3 reasons Duke will beat UNC in Final Four

There will be no denying what is rightfully theirs, as the Duke Blue Devils will beat the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Final Four to advance to the national championship game on Saturday.

In a game that will absolutely decided by most horrendous officiating, the Duke Blue Devils will make sure Mike Krzyzewski’s coaching career does not end to the hated North Carolina Tar Heels in the Final Four.

These bitter ACC rivals will meet one more time this season with pretty much all the marbles on the line. This is truly win-or-go-home, as the loser will cry on the long plane ride back to Tobacco Road, while the winner will have to either wrangle some Wildcats or Rock Chalk some Jayhawks. Unfortunately, the stars are aligning for Duke to be the one to advance to the championship game.

Here are three reasons why the Blue Devils will be the ones playing for it all on Monday night.

March Madness: Why Duke will beat UNC in the Final Four

3. Duke has had one more day of rest and time to prepare for North Carolina

The Blue Devils got to cut down the nights one night sooner in San Francisco than did North Carolina in Philadelphia. After slaughtering the Hogs, it allowed Coach K and the boys to recover and crank some tape on those blasted Tar Heels one more time. It would have been a cool story for the Saint Peter’s Peacocks to keep on dancing, but the clock struck midnight on Cinderella.

Not only that, but Duke had a more worthy adversary in the Elite Eight than did UNC. Arkansas has been one of the better programs in the country in recent years under Eric Musselman. As for Saint Peter’s, it was a cool story, Hansel. Hubert Davis may have been all tears after UNC made it to the Final Four, but Coach K has Roy Williams’ protege right where he wants him. Duke is so in control.

2. Duke has the best player in this game in freshman phenom Paolo Banchero

For as much as Brady Manek is the Tar Heels’ star player and on-court spirit animal, he will be no match for the freshman phenom that is Duke’s Paolo Banchero. Manek may be approaching rent-a-car territory, but it will be Banchero who will get to place an awkward flat-brimmed ball cap atop his noggin as a certain lottery pick in the 2022 NBA Draft once he absolutely goes one-and-done.

Though the zebras could totally give Manek a flagrant two right out of the gate because the fix is in for Duke, Banchero will be the player who the Blue Devils will lean on in crunch time to eke out a narrow and most controversial Final Four victory over North Carolina Saturday. Not to say he will be tripping anybody like Grayson Allen, but Duke’s trip to the Final Four will be a worthwhile one.

1. The spiteful basketball gods have already decided this is a team of destiny

In case you have not already figured it out, we are living in a simulation. Those spiteful basketball gods from above have simulated this game trillions of times so that Coach K will be playing North Carolina in the FInal Four against a rookie head coach in what will be his final run in the NCAA Tournament. Not only that, but North Carolina had to play spoiler in the Durham finale as well.

There may be runs where it looks like North Carolina will take over, but Duke will totally make 11 3-pointers in a row to help win this game and to always stay in control. It will be cruel and unusual punishment for Tar Heel fans watching this game. The only saving grace will be Bill Self and his Lawrence Mules on Monday night. Jay Wright’s four-man rotation is the epitome of an empty tank.

Not saying to go bet your 401k on the Dookies, but you would be a Basket Case not to do so here.

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