durham 94-81.

UNC has won 16 of its last 19 games in a resurgence after the season's midpoint. The Tar Heels survived a classic overtime game with Baylor and made clutch plays late against UCLA in two momentous tournament victories.

After disappointing losses to UNC in the season finale and Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament, Duke has rebounded. The Blue Devils won close games against Michigan State and Texas Tech before outlasting Arkansas.

The winner will take on Kansas, who beat Villanova 81-65 in the early game.

Here's tonight's starting lineups, which feature no surprises.

UNC

• Leaky Black
• Caleb Love
• RJ Davis
• Armando Bacot
• Brady Manek

Duke

• Wendell Moore Jr.
• Jeremy Roach
• Paolo Banchero
• Mark Williams
• AJ Griffin

Roger Ayers, Bo Boroski and Tony Padilla are the officials. The game is expected to tip-off on time at 8:49 p.m.