The UNC-Duke rivalry is back where it belongs
The past two seasons of college basketball's greatest rivalry haven't been normal.
During Hubert Davis' first season as North Carolina men's basketball coach in 2021-22, the clashes with Duke were overshadowed by the looming departure of Mike Krzyzewski (and in one case a spot in the National Title game).
Last year was an unmitigated disaster for the Tar Heels, who earned the dubious distinction of becoming the first preseason No. 1 team to not make the NCAA Tournament and were swept by Duke's own debutant head coach Jon Scheyer.
But this season, the biggest story is once again more about the players on the floor rather than the coaches on the bench.
For the 49th time — 35 more than any other matchup in college basketball — the No. 3 Tar Heels (17-4, 9-1 ACC) and No. 7 Blue Devils (16-4, 7-2) clash while both ranked in the Associated Press' top 10.
In the 48 previous matchups, Duke and UNC are an even 24-24 with an average final score of 76.8-76.0, according to Rodd Baxley of the Fayetteville Observer.
This is truly a "throw the records out the window," rivalry. Regardless of how good one team or another is in any given year, the rich history and minimal distance between the schools have created a passion that convinces people to sleep in tents for months to get a ticket.
Whether it's Jerry Stackhouse's iconic reverse jam and strut at Cameron Indoor Stadium in 1995 or Austin Rivers' buzzer-beater to stun No. 5 UNC in the Dean Dome in 2012, both teams have repeatedly proven that even home-court advantage takes a back seat to the power of the rivalry.
But it's better for everyone when both programs are contenders on the national stage.
In reality, the results of Saturday's game will neither make nor break either team's 2023-24 campaign. Both programs have aspirations of winning the ACC, where Duke can tie UNC for first place with a win before making a deep run in March.
Regardless of what happens in Chapel Hill this weekend, the loser will get another shot on the final day of the regular season. The season will go on and each team's main goals will very much still be in reach.
But don't tell that to a fan of either team.
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