By William Andrews

The roar of the crowd drowned out any other sounds around me. I could barely hear the person next to me as I sat down in my seat. Loud music blared through the speakers above, and the energy in the crowd was electric. The entire stadium was buzzing. Widely regarded as the best rivalry in men’s college basketball and a top rivalry in all of sports, this was Duke vs. North Carolina (UNC). 

This installment of the Duke/UNC story took place Saturday, February 1, at Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium, located in Durham, North Carolina. With a capacity of just under 10,000 people, Cameron Indoor is relatively small compared to other schools’ basketball arenas. However, it is known as one of the loudest and craziest environments in all of sports, especially for this fierce rivalry.  

Everything went dark as the lights went out inside the stadium. The students began to clap in unison. Flashes of blue and white engulfed the crowd as the song “Everytime We Touch” by Cascada started playing. As the beat slowly grew louder and louder, the whole stadium began clapping and cheering as the Duke players emerged from the locker room. The lights turned back on, and every fan was screaming and yelling. The environment quickly turned aggressive when UNC players emerged from the opposite tunnel. The energy in the stadium remained hostile until the final whistle blew. 

For the Duke students, the game lasts much longer than just two halves. The students have a tradition of “tenting” before the big game. This involves a group of students living in a tent outside the stadium for up to six weeks before the UNC game. Students must have at least one person in their tent at all times, and the groups must participate in different activities to make sure they obey the rules. As a result, they get tickets for the game. The lower section of the stadium is for Duke students, famously known as the Cameron Crazies. 

The Cameron Crazies. Photo courtesy of @dukeuniversity via instagram.

The Crazies do not lack school spirit. They dress themselves in white and blue overalls, with their faces smothered in blue paint. The students are so dedicated to the game that they research the opposing players’ weaknesses, which they turn into creative chants. Chaos and jeers erupted from the student section on each UNC turnover, bad shot, or mistake. On the other hand, with every Duke basket came endless excitement from the students. 

Duke entered the matchup with a record of 18-2, while UNC was 13-9. Duke dominated the game from the opening tip, winning by a score of 87-70 while leading by as many as 32 points. Duke’s versatility and size were too much for UNC to handle, which was hurt by numerous turnovers and poor shooting. Duke was led by talented freshman Cooper Flagg. Flagg was the number one recruit out of high school, and it’s possible he’ll be the number one pick in the upcoming NBA Draft if he decides to go pro. He is a statistical beast, leading Duke in all five main statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. 

Cameron Indoor Stadium. Photo credit: William Andrews.

I am neither a Duke nor UNC fan, but when my friend Noah Kantner (‘25) invited me to the game, I jumped at the opportunity to witness the historic rivalry in person. Noah’s sister Emily (‘23), is a second-year student at Duke and gave us a tour of the campus before the game. After eating dinner at the renowned dining hall, we headed into the stadium. Even though the game itself was a beatdown from the start, the atmosphere was intense and lived up to my expectations. After the game, we followed the Duke students to a nearby courtyard, where they burned wooden benches to celebrate the win.

The rivalry first started in 1920, and at least two games have been played between the teams each season; more if the teams meet in the ACC or NCAA tournament. The rivalry is so intense due to multiple reasons. Tobacco Road sets the two universities apart by only eight miles. Both basketball teams have rich histories and are considered part of the “blue bloods” of top college basketball teams of all time. UNC currently has the advantage in the rivalry, which stands at 145-120 for all-time games.

Both programs have had great success, with UNC winning six national championships, most recently in 2017, while Duke has won five national championships, the most recent in 2015, and they’re in the Final Four for this year’s tournament this upcoming weekend. The two programs have produced many great players and coaches throughout the years. UNC’s greatest players have included Tyler Hansbrough, James Worthy, Vince Carter, Lennie Rosenbluth, and Michael Jordan. UNC’s two most famous coaches are Dean Smith, who coached UNC for 36 years, and Roy Williams, who have won two and three national championships, respectively. Duke has produced Christian Laettner, Grant Hill, JJ Redick, and Jason Williams. Duke’s most notable coach was Mike Krzyzewski, who set the record for the most wins in college basketball history in his 42-year-long career at Duke. 

The rivalry has seen many legendary and intense moments. In a 1992 matchup, UNC center Eric Montross took a hard foul, leaving himself with a bloody face as he shot free throws. However, Duke would go on to win the game. On another occasion in 1974, unranked Duke was leading UNC by eight points with 17 seconds remaining. With a couple of turnovers and missed foul shots, UNC took advantage and sent the game to overtime, where they would go on to win, 96-92. More recently, in 2022, the teams met for the first time in the Final Four of the NCAA tournament. In what would be Coach Krzyzewski’s last game, UNC stunned Duke in the last seconds, winning 81-77. 

The two teams have had wildly different levels of success this year. Duke won 82-69 in their second regular season match-up on March 8, and their dominance of their neighbor was sealed in their third meeting this season on March 14, when Duke beat UNC 74-71 in the ACC tournament, which the Blue Devils eventually won. The Blue Devils are a potential national champion and were a number one seed in this year’s NCAA tournament. UNC was fighting for a spot in the tournament late in the season, and they lost to Ole Miss 64-71 in the first round of March Madness on March 24. 

Featured image credit: @dukembb via instagram.