When born and raised in North Carolina, and more specifically in the “Triangle” (a region made up of 3 cities: Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill), college basketball becomes a significant part of life. With three great colleges, including North Carolina State University, Duke University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), within 10-20 miles of each other, it is no wonder that sports team rivalries are formed. This article focuses primarily on the rivalry between Duke and UNC, which is widely considered one of the greatest rivalries in sports. ESPN has ranked the men's basketball rivalry as the third greatest sports rivalry, and Sports Illustrated has declared it the number one "hottest" rivalry in college basketball.
My childhood home is five minutes from Duke, ten minutes from UNC, and right around the corner from the home of Coach K, the Duke men's basketball coach. Therefore, I have been fully immersed in the competition and rivalry of these two teams throughout my life. In this environment, college sports become a major part of life. One of our favorite times of year is March Madness because it gives us an excuse to spend hours each week watching one of America's greatest games: basketball. When I was a child, I thought the entire world, not just the Triangle area, was composed of Duke and Carolina fans. I would ask anyone whom I met, “Are you a Duke fan or a UNC fan?” It seemed significant in how I would perceive them. I was always surprised that there were people in the world who did not care about this rivalry, when it meant everything in my town.
One of the main reasons that the Duke-UNC college basketball rivalry is said to be one of America's greatest sports rivalries is because of the close proximity of the two universities. These schools are 10 miles apart down a single highway, known as "Tobacco Road." This means that these two communities, Durham and Chapel Hill, are both filled with fans of both teams. Duke fans and UNC fans work together, live in the same neighborhoods, and attend the same schools. UNC fans work at Duke and Duke fans work at UNC, with a few NC State fans in the mix. This leads to some really fun and friendly arguments, competitions, and bets. When Duke and UNC play, the colors of the towns turn Duke blue (royal blue) and Carolina blue (sky blue) because of all the team clothing everyone wears and the team flags displayed on houses and cars. The proximity and intertwined lives of the fans lead to a very intense rivalry and highly devoted fans.
Duke and UNC men's basketball programs have both been among the top teams in the country fairly consistently for more than 25 years and the women's teams are also often among the top teams in the country. In fact, the rivalry really extends to all men's and women's sports. There is an award, called the Carlyle Cup, that is given to either Duke or UNC according to which school has the most varsity sport wins against the other school. But men's basketball is the sport where passions run particularly high. UNC has won 5 NCAA national championships but Duke tied it up in 2015 with their fifth national championship basketball title.
Needless to say, both of these teams are incredible and legends are made. Many players such as Christian Laettner, J.J. Redick and Johnny Dawkins for Duke and Michael Jordan, Tyler Hansbrough and Harrison Barnes for UNC become household names. Because the players are student athletes, it is common to see them at local restaurants, theaters, or other places around town. They become celebrities and local heroes. Members of this community love to see these players, get their signatures, or take photos to post on social media. This often leads to bragging rights and jealousy in your friends because you met one of the players.
Indeed, this is one great sports rivalry and a great place to live. In the Triangle area of North Carolina, we eat, sleep, and bleed college basketball and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
