I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a college football or college basketball game with more on the line in terms of bragging rights than this week’s Duke vs North Carolina Final Four game after playing earlier in the season.
Maybe the 1996 College Football National Title game? When Florida beat Florida State 52-20 after Florida State defeated Florida 24-21 just a few weeks earlier. No coach was retiring in that one.
There have been a couple of other instances of teams meeting in the regular season, and then the title game.
Louisville met Kentucky in 2012, and that was big. It wasn’t this big.
I haven’t seen one with rivals to the level of Duke and North Carolina.
Nothing comes to close the finality of this Duke and North Carolina matchup. Which fanbase should be more scared to lose this one?
Why UNC Fans should be scared
- A UNC loss means your most hated rival will head to the national title game.
2. It means the win in Durham in Coach K’s final home game becomes meaningless.
3. Duke wins 2 out of 3 against UNC during the season
4. Duke in the national title game allows Coach K to win 6 National Titles. 1 more than Roy Williams and Dean Smith combined
5. Coach K retires winning his last Duke/UNC game
6. Every Duke fan they know, will hold this win over their UNC friends, and if Duke wins the title? UNC fans shudder at that possibility.
Why Duke Fans should be scared
- A Duke loss means your most hated rival will head to the national title game.
2. Beating Coach K in his last two games against UNC? Are kidding me? UNC fans were merciless after winning in Durham, then you add in a Final 4 win?
3. UNC wins 2 out of 3 against Duke during the season
4. UNC in the national title game in a season where Duke had arguably the most talented team in college basketball would burn so bad.
5. Pictures of Franklin Street following a UNC win, and then possibly after a national title game.
6. Every UNC fan they know, will hold this win over their Duke friends, and if UNC wins the title? Duke fans shudder at that possibility.
It is going to be awful for either fanbase to lose this game, but Hubert Davis and UNC will have future opportunities – this is it for Mike Krzyzewski. There isn’t next year for the coaching legend. You can’t come back from this, and UNC fans will never let Duke fans forget it.
