Duke vs UNC: The Many Different Levels of Awesomeness
By mattstradley
I’ve never been bothered by the consistent overvaluing of Dook by the mass media outlets, particularly ESPN. Many of my friends, however, find this yearly rite personally insulting. Let me explain why I’m cool with it.
If Dook is terrible, the rivalry just isn’t as much fun. And if (and when) we win, there isn’t a feeling of acceptance, there’s a feeling of relief. We were supposed to do that. A win over Dook is always fun, but there are levels of fun. I’ve tried to break it down into the different levels of awesomeness.
Level 1 – Expectation met. Dook is a rival, and it always feels good beating them. But we were vastly superior. It feels good, but it also feels more like relief. We’ll rush Franklin, but just because that’s a tradition. Not because we need to come together and revel in the emotion.
Level 2 – Hey Hey! Good game! We won! It was close for a while, but we pulled away at the end! This also shares the same spot as “Holy bleep we had it, almost lost it, and pulled it out at the end”
Level 3 – We are Sparta! We established our national dominance this year with that game. We played amazing defense, our offense was clicking. They weren’t at the top of their game, but I don’t know that it would have mattered. Here’s the problem with that…. we don’t know for sure because Dook wasn’t on their game. So we’ll never know.
Level 4 – Ha ha! Got your soul! This is maybe my favorite level. Dook sails through thier amazingly difficult non-conference schedule essentially untested and plays well through the ACC season but runs into a strong Carolina team. Not only does Carolina win, but we expose a fatal flaw with Dook’s team for all the country to see. Like if you gas them, their legs falter and shots stop going down and uh oh this is getting out of hand. The other “got your soul” level is a dominant performance on a particularly hated player’s senior night.
Level 5 – Rarified territory. This is a “once in a decade” game. Like a double-overtime win with Stackhouse and Wallace that produces moment after memorable moment that you know they will show for years to come. This game is rare because both teams are playing at the peak of their ability. You see the best of the best, and you see players playing above their usual level.
Level 6 – This level has never been reached and I truly pray that it never happens. This is reserved for the NCAA tournament Final Four win. The ACC Championship wins, the regular season wins, they all melt away if this ever happens. Its the ultimate trump card. It gives one side too much bragging rights. It can’t happen. Until it does. And when it does, I wonder what the post-apocalyptic world will look like. I imagine Dook fans with the paleness of Dunleavy and the lumbering gate of Zoubeck (I dunno how to spell it and I’m not spending the time to google it because it would lend to much credence to his legend). I imagine Carolina fans in a permanent championship hangover. Heaven forbid this ever happen. If it does? I wanna be on the winning side. Again, I can’t stress enough that this can never happen.
Here is the charge I leave with you, the reader. Tell me what games fit where. Did I miss a level? I am almost positive I’ve missed about 6. Feel free to fill in the gaps. Disagree with my assertion about level 6? Make an amazing case. Because I’m pretty sold that it should never ever happen.