Duke-UNC: Another One for the Ages

The biggest game of the year is upon us. Not the NBA finals, which last year proved to be a bit anti-climactic; not the World Series, as with all the scandal, there has started to become a lack of interest; not even the Super Bowl, which has become more of a marketing frenzy than a football game.

It's the game that rips the fabric of our wholesome household and forces us to pick blue or blue. The game that while viewing the most elite intellectuals of our society are reduced to stark raving mad “crazies.” The game that has shown to be the proving ground of some all-time greats such as Michael Jordan, Grant Hill, Sam Perkins, and Christian Laettner.

I am talking of the annual series of the Duke-UNC Game.

Unlike many sporting events we hold sacred, the Bleed Blue Rivalry almost always lives up to the extraordinary hype (most of which is created by Dick Vitale).

Whether the game is between two veteran squads gearing up for another title run or a bunch of diaper dandies who are about to get the shock of their lives, it is consistently entertaining.

Just look at the matchup since Roy Williams has taken over at Chapel Hill. The two teams have split five wins, and the games are won by an average of 1.3 points.

This matchup also produces a love-hate fan relationship unlike anything else. You never hear college hoops fans on the fence about Duke; they are either fans and have immense respect for Coach K, or hate the team, colors, the system, and would prefer to throw a brick through his office window. 

I love watching this matchup a lot too because of the fans and the amazing atmosphere they bring, especially at Cameron Indoor. The whole game the fans of the teams are standing and cheering their squad or jeering the opposing team (or dancing: Speedo guy reference), which is much what these two great fanbases do on any other night, but it is cranked up for this game and rightfully so. The magnitude is at such a height that players' legacies are on the line.

Tyler Hansbrough with a win tonight would go from being a really good UNC Player to an all-time bona fide best Tar Heel ever candidate.

This will be his fourth trip to the land of the crazies, and in his previous three he has left with a W each time. He would be the first four-year starter at North Carolina to win at Duke all four years.

So in this game history is on the line, the crowds will be raucous, and excitement is guaranteed—just three of the many reasons to sit back tonight and bear witness to the Biggest Game of the year.