Dick Vitale will not be in attendance at the Final Four on Saturday, but it did not stop the longtime ESPN analyst from predicting the score of the historic Duke-North Carolina game on Saturday night inside Caesars Superdome.
Vitale tweeted that it was tough in determining the score and choosing between Duke and North Carolina due to the “emotion” involved in his decision. But, college basketball’s most iconic voice believes the clock will strike midnight for North Carolina on Saturday.
“...my VBDI says Duke 83 UNC 77! The goat gets another game to coach!” Vitale tweeted.
Saturday marks the first rendition of the Tobacco Road rivalry between Duke and North Carolina in the NCAA tournament for a spot in Monday’s national championship game. Vitale had called every Duke-UNC game on ESPN for 35 years until 2015.
Vitale’s doctors advised him not to make the trip to New Orleans. However, Vitale tweeted on Thursday that his blood work looked “super,” and he recently shared that his scans showed no more cancer.
He was diagnosed with lymphoma back in October, and had surgery on his vocal cords earlier this year. Because of various tests and procedures, Vitale has not worked a college basketball game since November.
