UNC vs. Duke: A one-point heartbreak
‘Throw out the records for this one’
Throughout the two halves, the game went the way most fans would’ve wanted. It was tight and competitive, with neither team ever holding a double-digit advantage. It lived up to the greatest rivalry in college basketball.
Seriously, when Carolina and Duke play, it’s impossible to see any other college basketball rivalry that compares. It might be the best in all of sports, but that’s another debate entirely.
Wednesday night’s game was another chapter in this historic rivalry. It marked the 75th time both UNC and Duke would be ranked in the AP Top 25 since the ranking system began. That’s 35 more than any other matchup.
It started well and continued that way for the Tar Heels. Never really breaking it open, but almost never trailing either. In the end, that failure to break it open made the difference.
We allowed an opponent to stick around. Especially in this rivalry, the Heels can’t do that. As Dick Vitale says every year when these two teams meet: “Throw out the records for this one.”
A one-point loss to any team hurts. A one-point loss to this team will leave you speechless.
I was standing in the risers, so I was on TV quite a bit. My phone was buzzing throughout the game with people saying they saw me. It was such a cool experience.
But still, I’d rather have the win.