Duke v. UNC: The Greatest Rivalry in College Basketball (If Not Sports)
Happy Spring Forward Sunday!
We are one week away from Selection Sunday, which kicks off March Madness 2015. As part of my Sports Rivalry Series, today is the perfect time to discuss the hands-down BEST rivalry in college basketball: Duke vs. University of North Carolina (UNC, or just Carolina).
For those of you already plugged into college hoops, you probably, like me, watched last night’s match up of Duke-UNC at the Dean Dome. (And as Dukie, I couldn’t write anything without injecting a little bit of pride that Duke took both games against Carolina this year). Last night’s game was great, though not nearly as epic and intense at their first matchup of the year, back in February. That game gave me heart palpitations.
The competition these two teams share is a HUGE reason for why I wanted to go to Duke in the first place. The ambiance inside Cameron Indoor Stadium or the Dean Dome when the two teams meet is electric. Like blue-fire electricity (just choose your shade of blue). My first Duke-Carolina game was when I was 14 — at Duke. I was hooked. I wanted to dye my hair blue, scream like a banshee, and jump up and down like a maniac for two hours — just like everyone else in there. In all fairness, I visited UNC that trip too. I got to walk on the floor of the Dean Dome. That place is also impressive. When it comes to venues, with Duke or Carolina, you cannot go wrong.
Since we already know and accept that the rivalry between these two teams is downright awesome, let’s delve a little bit into the history of it — what makes the Duke-Carolina rivalry so incredible and what continues to fuel it year in and year out.
The Duke-Carolina rivalry is also known as the rivalry of Tobacco Road (it’s the South, the schools were endowed with tobacco money, you get it). But quite literally, the two schools are down the road from one another. If you drew a straight line from Duke’s campus to that of UNC, it’s only eight miles. If you drive along 15–501 (AKA Tobacco Road), it’s 10 miles. Needless to say, you could basically spit from one campus to the other.
UNC is a public university — the flagship of the North Carolina public school system. Duke is a private university (and considered by many to be elitist). What we can say with 100% certainty is that for the last 60+ years, both schools have consistently been among the most elite college basketball programs in the US. And they have been two of the most winningest programs as well — in all of NCAA basketball history for that matter.
UNC is the third most winningest Division I Men’s Basketball team with 17 ACC titles, a record 18 Final Four appearances, and 5 NCAA titles (1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, and 2009). Duke is currently the fourth winningest program in D-1 college hoops with 19 ACC tourney titles (1st overall in the ACC for most conference titles), 15 Final Four appearances, and 4 NCAA titles (1991, 1992, 2001, and 2010).
As of Duke’s win last night, the record between Duke and UNC stands at 133 wins for Carolina and 104 wins for Duke. What’s amazing, and what the ESPN broadcasters correctly noted in both gamecasts this season, is that when the two teams face off, it really doesn’t matter which team is ranked higher or is physically or mentally better. Duke could be #3 in the nation and Carolina #19, or vice versa. When the two teams play each other, it’s always a close, incredible game, intensely fueled by this long-standing rivalry that adds so much weight to procuring that W.
You can’t discuss the Duke-Carolina rivalry without mentioning their über famous and successful coaches. Roy Williams is the current head coach at UNC. An inductee of the Basketball Hall of Fame, Williams successfully lead the Tarheels to two NCAA Championships in 2005 and 2009. But when you talk about Carolina, true reverence goes to “coaching legend” Dean Smith (for whom Williams assistant coached from 1978–88). Dean Smith, another inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame, was a head coaching fixture (if not institution) at UNC for 36 years. During his tenure at Carolina, Coach Smith led the Tarheels to 11 Final Fours and 2 national championships. When Dean Smith retired after the 1997 season, he held the record for most wins by an NCAA D-1 men’s head coach with 879 wins and only 254 losses. This record was eventually surpassed by Indiana’s Bobby Knight in 2007 and ultimately Duke’s Coach Mike Krzyzewski in 2011 when he became the winningest coach with 903 wins (Coach K hit and then surpassed 1,000 wins this past season). Coach K has been the head coach at Duke since 1980, leading the Blue Devils to 4 NCAA Championships, 11 Final Fours, and 13 ACC Tourney Championships. Outside of Duke, he is the head coach of Team USA’s Mens Basketball Team and has led them to 2 gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
Rivalries can spur hatred if not nastiness among fans and team supporters. And yes, we Dukies have been known to call the Tarheels bad names (i.e. “Tarholes”) and sometimes say mean things (i.e. Duke’s manta “Go to Hell, Carolina, go to Hell”). And they have some choice words for us as well. But when all the back and forth is said and done, it’s always good to see sportsmanship. I couldn’t close this post without noting how touched I was during both games this year by the sportsmanship of both teams and student supporters. Dean Smith passed shortly before February’s matchup at Duke. The game started with a huddle of both teams at center court. Down on one knee, both teams met and bowed their heads in silence, mourning the loss of one of Carolina’s greats. It was an emotional moment and it moved me. Before last night’s game at UNC, the Smith Center (Dean Dome) was on its feet, giving Coach K a standing ovation for his impressive 1,000 wins. A standing ovation from the Tarheels…it’s hard to imagine. It makes me proud to be ever connected to this incredible rivalry, to these incredible people that keep it going year after year.
