During March Madness on Saturday, UNC and Duke will play their first rivalry game. College basketball’s most famous rivalry is getting ready for its most epic match-up in the Final Four.
On Saturday night, the most ferocious rivalry in college basketball will take center stage at the Final Four. For the first time ever, Duke and North Carolina will face off in the NCAA Tournament, adding an unforgettable chapter to college basketball’s most legendary rivalry.
The clubs have already played twice this season, with Duke destroying the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill before North Carolina spoiled Mike Krzyzewski’s final home game at Duke with a 94-81 victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 5. At the ACC Tournament, a third meeting was almost had, but North Carolina was upset by Virginia Tech, who were on their way to a bid-stealing ACC title.
How does the rest of the book look in terms of the Duke-UNC rivalry, as the most epic chapter of this rivalry is about to be written?
Who is the all-time leader in the Duke-UNC series?
The Tar Heels have a 142-115 advantage over Duke in the all-time series, dating back to the first game between the two programs in 1920. Until 1980, when Krzyzewski took over in Durham, North Carolina was the best team in the country. Since then, he has a 50-47 record against the Tar Heels.
Over the last decade, the rivalry has been fairly balanced, with the Blue Devils owning a 13-10 advantage over the Tar Heels since 2013, including three encounters in the ACC Tournament. Two of those meetings have gone to Duke, but this one in New Orleans is a first for two of college basketball’s most successful programs.
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