The Final Four is set, March Madness started off with 64 teams and now comes down to the last four teams. This Saturday, four teams will face each other to determine who will play for the National Championship. First;  Villinova, the number one seed from the South division, will play Kansas, the number two seed in the Midwest division. Then, Duke, the number two seed from the West, will play the University of North Carolina (UNC), the number eight seed from the East. The way the tournament has played out, Duke versus UNC, a rivalry that goes back for decades, face each other. 

  Both Duke and UNC are from North Carolina, and each have a history of having great success in March Madness. This  will only be the second time the two teams have met in the Final Four. This rivalry causes heightened tension between these two opThe Final Four and the Battle of the Blues 

posing sides, especially in the Triangle Area,  since they are both within 30 miles of each other and Millbrook. Tyler Swisher, a longtime UNC fan, says, “There would be nothing sweeter than beating the Duke Blue Devils and UNC going to the National Championship.” Each team wants to win to prove that they are better than the other because in this year’s regular season after playing each other twice in the regular season, they are tied, each winning one of the two games.UNC entered the tournament with many doubting their worthiness of even being in, and with the record against Duke being ties this year they know that there is a chance. This little bit of doubt from fans has given the Tarheels the fuel that they need to make it thus far and could be the motivation they need to beat Duke.   

  Duke’s head coach, Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K), has announced that this season will be his last, after coaching there for 41 seasons. This has given the Blue Devils an edge over the course of March Madness since the players know that it could be Coach K’s last game. Reychel Douglas, a junior who plays varsity basketball, says, “Duke has looked dominant in the playoffs and really looks like they want to win it all for Coach K since it is his last year.” So, the question is who will come out victorious?  The stage is set; both teams have worked all season to reach this point. Each has intrinsic motivations that could help give them an edge over the other. No matter the outcome, it is an accomplishment just to make it this far, but only one can win.