Saturday night, the Duke Blue Devils head a few miles west to Chapel Hill, NC, to take on the UNC Tar Heels.
There is no better rivalry in the country in college basketball and, I believe, in all college sports.
This rivalry is so big, CBS is airing the regular season finale for both teams on national television and will showcase some of what to expect during the up-coming NCAA Tournament.
- Oh, you have another rivalry in mind?
- How many national championships have your two teams produced in the last ten years?
- How many appearances in the the championship game?
- How lop-sided is your rivalry?
For top-level competition, with a lot on the line, nothing, and I mean nothing, beats Duke – UNC.
Earlier this year at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Tar Heels raced out to a 14-point halftime lead, only to see the Blue Devils race back and take a 79-73 win.
Duke, led by seniors Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler, had been #1 in the nation a couple times this year and just happen to be the defending national champs. The Blue Devils are 27-3 overall and 13-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Tar Heels are also 13-2 in the ACC and 23-6 overall.
Where the Blue Devils are senior-led, the Tar Heels rely more on their underclassmen. Freshman Harrison Barnes and sophomores John Henson and Dexter Strickland have developed into solid college players while buying into the Tar Heel way.
The winner of Saturday night’s game will be the #1 seed in next week’s ACC Tournament and odds are pretty good we will get to see these two teams play for a third time for the conference title.
Because the NCAA Tournament has expanded and both of these teams are pretty much assured of a top-four seeding for the tourney, the need to win this game is not as high as it was a generation ago. But don’t tell that to the players, coaches and fan base.
This is Duke – UNC and every game matters.
Photo Credit: charmcitysportaholic.wordpress.com
