Ask any student on campus what the most anticipated day of the year is for a Tar Heel and at least half of them will respond with the Duke vs. UNC game. It doesn’t matter how good (or bad) the teams are, what day of the week it is, if you’re a liberal or conservative or if you even watch sports at all… for at least two days a year, us Tar Heels all agree on one thing – our shade of blue is better. #GTHD
For me, the tradition of watching UNC beat down on the Blue Devils annually didn’t start when I became a student or arrived on campus. In fact, I’ve been a die-hard Carolina fan from the moment when I discovered what basketball was. I grew up idolizing guys like Ty Lawson, Danny Green and Tyler Hansbrough, while at least a quarter of the clothes I owned had a UNC logo somewhere. Another quarter were probably without the logo, but still Carolina blue.
What I’m trying to say is that I thought I knew what to expect out of the rivalry when I received my acceptance letter just a few short years ago. I figured that my love for Carolina Basketball was at its peak and there was no possible way for it to escalate further. *SPOILER ALERT* I was wrong.
Now a senior nearing the end of my academic journey, I have seen more UNC basketball games than I can count. Ironically, I’m just as invested in the success of the basketball program as I am my GPA, which might explain a few rough patches. I’ve cheered from the risers of the Dean Dome, crowded bars on Franklin Street and most comfortably, my queen-sized bed. But after all these years, nothing comes close to the excitement I feel watching us play that private school from Durham, no matter where I am.
As I look forward to what will likely be my last Duke vs. UNC game as an undergraduate student, I can’t help but reflect on the moments of the Tobacco Road Rivalry that have stuck with me most. Some are recent, others not so much, but all are iconic nonetheless. So, without further ado, let’s “Get Into It.”
The Broken Nose Game
I mentioned earlier that I’ve been a UNC fan for most, if not all of my life but like many of us, memories from the early years of my childhood are fuzzy at best. The first game between Duke and UNC that I can recall is a home matchup on March 4, 2007 (No, I didn’t actually remember the date, I looked it up). The Tar Heels held a twelve-point lead against the Blue Devils with about twenty seconds remaining on the clock as Tyler Hansbrough went to the free-throw line. As his shot attempt bounced off the front iron, the 6’9” forward surged back into the paint to grab his own miss. Hasnborugh went up for a layup and as he was trying to get the shot off, Gerald Henderson sporadically threw an elbow directly at his face. Hansbrough hit the hardwood with force but stood up swiftly, only to reveal that blood was pouring from his nose. Resounding boos filled the Dean Dome and I remember being so upset, not just because of the nature of the foul or because the game was already decided when it happened, but because the announcer at the time was trying to argue that the foul wasn’t “dirty” or “intentional.” I mean seriously, watch the tape and try to convince me it wasn’t on purpose. I was so mad that even three days later I had a heated argument with my church’s youth group leader about the nature of the foul. I was only seven years old for crying out loud. Years later, that game still sticks with me and while I don’t hold a grudge against Gerald Henderson anymore, partially because he was ejected for the foul, I still wonder what was going through the mind of Billy Packer as he made that broadcast call.
Tyler Hansbrough fouled hard by Gerald Henderson
Danny Green’s Poster Dunk
Fast forward a year, to March 8, 2008, when a lot of that same Carolina squad took on the Dookies at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Tar Heels led nearly all game, with Duke holding the lead only twice, by margins of two and three points. Danny Green was on fire all night, as he scored a game-high 18 points; more importantly, he gave birth to what is likely the most memorable photo from a Duke vs. UNC matchup ever. Allow me to set the scene. Nearing the end of the first half, Roy Williams’ team held a comfortable eight point lead as Greg Paulus of Duke held the ball at the top of the key. Desperate for a bucket of any kind, Paulus launched a deep three-pointer and a long rebound wound up in the hands of Green. He pushed the ball forward to point guard Marcus Ginyard, who led the charge of a four-on-one break, but Ginyard dished the ball right back almost immediately. As Green filed into the paint and rose up for the dunk, the all-too-familiar Paulus stood directly under the basket. The Duke guard chose not to jump with his opponent, likely due to the 5-inch height difference, but Green had zero mercy. He elevated above the rim, flushed the dunk home and achieved what might be the most ridiculous ‘teabag’ in sports history.
Danny Green Highlights vs Duke | 18 PTS 7 BLK | 3/8/2008
Austin Rivers’ Heartbreaker
Some of the memories that stick with us the closest are the ones that we don’t like to think about and that is absolutely the case here. The date was February 8, 2012 and entering the Dean E. Smith Center for the first, and only time of his collegiate career, was Duke freshman Austin Rivers. UNC held a commanding lead for what felt like the entire game, behind the efforts of a senior Tyler Zeller and Harrison Barnes who was coming off of an ACC Rookie of the Year campaign. Naturally, the Blue Devils found a way to make a surge in the final minutes and cut the lead to three points with 40 seconds on the clock. Rivers brough the ball down the court, looking for any open shot but the Tar Heel defense held strong and forced a timeout with 20 seconds remaining. The Duke crew came out of the huddle needing a three to tie and the ball ended up in the hands of Ryan Kelly, who released an airball… at least it should’ve been. Instead, Tyler Zeller jumped for the rebound and tipped the ball in to make it a one-point game. Off of the Carolina inbound, Zeller was intentionally fouled and went to the free-throw line where he converted the first of two attempts. The second missed of the back of the rim and Rivers brought the ball up, drifted towards the right wing and let go a three over the hands of Zeller with only one second remaining. As the buzzer sounded, the shot fell through the net and Duke stormed the court as the Dean Dome inhabitants went silent. The final seconds were excruciating to watch and I can still see Doc Rivers celebrating on the Blue Devil sideline, but this contest was a reminder of why the Duke vs. UNC rivalry is so exhilarating.
