Keeping It Heel
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UNC vs NC State: When a rivalry isn’t really a rivalry

By Blake Cockrum

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We call it a rivalry game, but is UNC vs NC State really all it’s cracked up to be?

At the start of each college basketball season, North Carolina State fans circle two games on their calendar.

Both are against North Carolina; one in Raleigh and the other in Chapel Hill.

Wins against UNC are the cornerstone of a successful season for the Wolfpack and are the most highly anticipated games on the schedule – at least for one side.

While NC State loyalists consider North Carolina to be the school’s top rival and most hated opponent, UNC fans simply don’t see it the same way.

In fact, it often seems as if the days surrounding the matchup become a platform for UNC faithful to taunt and tease angry State fans on social media.

And why? Probably because the rivalry, isn’t really a rivalry.

Since the start of the series in 1913, the Tar Heels have a 154-77 record over the Wolfpack. In Chapel Hill, UNC holds a 41-10 edge over State, including a 23-6 mark at the Smith Center. Furthermore, the Tar Heels lead the all-time series 58-45 in games played in Raleigh.

And if that isn’t bad enough, recent history between the two teams hasn’t done much to help the legitimacy of the rivalry argument. It has, however, helped exacerbate the hatred felt by many NC State fans.

Dec 7, 2016; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams reacts during the second half against the Davidson Wildcats at Dean E. Smith Center. The Tar Heels won 83-74. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 7, 2016; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams reacts during the second half against the Davidson Wildcats at Dean E. Smith Center. The Tar Heels won 83-74. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports /

Since 1998, North Carolina has won 34 of its last 42 games against NC State. In those 34 victories, UNC has an average margin of victory of 13 points.

Roy Williams is 26-3 against the Wolfpack as the UNC head coach and 31-3 overall. The Wolfpack’s last three head coaches are a combined 8-37 against the Tar Heels.

And don’t forget about the six Final Fours and two national championships that the Tar Heels have during that stretch. In that same time frame, the Wolfpack haven’t been to a single Final Four. Or Elite 8.

North Carolina’s 107-56 blowout over NC State in Chapel Hill on Sunday is the most lopsided victory in the history of the series’ 231 games. It was also UNC’s largest margin of victory in any ACC game ever.

So while NC State continues to focus on beating North Carolina, North Carolina keeps its eyes set on that other team eight miles down the road. All the while, the Tar Heels perpetual dominance of the Wolfpack shows no sign of stopping.

The good news for NC State is that this year’s rematch will be played at PNC Arena in Raleigh. The bad news…UNC is 11-2 there during the Roy Williams era.

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