PHILADELPHIA – America’s favorite underdog, Saint Peter’s, shouldn’t feel all that bad.
The University of North Carolina men’s basketball program has crushed lots of hoop dreams over the decades.
The Tar Heels ended all hope of a March Madness miracle in the early going Sunday, getting 20 points and 22 rebounds from Armando Bacot in a wire-to-wire 69-49 runaway win over 15th-seeded Saint Peter’s in the East Regional final of the NCAA tournament.
Eighth-seeded UNC (28-9) made its record 21st Final Four, and this one will be a scene like no other. Next Saturday in New Orleans, it’s the Heels versus archrival Duke and its retiring coach, Mike Krzyzewski. Three short weeks ago, the Heels fractured a different sort of fairy tale – Coach K’s final home game – in a 94-81 beatdown of the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
“We want Duke! We want Duke! We want Duke!” UNC fans shouted as the team cut down the nets in Philly, the same city where the Heels won the East back in 2016.