This past Saturday, April 2nd, New Orleans hosted one of the greatest games in Final Four history. College basketball’s biggest rivals, Duke and the University of North Carolina faced off to see who would advance to the NCAA Championship. Not only was this a semi-final game, but it was Duke’s head coach, Mike Krzyzewski’s last game, as the Tar Heels came out on top.

Senior Sarah Park, a die-hard Duke fan says, “I can’t believe it was Coach K’s last game. He’s done so much for the program and I’m not ready to see him retire yet. I just wish he could’ve ended with a win.”

This game was hyped up by many sports fans all over the country, and sitting in the Ceaser Dome, you could really feel the excitement. Fans were crazy loud, cheering for both sides. Senior Julie Jenkins says “Watching on the tv, you could really see how hyped up everyone was, and I guess for some die-hard fans, a little nervous too.”

Ticket prices had increased over 50% from the last pre-pandemic Final Four. Nosebleed seats rose to over $740!! If you wanted to sit courtside, you better of had $32,825 ready to fork up. Hotel prices near the dome even rose up to over $470 a night!

The game included 18-lead changes and definitely lead up to the hype if not exceeding it. Caleb Love, a 6’4 point guard for the Tar Heels, scored 28 of the team’s 81 points. RJ Davis and Brady Manek also came to play, scoring 32 points together.

Although, Bacot’s injury, in a 65-all game with 5:18 game remaining, was not enough for Duke to take the lead. Paolo Banchero, Duke’s star guard, didn’t score in the final seven minutes, Mark Williams had foul trouble and missed two free throws with 47 seconds left.

Although the Tar Heel’s post-game celebrations did not last long. After advancing to the Chip on April 4th, the team lost to Kansas University.