In preparation for the first Duke vs. North Carolina game of the 2011-12 basketball season, I will be doing a two part special of “By The Numbers”. If you are familiar with my previous posts of “By The Numbers” they are basically a statistically and historically breakdown of Duke and their current opponent. In part one, you will see a lot of the same. Part two will be slightly different, as it will mainly focus on the individual and team statistics throughout the season between Duke and North Carolina.
Duke. North Carolina. The time is here. Separated by only 8 miles on Tobacco Road, the Duke Blue Devils (19-4, 6-2) will make the short trip to Chapel Hill to meet rival, the North Carolina Tar Heels (20-3, 7-1) on Wednesday night. The Blue Devils will come into Wednesday’s game off of a home overtime loss to the Miami Hurricanes, this past Sunday. The Tar Heels are currently on a 5-game winning streak. After their loss to Miami, Duke dropped to #9 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and #10 in the AP Poll. North Carolina enters ranked #5 in both polls. Wednesday’s meeting will mark the 233rd game between the two schools. North Carolina leads the all-time series, 131-101. The game will be televised nationwide on ESPN with the tipoff set for 9:00 PM ET.
Duke-North Carolina Series
• Duke and North Carolina have met 232 times heading into Wednesday’s game with the first meeting between the two schools coming on Jan. 24, 1920.
• Mike Krzyzewski is 36-36 all-time against North Carolina, with an 11-14 mark at the Dean E. Smith Center. Krzyzewski did not coach either game against North Carolina during the 1994-95 season.
• Duke has won four of the last five in the series, including a 75-58 win over North Carolina in the 2011 ACC Championship game, the last meeting between the two schools.
• Duke has won 21 of the last 31 games in the series dating back to the 1998-99 season. The Blue Devils have won eight of the last 13 games in Chapel Hill in that span, by an average margin of victory of 11.8.
• Duke and North Carolina have met 74 times during the Coach K era. The Blue Devils are 36-36 versus the Tar Heels with Mike Krzyzewski as the head coach. Krzyzewski missed both games against North Carolina during the 1994-95 season while recovering from back surgery.
• Wednesday’s game marks the 149th straight meeting between Duke and North Carolina in which at least one of the schools is ranked in a national poll. The streak dates back to Feb. 25, 1955.
• Since the beginning of the AP poll in 1948-49, at least one of the teams has been ranked in 152 of the 168 meetings (counting Wednesday’s game).
• This is the 133rd straight game with at least one team ranked in the AP poll. That streak dates back to Feb. 27, 1960. Of those 133 games, 121 of the games have featured a team in the top 10.
• In 32 of the last 65 meetings, both Duke and North Carolina have been ranked in the top 10.
• Both teams have been ranked in the top 25 in 50 of the 74 meetings under Coach K. Both teams have been ranked in 50 of the last 66 meetings.
• Duke and North Carolina have played 69 times all-time when both teams were ranked in the top 25. Duke is 34-35 in those games, including a 27-22 mark under Coach K.
• The Blue Devils and Tar Heels have met 42 times with both teams ranked in the top 10. The series is tied 21-21, including a 15-16 record under Mike Krzyzewski, when both teams are ranked in the top 10.
• The two teams have played 10 times when both teams were ranked in the top-five of the AP poll.
• The Duke-North Carolina game has been decided by 10 points or less in 38 of the 74 meetings under Coach K.
• In the 232 meetings between the two schools, there has only been 12 games that have gone into overtime. Duke is 8-4 in those games.
• In 12 of the last 46 meetings between the two schools, Duke has entered the game as the nation’s top-ranked team. Duke is 7-5 in those contests. Overall, Duke has played 17 times (10-7) as the No. 1 team against North Carolina, including 14 times (8-6) under Coach K.
• During the Coach K era, Duke and North Carolina have played five overtime games (Duke, 3-2), including one double-overtime (North Carolina, 1-0) contest.
• At least one team has been ranked in 150 of the 153 meetings since the ACC was formed in 1953-54.
• Sports Illustrated on Campus named the Duke-UNC rivalry the No. 1 “Hottest Rivalry” in college basketball and the No. 2 rivalry overall in its Nov. 18, 2003 issue.
• Duke and North Carolina have accounted for 36 of the 58 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Championships. Duke has an ACC-best 18 conference championships, including 13 ACC titles under Mike Krzyzewski.
• Either Duke or North Carolina has played in the NCAA Final Four in 22 of the last 31 years.
Numbers Game
• Duke has been ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll for 88 straight weeks, the third-longest streak in NCAA history.
• Duke is 36-13 when ranked #10 in the AP Poll.
• Duke has not lost back-to-back games since February of 2009. The Blue Devils are 14-0 following a loss in that span (does not include season-ending loss in 2010-11).
• The Blue Devils have a +14.6 scoring margin in their last 14 games following a loss. Duke has posted a double-figure win in 10 of the 14 contests.
• Duke is one win shy of reaching the 20-win plateau for the 16th consecutive season. The Blue Devils have won 20 or more games 26 times under Mike Krzyzewski.
