Big Easy Bound! Duke Beats Arkansas to Reach Coach K’s Record 13th Final Four

SAN FRANCISCO – No. 2-seeded Duke advanced to the 17th Final Four in program history with a 78-69 win over No. 4-seed Arkansas on Saturday night at Chase Center.

The Blue Devils (32-6) used a 10-0 second half run to pull away and send Hall of Fame head coach Mike Krzyzewski to his NCAA-record 13th Final Four, surpassing the legendary John Wooden (12). Duke emerged as champions of the West Region for the first time and will head to New Orleans to take on the winner of North Carolina and Saint Peter’s on Saturday, April 2 at the Caesars Superdome.

After the Razorbacks (28-9) cut the Duke lead to four with 3:14 left in the first half, the Blue Devils closed the period on an 8-0 run, capped by a deep Trevor Keels three-pointer at the buzzer, to go into the break ahead by 12. Arkansas started the second half strong, closing the gap to five with just over 13 minutes left before Duke’s 10-0 spurt shut the door.

Freshman Paolo Banchero scored 16 points with seven rebounds and four assists, earning West Regional Most Outstanding Player honors. Classmate AJ Griffin netted a team-high 18, going 7-of-9 from the floor and 2-of-3 from behind the arc, while sophomore Mark Williams registered a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double. Ten of Williams’ points came in the opening half to help Duke establish an early lead.

Junior Wendell Moore Jr., playing in his first career Elite Eight, also scored in double figures with 14 points while helping Duke hold Arkansas’ high-scoring guard, JD Notae, to 5-of-14 from the floor.

The Blue Devils maintained a double-digit lead from the 11:29 mark of the second half all the way until the final minute, never letting Arkansas make a lengthy run.

Duke’s 17 Final Four appearances tie Kentucky for third most all-time. The Blue Devils punched their ticket to the Final Four for the first time since the 2015 National Championship run.

Duke’s national semifinal game on Saturday, April 2 will air on TBS. Tipoff time has yet to be announced.