Joel and Theo’s Last Laugh
One of the more recent matchups between these two North Carolina teams that holds a special place in my heart is the last home game that featured seniors Theo Pinson and Joel Berry. Ranked #21 in the country, the Tar Heels welcomed the #9 Blue Devils into Chapel Hill on February 8, 2018. As a freshman at the time, I was looking forward to this game unlike any other, not simply because of the rivalry and both teams being ranked, but because I had somehow been awarded tickets through the student lottery. Naturally, the seat I had wasn’t great given that I had a “Phase 4” ticket, but to have such good fortune in my first year as a student was inconceivable. I even happened to sit directly behind a couple of my fraternity brothers without even realizing and in that moment I knew the experience was going to be something special. Carolina trailed for what seemed like the entire first half and looking back at the play-by-play, there were only two instances in which the game sat in our favor. At one point, we trailed by as many as twelve. But, Roy Williams must’ve given one hell of a locker room speech because as soon as the team came out of the break, they cut into that lead and fast. Within a matter of four minutes, the Tar Heels went from being down four to leading by ten. Duke kept trying to cut back into that lead but the leadership of Berry and Pinson proved to be too overpowering. Cam Johnson, Kenny Williams and Luke Maye played their part as well. The Blue Devils didn’t lead for the remainder of the game. Because of the high intensity nature of the game and the pure adrenaline rush that characterizes the Smith Center on such a special gameday, I don’t recall many specific moments from the meeting. What I do remember is the thunderous slam that Theo Pinson had with just seconds left on the clock. It sent the noise level in that arena to an all-time high and put an exclamation point on the win. Rushing Franklin Street from South Campus was certainly something that I wouldn’t trade for the world, but if I had to do it again I would need someone to meet me there with a ventilator.
Theo Pinson Dunk Puts Exclamation Point On UNC Win vs. Duke
Zion’s Blown Out Shoe
The last of the rivalry games that I recall most vividly occurred just a short year later on February 20, 2019. Both teams were hitting their stride in the season, with Duke ranked as the No. 1 team in the country and North Carolina just a few sports behind at No. 8 on the year. Freshman superstars Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish headlined the Duke starting 5, while Maye, Johnson and Williams were all looking to take down Duke at Cameron in their final season. Just moments after tipoff, prior to a score from either team, college basketball fans across the country witnessed something that seemed almost impossible. Duke’s most electrifying player, Zion Williamson, had busted through his shoe entirely and was on the floor with an apparent ankle injury. UNC took full advantage of the Williamson injury and never looked back, as the Tar Heels never faced a deficit all game. Luke Maye, in particular, was key in the win posting 30 points and 15 rebounds alone. Despite shooting a despicable 10.0% from three-point range, North Carolina upset Duke at home by a final score of 88-72. The game never felt close. What made this game so memorable wasn’t necessarily the win, the fashion it happened in, or even the shoe blowout at that. Instead, it was the hours leading up to the game that made it so unforgettable. You see, at this particular time, I was functioning as my fraternity chapter’s social chair, which meant that I was responsible for orchestrating parties and things of the sort. When I woke up on the morning of the Duke game, a brother of mine informed me that a rapper was looking to potentially use our house to shoot a music video. I blew it off as insignificant until I was told that the artist wasn’t a no-name, SoundCloud rapper but instead, Young Dolph. To some of you this may not change a thing, but Dolph is well known in the hip-hop scene and for someone who listened to his music throughout high school, it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. His managers let me know that they were going to check out a few other fraternity houses on campus and they would decide after touring which house was best suited for the video. You guessed it, they chose ours. The music video never came together and the live performance was less than extraordinary, but to even be able to say that Young Dolph stepped foot in my home was rewarding enough. The huge win against and overrated, under experienced Duke team was just icing on the cake. I’ve attached the footage to the ‘video’ below; if you see a white kid in a white bandana getting way too lit, that’s me.
Young Dolph – How U Luv Dat (Official Music Video) Behind The Scenes
Naturally, with it being such a storied rivalry, there are so many iconic moments that I left out from this list. However, I wanted to cover as much ground as possible and provide personal experiences alongside these game recaps. It’s bittersweet knowing that anytime I go to a UNC vs. Duke game in the future, I won’t be a student, which means I’ll probably have to pay for the ticket as well, but I feel so blessed to have been able to watch the highs and lows of Tobacco Road for the last four years. Here’s to hoping the next century of matchups are just as entertaining as the last.
Stanley out.
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