Davis, Krzyzewski Making History, Love, Griffin Among Key Variables in Heels-Devils Final Four Matchup
By David Glenn
Well, it’s finally here.
After more than 100 years of head-to-head competition, after 257 face-to-face matchups, North Carolina and Duke finally will play each other in an NCAA Tournament game.
Mike Krzyzewski, the winningest coach in college basketball history, is two wins away from the ultimate “mic drop.” That would require eliminating his most intense rival in the Final Four tonight, then capturing a sixth national championship on Monday, to put eternal exclamation points on both his final season and his 47-year Hall of Fame coaching career.
There are examples of this fantastic championship finale feat among famous head coaches in various American sports, including college hoops (UCLA’s John Wooden), college football (Nebraska’s Tom Osborne), the NBA (Red Auerbach, Boston Celtics), the NFL (Bill Walsh, San Francisco 49ers) and the NHL (Scotty Bowman, Detroit Red Wings) — but it’s not a long list.
Hubert Davis, the first-year head coach of the Tar Heels, has been writing a sensational script of his own. Already the author of one of the two greatest runs by a rookie coach in NCAA Tournament history, he could join Michigan’s Steve Fisher (1989) as the only men to end their rookie campaign with an NCAA title.
For perspective on that possibility, keep in mind that the man with the most NCAA titles, UCLA’s John Wooden (10), didn’t win his first until his 18th season as a head coach, his 16th with the Bruins. Krzyzewski, next on the list with five national championships, didn’t win his first until his 16th season as a head coach, his 11th with the Blue Devils. Legendary UNC coaches Dean Smith and Roy Williams captured their initial NCAA titles in their 21st and 17th seasons as a head coach, respectively, although Williams was in just his second year with the Tar Heels.
As always, looking forward to tonight’s Kansas-Villanova and Duke-UNC matchups in New Orleans, the young men on the court will determine the outcomes to a much greater degree than the older men on the sidelines.
Two guards, in particular, stand out as potentially scintillating but fundamentally unpredictable variables in the Carolina-Duke nightcap.
UNC sophomore Caleb Love has not been the Tar Heels’ best player this season (that’s clearly junior center Armando Bacot), but he’s often been their most important player. In fact, when Love has scored 20 or more points this season, as he did in Carolina’s wins last month at Duke and against Marquette and UCLA in the NCAA Tournament, the Heels are 12-0.
“One of the things I love about Caleb is his confidence,” Davis said. “He always wants to make big-time plays.”
In UNC’s 87-67 loss to the Blue Devils on Feb. 5, Love played poorly and sometimes recklessly, with only eight points (on 3-of-10 shooting) and four turnovers. Even during Carolina’s 94-81 victory in Durham, when 12 of his 22 points came on free throws, Love was only 4-of-17 from the field, although he had five assists and only one turnover.
A dramatically improved 3-point marksman, from 27% as a freshman to 37% this season, Love’s fearless mindset now is capable of either shooting the Tar Heels into a big victory (6-for-13 on threes twice recently, vs. both Marquette and UCLA) or contributing to an ugly defeat (2-for-10 on threes vs. Virginia Tech at the ACC Tournament, 1-for-6 in the home loss to Pitt).
Given Caleb’s last name, headline writers likely are teeming with anticipation. If he’s at the center of another big Carolina victory, take your pick: All You Need Is Love (Beatles), Best Of My Love (Eagles), Cradle Of Love (Billy Idol), Feel Your Love Tonight or Love Walks In (Van Halen), Love Shack (B-52s), Love Is My Religion (Ziggy Marley), Tunnel Of Love (Bruce Springsteen), Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin), etc. If he’s 2-for-10 and UNC is eliminated, of course, there may be a Love Hurts (Nazareth) mention or more pejorative musical references in some circles.
Similarly, Duke guard/forward AJ Griffin can be awesome or, in his case, nearly invisible.
During Duke’s dominating victory in Chapel Hill, he may have been the best player on the floor. A likely NBA lottery pick as a 6-6 sharpshooter, Griffin shot 11-of-17 from the field, including 3-of-6 from long range, on his way to 27 points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal.
In the return match in Durham, thanks in large part to the sticky defense of UNC’s Leaky Black, Griffin had only five points on 2-of-5 shooting despite playing 34 minutes. A week later, he missed all but one of his eight 3-point attempts as Duke fell 82-67 to Virginia Tech in the ACC championship game.
Because Duke is the most efficient (according to KenPom.com) offensive team in the entire country, and because the Blue Devils’ top six players all are legitimate scoring threats, the Devils have a chance to win even when Griffin isn’t at his best. He had only seven and 11 points, respectively, in Duke’s recent NCAA victories over Michigan State and Texas Tech.
UNC did beat #1 seed Baylor just two weeks ago without a huge contribution from Love, who had only five points and two assists before fouling out against the Bears, but that may be the only example this season of Carolina posting a big victory without a lot of his help.
On March 1 of this year, New Orleans hosted Mardi Gras, a famous annual carnival overflowing with parades, elaborately decorated and colorful floats, marching bands, street dancers, artistic performances, feathered outfits, colored beads and other outrageous fun.
About a month later, the same city is hosting the Final Four, college basketball’s version of Mardi Gras, with Carolina and Duke as two of the four featured performers. Tonight’s late-night loser, and its fanbase, likely will feel a wicked hangover for some time. The winner will have the greatest victory in the history of one of America’s greatest sports rivalries, plus a shot at a more universal version of immortality on Monday night.
May the best team win.
Next Time: More College Basketball!
(featured image by Todd Melet)
David Glenn (DavidGlennShow.com, @DavidGlennShow) is an award-winning author, broadcaster, editor, entrepreneur, publisher, speaker, writer and university lecturer (now at UNC Wilmington) who has covered sports in North Carolina since 1987.
The founding editor and long-time owner of the ACC Sports Journal and ACCSports.com, he also has contributed to the Durham Herald-Sun, ESPN Radio, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Raycom Sports, SiriusXM and most recently The Athletic. From 1999-2020, he also hosted the David Glenn Show, which became the largest sports radio program in the history of the Carolinas, syndicated in more than 300 North Carolina cities and towns, plus parts of South Carolina and Virginia.
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