BROOKLYN– This is the Duke team we waited all year to watch, the gifted collection of stars who were selected No. 1 in the pre-season AP poll, the finally healthy team that is good enough to challenge anyone in the NCAA tournament.

The Blue Devils showed they will be a dangerous factor in the big dance over the past two days, rallying from a 12 point deficit with 13:07 remaining to defeat Louisville, 81-77, in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament here Friday night and then re-charging their batteries once again after giving up 49 to Carolina in the first half to surge back from a 13 point deficit with 13:40 left to defeat the fifth ranked Tar Heels, 90-80, in the semis before a sellout crowd at Barclays Center.

Fourteen-ranked Duke (26-8), who beat two teams that could win the national championship, will play another giant, Notre Dame, for the championship at 9 p.m. Saturday night.

Freshman forward Jayson Tatum led the Blue Devils with 24 points and 7 rebounds. Sophomore guard Luke Kennard, who did not have a field goal in the first half, scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half when Duke shot 59 percent and outscored Carolina, 51-34, limiting the Tar Heels (27-7), which should be a 1 seed, to just 28.6 percent shooting.

“We’re getting better,” Krzyzewski said. “I said it even when we lost to Syracuse and Miami by one possession. And Grayson Allen, Luke and Jayson, when they’re on the court, when they’re sharing the ball and scoring, it’s a potent offensive unit. Not a big unit, but we get bigger when we put Harry (Giles) in there.”

And better defensively against a towering team like Carolina.

Giles a 6-10 freshman who was the marquee prospect in a top-ranked recruiting class, but he had been tentative ever since he returned from a knee scope. But Giles, who had six points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots in 15 minutes, had a Sports Center moment when he blocked a shot, then raced to the other end for an emphatic slam dunk to give Duke a 77-70 lead with 5:50 to play.

It was a night for discovery for Duke, which is finally healthy and flush with eight former McDonald’s All Americans in the rotation.

And it was a great night to be a college basketball fan in New York City, who have not seen a local Final Four team in action since St. John’s in 1985.

We don’t get to see this much young greatness on display around here– full houses, passionate fans, great performances and 15 NCAA teams on display in in two high powered conference tournaments right in our backyard. New York City likes to paint itself as a pro town. But it is also a city that appreciates a quality product like the games they saw here this week at the Garden and Barclays.

Next year, the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big East will be joined here by the Big Ten, which will hold its tournament at the Garden a week before the Big East.

But this night was magical.

Across the river in a sold out Garden, Villanova’s senior All America guard Josh Hart– the best two way player in the history of that school– scored on a follow up after grabbing an offensive rebound and completed an old fashioned three point play with nine seconds left as the top-seeded Cats rallied for a dramatic 55-53 victory over Seton Hall in the semi-finals of the Big East tournament. The Cats will play Creighton for the championship tonight at 5:30 p.m.

Hart’s dramatic play on a rebound was the fifth lead change in the final four minutes and there were two ties There was almost a third as Seton Hall’s Angel Delgado, the nation’s leading rebounder, missed a shot from close with one seconds remaining. Delgado fell to the floor and remained there face down as his teammates tried to console him.

Villanova had to gut this one out to earn a spot in the Big East finals against Creighton. The Cats were staring into the abyss for the most the game, which was starting to look like a repeat of last year’s tournament when the Pirates stunned Villanova, 69-67, in the championship game and Hart had to watch the Hall celebrate.

Hart started slow, shooting 2 for 7 in the first half, but he took the game over in the final 10 minutes when he scored 12 of his 16 points and converted the game winner.

“I think we got a turnover,” Hart recalled. “I’m not sure what happened but somehow we got the ball in transition. I kicked it to Kris. I think he was kind of surprised he was so open. And I just saw him shoot it. Right then I knew he put a little too much mustard on it, and I was, like you know what, just go get it.

“And luckily it bounced in the perfect spot and I was able to just get it and go up with it. And, then the last play. Eric Paschall played Delgado as well as anyone could. And we were fortunate enough to come out with the win.”

It was great to see two teams from the Big East old guard put on a classic and riveting to watch Hart make a play that will always be remembered. “Great players make great plays,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “It’s purely talented players making plays at the end of the game. They got guts. They have no fear of failure. I’m proud.”

I did a list of the Top 35 players to play in the Big East since it moved its conference tournament to the Garden in 35 years ago in 1983 and Hart, the Big East Player of the Year, is the only current player on it. He’s earned it.

“It’s amazing,” Hart said. “There’s so much history in this league. I guarantee in 20 or 30 years, I’m going to be one guy that brags a lot.”