UNC Basketball: The 5 best Duke wins of the Roy Williams era

March 4, 2006: UNC 83 Duke 76

This game had so much value as a Tar Heel fan because Duke was ranked number one in the country at the time, and the game was played in Durham. The Blue Devils were heavily favored, but the Tar Heels had no interest in what the experts had to say.

The 13th-ranked Tar Heels were led by Tyler Hansbrough so the upset wasn’t astronomical, but they went into Cameron Indoor and knocked off a No.1-ranked Duke team. No matter how good your team is, that’s rare. Hansbrough was in his freshman season, though, making this game’s result even more unlikely.

The win was special for the Tar Heels because it was against Duke, but it was the two legends on each team that elevated the game. Duke was led by J.J. Redick, and if you’re a North Carolina fan reading this right now, I’m assuming you don’t like him very much. UNC fans’ hatred for Redick was similar to Blue Devils’ fans feelings for Hansbrough, both of which made the rivalry that much hotter during those years.

Redick struggled in this game, making it a really enjoyable for North Carolina fans to watch. He shot just 5-for-21 from the field, and 2-for-10 from beyond the arc. It was one of the worst performances of his entire collegiate career, making the game all the more enjoyable for those fans in the lighter shade of blue.

Hansbrough, on the other hand, had a terrific game at Cameron Indoor that day. He had 27 points, 10 rebounds, and a pair of blocks helped the Tar Heels leave Durham with the victory. Between the Redick versus Hansbrough angle, and the fact that Duke was ranked first in the country, this game was a memorable one for North Carolina fans.