Five Reasons Why Wednesday's Duke-UNC Game Will Be One To Remember

The rivalry between college basketball powerhouses Duke and North Carolina is a storied one.  Each year, the Duke-UNC games are unpredictable, memorable, and more intense than any other rivalry in the sport.  No matter the region or conference, all eyes fall on Tobacco Road when the two shades of blue collide.

There are plenty of memories that fuel the bitter rivalry between the Blue Devils and the Tar Heels.  Whether your looking back to 1995, when Jeff Capel took the No. 2 ranked Heels into overtime on a 40-ft. buzzer beater, or to 1961 when Duke's Art Heyman and UNC's Larry Brown started an in-game boxing match that led to an all-out stadium brawl, bad blood between the two programs isn't hard to find.  

In fact, you don't even have to look past the last few seasons to find plenty of moments, situations and developments that have added fuel to this burning rivalry. Below are five reasons (looking no further back than the careers of the teams' current seniors) why Wednesday night's Duke-UNC game will likely be another classic in an already storied rivalry.

1.  The Gerald Henderson/Wayne Ellington Matchup

Coming in as freshman, the Gerald Henderson/Wayne Ellington story was highly publicized.  In high school, the two were best friends playing for the same team. Both were top-rated recruits expected to make huge impacts for their respective teams.

Ellington, known for his lethal perimeter shooting, went to UNC, while Henderson, known for his explosive athleticism and ability to finish around the rim, went to Duke. Although they were both highly touted as freshman, Ellington's career got off to a hot start while Henderson has only recently started to meet expectations.

At this point in the season, no two players in the ACC are playing better. Both have been able to score at will during recent weeks, and it will be interesting to see who makes a case for the most dominant wing in the ACC.

2.  Both Teams Are Good—Real Good

It's not unusual for both Duke and UNC to be highly ranked when playing each other. Last season's first game featured a No. 2 Duke winning at No. 3 UNC, and the final game of the regular season showcased a No. 1 UNC defeating a No. 6 Duke at Cameron.

But this season feels different.  Both Duke and Carolina have been ranked No. 1 this year, and they currently hold the same record (7-2) in the ACC.  It's likely that a win on Wednesday will solidify either team's place in Final Four discussions for the next few weeks, and add serious momentum heading into the closing weeks of the regular season.

3.  Both Teams Have Something to Prove

If it seems like this reason contradicts the previous one for why Wednesday's game will be one to remember, it doesn't.  Yes, both teams were ranked No. 1 earlier this season (the key word being "were"), but both teams have also given skeptics plenty of doubts regarding their legitimacy as a favorite for the national title.

UNC started the year as invincible in the eyes of most analysts, with talk of an undefeated season running rampant.  That talk ended when UNC started 0-2 in the ACC.

Their one weakness has been team defense, and with the recent news that Marcus Ginyard will not be returning to the lineup this season, the Tar Heels can't look anywhere but the current rotation to find the defensive intensity needed to go deep in March.

Duke started the year as a bit of an enigma.  Doubts about their ability to compete with, and rebound against, bigger teams were on the forefront of analyst's minds, and early March exits during the last two seasons only furthered doubts about Duke being legit again.

But while the Devils have yet to find a consistent inside scoring threat, they've held their own on the boards this season and have proven they can play with bigger, more athletic teams.  As the season has progressed, Duke has again become a team talked about in serious Final Four conversations.

However, a 27-point pummeling at the hands of Clemson last Wednesday brought all those doubts back.  Duke looked like a team of boys playing against men, and all the swagger and confidence built up during the past few months seemed to disappear.

Duke started poorly (actually, "ugly" would be a better description) against Miami on Saturday, but made a tremendous and emotional second half comeback to win the game in overtime.  A win against UNC would surely reestablish, if not advance, the momentum Duke had before last Wednesday.

4. The Blood On The Court—Particularly Tyler Hansbrough's

Even though it was three seasons ago, the elbow to the face Tyler Hansbrough received from Gerald Henderson is already the stuff of Duke-UNC legend.

Both players are All-ACC (and All-American) caliber, and although they have both stated that the incident is behind them, there is no way Hansbrough or Henderson has forgotten about it (especially since ESPN will likely show it hundreds of times before Wednesday night).  

If the game proves physical, which is likely, the hard foul by Henderson in 2007 may still be a factor in the outcome of this game.

5.  David McClure Is The Only Duke Player to Beat UNC at Cameron

That was five season's ago, during JJ Redick's junior year (just to give some context). A medical redshirt gives McClure the tenure to remember a Cameron win against UNC, but there is no other Duke player that has come away from a Duke-UNC home game with a win.  That means that even Greg Paulus (who has seemingly played for Duke for a decade) has never beaten UNC in front of the Cameron Crazies, and this will be his last chance.

To put it in a different light, the current UNC seniors have never lost a game at Cameron, and they are looking to keep it that way.

If there is one thing the Blue Devils hate more than losing, it's losing at home (which they haven't done all season).  That's more than enough motivation to play with passion.  Expect Greg Paulus to yell and slap the floor—a lot.

Every Duke-UNC game is significant.  This week's game is no different.  For UNC, it's a chance to continue recent success.  For Duke, it's a chance to put the last few years to rest and move forward.  For both teams, it's a must-win game.  

It always is.