Add another game to the record books after UNC took on No. 9 Duke in the Dean Smith Center. Although the game was a blowout and not as crazy of a game that fans were hoping for, this matchup marks Coach K’s last game ever played in the arena. Coach Krzyzewski now owns a 50-46 record against UNC. However, UNC takes a 100-87 record against the Blue Devil since the 1949-50 season. Separated by just eight miles, these teams have one of the most storied histories together. So, in honor of the matchup Saturday night, here’s a ranking of the best games between one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports.
3. 2012: The Shot | No. 9 Duke 85, No. 5 North Carolina 84
With two minutes remaining of a hard-fought contest, North Carolina held a 10-point lead. It seemed to be over, but UNC’s game became sloppy. After a poor play by Tyler Zeller down the stretch, the Blue Devils kept the ball for the last shot down two. The ball was in the hands of point guard and freshman Austin Rivers, who had 26 points up to this point. Zeller, a 7-foot center, got caught on a switch, and was stuck defending Rivers. Rivers, calmly and collectively, waited for time to expire before draining a deep three at the buzzer, sending Cameron Indoor into a frenzy with that shot and Duke won 85-84. The Blue Devils ended up finishing the game on a 13-2 run.
Was this your fave finish at 🐏? 🧐 pic.twitter.com/oT0GxA8Vxt
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) February 4, 2022
2. 2007: Tyler Hansbrough Bloody Nose | No. 14 Duke 72, No. 9 UNC 86
In this game, the animosity erupted into a brawl. It also created one of the most iconic college basketball pictures ever. With 15 seconds left to go in a game that North Carolina never trailed, Duke star Gerald Henderson elbowed the North Carolina forward in the nose. It was one of the biggest cheap shots that the rivalry has ever seen. The Duke star was ejected and Hansbrough, with a bloody nose, made the two free throws. North Carolina defeated Duke 86-72, with Hansbrough finishing with 26 points and 17 rebounds.
1961: The fight | Duke 81, UNC 77
There was a lot of hostility amongst the players when the two teams played in Durham in February 1961. Duke’s Art Heyman and UNC’s Doug Moe nearly got into a fight. Some of the hostility between Brown and Heyman may have resulted from having played against each other in high school. Heyman had also committed to attending UNC before backing out and attending Duke. With Duke leading by five with 15 seconds left in the game, Heyman fouled Larry Brown, which led to a bench-clearing riot. The situation became so bad and ugly that fans even went onto the court to fight. Here, a rivalry was truly born.