UNC Basketball: Should UNC-Duke play Three Regular Season Games?
By Aaron Conrad
Would fans of the two Blue Blood programs and the greatest rivalry in sports be in favor of three regular-season meetings between UNC Basketball and Duke?
Before I dig into how the topic of three regular-season meetings between UNC and Duke, I will disclose that the staff of contributors here at Keeping It Heel have discussed and the overall response was unanimous. I’ll leave it for all of you to decide which way that unanimous decision landed.
Let’s start at the beginning.
ESPN has pulled out of Big Ten media rights negotiations, ending one of the longest sports media relationships in the business. ESPN said no to the conference’s final offer of a 7-year/$380 million per-year package, sources tell SBJ.
— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) August 9, 2022
Story to be filed soon.
As John Ourand reported on Twitter, the ever-changing landscape of conferences and deals continues to, well, change. I think it is safe to say that all of this always comes down to money. That discussion is several other articles for several other days.
The truth is that the UNC basketball program’s rivalry with Duke draws viewers and advertisers and that all equals big numbers for all involved. This was the subject mentioned on the Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast this week with their guest, ESPN’s President of Programming and Original Content, Burke Magnus.
Magnus essentially threw out the idea of three regular-season matchups between UNC and Duke.
There are so many questions and personal feelings around three regular-season matchups. It is not uncommon for the Tar Heels and Blue Devils to match up three times prior to the NCAA tournament. The ACC Tournament usually provides the third matchup with that team from Durham. Last year was the ultimate sign of the apocalypse with a Final Four matchup that, in my opinion, forever changed the landscape of the rivalry.
Here are just a few questions that I would have:
Who would get to host that third game?
What impact would that third game have on seeding for the NCAA tournament?
Would a potential third meeting between hated rivals be better or worse for the best rivalry in college sports?
How would fans of both teams feel about three regular-season matchups between the Tar Heels and Blue Devils?
Let us know on @KeepingItHeel on Twitter or share on our fan page on Facebook.
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