As athletes, we can all agree on one thing: there's nothing quite more exciting than an anticipated rivalry game. Regardless of any sport one plays or watches, there is always attention placed on whichever date that these such games takes place. The atmosphere suddenly becomes more surreal: mascots, filled-up student sections, face paint, posters, trash talk, you name it. Those rivalry games are something else. Being said, a question now comes into play: what is the greatest rivalry in all sports' Several ideas quickly come into mind. The Boston Celtics vs. L.A. Lakers, New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox, Barcelona vs. Real Madrid, etc. These are just a few of the many famed battles that have been ongoing for decades now. However, there's one that stands out to me, personally, more than any of the others: the University of North Carolina (UNC) vs. Duke University in men's college basketball. Get your popcorn ready.
As a former resident of Durham, North Carolina during my upbringing, I had the privilege of observing this famous rivalry from a close viewpoint. Although it is acknowledged that more Duke fans reside in the Durham area, I was raised a North Carolina Tar Heel fan, mainly due to the fact that my mother had worked in the town of Chapel Hill. My family and I would go to the Tar Heels' home games often, which led to me becoming even a bigger fan of the school's facilities, colors, and tradition. One could say that UNC was my 'dream school' as a kid. Along with this brought a disdain for the rival Blue Devils of Duke University. A main cause for this hatred between the two programs is the elite status and success that both schools have maintained for a period of time; usually every year both UNC and Duke are amongst the top program rankings during the college season. I feel that the two polar teams want to not only get the top ranking in the country, but, more especially, the top ranking in the state of North Carolina.
What intrigues me the most about this rivalry involves the proximity of the two schools. There is only a span of about eight to nine miles between the city of Durham and Chapel Hill, as UNC and Duke fans pass by and have close interaction with each other on a daily basis, whether planned or not. I've taken walks on both campuses before and have noticed how there is a great sense of pride encompassing each institution. Faculty and students are always engaged in proving that their school is the superior one in the 'Triangle'; a region in the Piedmont of North Carolina, anchored by North Carolina State University, Duke, UNC, the cities of Raleigh, Durham, and the town of Chapel Hill. You can't drive anywhere within the 'Triangle' without being reminded of the rivalry by outlet stores, wall murals, bumper stickers, etc. There is also a non-sports rivalry between the two universities as well. Basketball fans aren't the only ones who want to have bragging rights; one could add admissions and fraternities to the list as well. Since Duke has always been known as a highly academic school, admission officers from UNC are on a mission to increase enrollment and admit intellectual students, which would result in Duke being denied. Fraternities are a pretty big deal to certain college students, so there's competition between the two campuses to see which one can receive the higher reputation and attract a larger number of peers.
When one looks at the numbers, there is no denying the fact that the two basketball programs have had very similar success. Both schools are two of the most victorious programs in NCAA men’s basketball history; UNC ranks #3 on the list of all-time winningest programs in Division I Men’s Basketball and Duke sits right below at #4. Duke has won five NCAA championships and appeared in sixteen Final Fours, while UNC has won six NCAA championships and appeared in a record twenty Final Fours. The coaching matchup is always enjoyable as well: Duke Head coach Mike Krzyzewski is the winningest coach in Division I Men's Basketball history with over 1,000 wins and all five of Duke's national titles, while UNC Head coach Roy Williams has won three titles of his own and lists at 10th all-time in winning percentage for Division I.
At the end of the day, however, what makes this rivalry so great is that the games are NEVER boring. The fans whip themselves into a chaotic frenzy right from the tipoff and celebrate every single play like it's a game-winner. Duke's home student section, famously known as the 'Cameron Crazies,' arguably contains some of the most intense and dedicated fans in the country, regardless of sport. It's an advantage of basketball that the games are shorter and more action-packed by default, but the atmosphere at a Duke-UNC game truly is unique; not just because it's loud but because it's never not loud. Watching the games as an die-hard observer, even on television, can cause anxiety and mental fatigue. I have much respect to the players for being able to maintain their 'cool' in that type of environment.
The beauty of this rivalry is that it has been enjoyable for so long and there's very low chances of that changing. It delights me to say that North Carolina leads the all-time series 137-111 in wins. However, Duke has brought in some of the better college recruiting classes over the last couple of years and have posted successful seasons, as they won the national title not too long ago in 2015. UNC followed that with their own latest NCCA championship win in 2017. Both programs are still hungry to be the 'top dog' in the state; a title that can't exactly be handed out yet. Which team will eventually sit on the high throne in Carolina' Only time will tell. Until then, we can just sit back and enjoy the show.