UNC Ends Saint Peter's Cinderella Run; Will Face Duke in 2022 Men's Final Four

The stage is set for the biggest college basketball rivalry.

The Tar Heels beat the Peacocks 69-47 in the Elite Eight of the NCAA men's basketball tournament on Sunday.

The first time the schools have faced off in the NCAA tournament, Carolina will play Duke. For the Tar Heels, it is an opportunity to once again ruin Mike Krzyzewski's final season with the Blue Duke.

Four mainstays will make up the semifinals of a tournament that has seen a number of unexpected upsets.

Jeff Goodman @GoodmanHoops

Duke, Kansas, Villanova and Cinderella North Carolina.

The Ultimate Blueblood Final Four.

Jeff Borzello @jeffborzello

Duke. North Carolina. Villanova. Kansas.- Four of the last six national titles- Seven of the last 13 national titles- Three of the four winningest programs in history- 61 combined Final Four appearances

- 17 combined national championships

Notable performers.

The F from North Carolina had 20 points, 22 rebouds, one assist, and two blocks.

Brady Manek, F, North Carolina: 19 points, eight rebound, one assist.

Love had 14 points, four rebound, four assists.

The man is from Saint Peter's and he has seven points, two rebound, two assists, and one steal.

North Carolina has an underdog.

In the first half, Bacot only had eight points, but he was the most dominant player in the game. He had five boards on the offensive glass, which was four less than the total for Saint Peter's.

The Peacocks had no answer for the forward inside.

Brady Manek's three-point shooting and the work of the other players were helping to pace the offense.

This was a one-sided game from start to finish as North Carolina showed no mercy toward the sentimental favorite.

Evan Barnes〽️ @evan_b

UNC’s just grown-manning Saint Peter’s. Better athletes, shotmakers, defense….it’s just countdown to midnight for that glass slipper to break.

The Tar Heels did not collapse like they did in their overtime victory over the Bears. They took their foot off the gas midway through the second half, but there was never any doubt about the outcome.

Chris Williamson @CWilliamson44

UNC ain’t score a field goal for 6 minutes and St. Peter’s ain’t take advantage.

The kind of defensive press that the Peacocks deployed is unlikely to be seen by North Carolina in the next round. It's possible that Hubert Davis is a little worried about how much his offense slowed down.

The offense is going up for the Peacocks.

The field- goal percentage was a concern for head coach Shaheen Holloway. In the second round against Murray State, the number fell to 41.5 percent, and in the Sweet 16 against Purdue, it fell to 38.9 percent.

There was only so muchHolloway and his staff could do to scheme around the talent gap.

The Cinderella story entered its final chapter on Sunday when North Carolina scored the first nine points of the game.

Pat Forde @ByPatForde

Saint Peter’s raised the ceiling for what a 15 seed can do. It didn’t remove the ceiling.

The Tar Heels were up 38-19 at halftime.

Mitch Sherman @mitchsherman

Saint Peter’s looks like a team from the MAAC going up against North Carolina.

The most unlikely run in the NCAA men's basketball tournament is not affected by one loss. A few weeks ago, Saint Peter's was a nonentity to most fans. It took just three games for the national consciousness to be awakened.

What he and his players did will be remembered.

What is next?

Duke and North Carolina have met twice this season. After the Tar Heels defeated Coach K in his last game at the stadium, the Blue Devil's will want to exact some revenge.