UNC Basketball: 11 Historical Games and Moments against Duke
March 4th, 2006: #13 UNC 83, #1 Duke 76: You’ll have to ask a Duke fan what the greatest upset in the rivalry is for them but ask any Carolina fan and this game will likely be one of their top choices.
In one of the most hyped games in the history of the rivalry thanks to ESPN’s Full Circle coverage Duke celebrated the senior night of J.J. Redick the latest Duke villain in the rivalry and also Shelden Williams. The Blue Devils started out hot jumping out to a 13-2 lead as Redick hit his first five shots but he would only hit one shot the rest of the game going 1-16 from the field the rest of the way.
The Heels were lead by freshman Tyler Hansbrough who scored 27 points including a huge 3-pointer. The Devils made a 2nd half run behind Demarcus Nelson who always seem to play his best in these games. But it was not enough as the babyface Heels shocked the mighty Blue Devils ruining Redick’s Senior Night the same way they ruined Duke legend Grant Hill’s Senior Night 12 years earlier. The win would be the first of four straight at Duke for Hansbrough and Danny Green and swung the momentum of the rivalry back toward UNC.