NEW ORLEANS — For a game tabbed "the greatest in college basketball history" and "game of the century" between Duke and North Carolina in Saturday's national semifinal, both blue bloods delivered a March Madness classic that will go down in the record books.
North Carolina seized control of the final two minutes to pull off the 81-77 win to advance to the national title game in the first meeting between the two archrivals in the NCAA Tournament.
"I think it reached a level that you would expect," Krzyzewski said. "Those kids from both teams played their hearts out. I mean, the crowd was standing most of the game, I think. It was a heck of a game. And so it met up to that. It was disjointed, which games like that can be, but I think it met up to that level."
The six defining plays:
Leading 75-74, Love (28 points) drained a dagger three-pointer with 28 seconds left to give North Carolina a decisive four-point lead. He followed it with three free throws in the game's closing seconds and his clutch shot-making deflated any of Duke's hopes to force overtime or offer some type of counter-punch.
Manek missed two big free throws in crunch time. No matter. He was the marksman this team needed from beyond the arc. His three-pointer with 1:44 remaining gave North Carolina a 73-71 lead before Wendell Moore Jr. countered with a three on the ensuing play. In a thrilling final two minutes, it was Manek's momentous triple that drifted the momentum in UNC's favor. Manek finished with 14 points off three triples, all of them energizers for the Tar Heels.
With 44 seconds left and Duke trailing North Carolina 75-74, the Blue Devils had a chance to take the lead for the game's final stretch. Mark Williams was at the line for two free throws and missed both. They proved costly because on the very next play, Love drained a three-pointer that gave the Tar Heels a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
Roach made a crucial steal with seven minutes left and Duke trailing by one. He missed a driving lay-up but his high school teammate, Trevor Keels, was there for clean-up duty with a crucial put-back that helped swing the momentum back in the Blue Devils' favor – albeit temporarily – during a key stretch. Keels came off the bench to play one of his best games with 19 points, including a big-time three-pointer with 2:10 left to give Duke a 71-70 edge.
After starting 0-for-5 from the floor in the first half, Love came out firing in the second half by drilling back-to-back threes and scoring eight quick points to give UNC a 45-41 edge. His clutch shot-making didn't stop, of course, but Love setting the tone rallied his teammates. Coach Hubert Davis said he loves when his players use their emotion and Love was seen pointing into the stands and pounding his chest.
Roach, a breakout star for Duke in this tournament, converted a three-point play to give the Blue Devils a 37-34 cushion at the half. Roach once again made a big-time play to give Duke a major spark in a game of huge momentum swings.
Follow college basketball reporter Scott Gleeson on Twitter @ScottMGleeson .
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UNC-Duke instant classic defined by these six moments
