10 Reasons Why UNC Duke is the Best Rivalry in Basketball
By John Bauman
Jan 21, 2015; Winston-Salem, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Marcus Paige (5) goes up for a shot against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons center Andre Washington (31) during the second half at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. North Carolina defeated Wake Forest 87-71. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY
Legendary Games
Duke and North Carolina have met a total of 238 times over the years. There have been a couple blowouts that got a little boring, like the time in 1921 when UNC blew Duke out by 37 points, the largest margin of victory in the rivalry, or when UNC won 64-46 in 1950 at Duke Indoor Stadium, or in 1972 when UNC won 93-69 in Carmichael, or in… I could go on.
However, there have been a lot of really great games over the years. The first game that everyone remembers is the famous game in 1974, when UNC scored eight points in seventeen seconds and came back to beat Duke in overtime, a comeback which many regard as the greatest in college basketball history.
Or how about the game on February 1st, 2001, when Brendan Haywood hit two clutch free throws to help the fourth ranked Tar Heels defeat the second ranked Blue Devils in Cameron Indoor Stadium by a final margin of 85 to 83.
The game in 2005 was pretty great too — that was the game that Marvin Williams hit that put-back on the missed free throw at home in the Smith Center to help the Heels defeat the Devils by a final score of 75-73 on Senior Day in Chapel Hill.
There were a few memorable wins for Duke over the years, like in 2012, when… wait, who am I kidding, that game never happened. Austin who? Never heard of him.
All the legendary games cement this rivalry’s status as the best in basketball. No other rivalry can boast so many great matchups over the years.
Next: Reason #4 -- Legendary Programs