North Carolina and Duke's Profound Rivalry: Renowned Greatness

The latest episode in the North Carolina-Duke rivalry culminated with North Carolina defeating the Blue Devils by 14 points—ensuring an Atlantic Coast Conference title and a season-split with their biggest rivals.

This latest battle between Tobacco Road  rivals got me thinking: Who would win in a Duke-UNC all-star game?

Assuming the Tobacco Road Rivals will meet again in the conference championship game, I decided to play out my own rubber match between them before a true series champion is crowned.

To do this, we must first match up the best STARTING five players from each of these storied programs. The players were picked on a two guard/three forward system.

Enjoy!

Head Coach: Dean Smith, North Carolina

Wins: 879

Win Percentage: .776

National Championships: Two

Final Fours: 11

Why Smith?: This one is about as simple as they come. North Carolina's home court is called The Dean Smith Center. This, among other recognizable feats—like being the 1997 Sportsman of the Year and coaching the 1976 National Team to a gold medal—is what sets Coach Smith above all the rest.

Head Coach: Mike Krzyzewski, Duke

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DURHAM, NC - FEBRUARY 09: Head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils yells to his team during their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 9, 2011 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty

Wins: 895

Win Percentage: .770

National Championships: Four

Final Fours: 11

Why Coach K?: Well, honestly, who else do you associate with Duke Basketball? He is easily one of the most respected men in all of sports. Much of it is attributed to his care for his students' academia, as well as athletics. This one was a no-brainier.

Guard: Phil Ford, North Carolina

PPG: 18.6

FG%: .527

Accolades: 1976 Olympic Gold Medal winner, 1978 John Wooden Award winner, 1978 ACC Player of the Year, Consensus All-American in 1976, '77, and '78, member of ACC 50th Anniversary team (notes 50 best players in ACC history)

Why Ford?: Phil Ford is one of three players in ACC history to amass 2,000-plus points and at least 600 assists in a career. Ford is the second highest scorer in Tar Heel history with 2,290 points—a number that must be recognized because of its accomplishment without the three-point line. Just imagine what Ford could have posted by taking shots from behind the arc. Amazing.

Guard: Bobby Hurley, Duke

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A PORTRAIT OF SACRAMENTO KINGS GUARD BOBBY HURLEY, SHOWN HERE IN 1992 WITH THE DUKE UNIVERSITY BLUE DEVILS.

PPG: 12.4

APG: 7.7

FG%: .410

Accolades: NCAA all-time leader in assists (1076), 1991-92 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, 1992-'93 First Team All-American

Why Hurley?: Bobby Hurley is the perfect model of what a point guard should be: Incredible leadership, uncanny court vision and the rarity of turnovers. Hurley was the quintessential college point guard.

Guard: Michael Jordan, North Carolina

PPG: 17.7

RPG: 5.0

POY Awards: 1984

Other Accolades: Two time First Team All-American, 1984 John R. Wooden and Adolph Rupp Award winner, 1982 National Champion, 1982 ACC Freshman of the Year

Why Jordan?: His Airness—simple as that. His jersey hangs in the rafters at the Smith Center, and it's because he's the best to ever play the game. As a freshman in the 1982 National Championship, he hit the game-winning jumper. An incredible moment for a freshmen, and a moment Jordan highlights as a turning point in his career.

Guard: J.J. Redick, Duke

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ATLANTA - MARCH 23: J.J. Redick #4 of the Duke Blue Devils pumps his fist during third round game of the 2006 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament Regional against the LSU Tigers at the Georgia Dome on March 23, 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by

PPG: 19.9

3pt%: .406

3pt Made: 457

Accolades: Two-time ACC Player of the Year, 2006 Naismith, Wooden, Roberson and Rupp Award winner, No. 4 jersey retired, second-leading scorer in ACC history (2,769 points)

Why Redick?: J.J. Redick holds just about every scoring and shooting record in Duke Blue Devil history. Not to mention, you know you're good when opposing fans litter you with 75 hate calls a day after figuring out your cell phone number.

Forward: Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina

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DETROIT - APRIL 04: Tyler Hansbrough #50 of the North Carolina Tar Heels looks to drive against Corey Stokes #24 of the Villanova Wildcats during the National Semifinal game of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship at Ford Field on April 4, 2

PPG: 20.2

RPG: 8.6

FG%: .535

Accolades: Four-time unanimous ACC All-Conference team, 2006 ACC Freshman of the Year, 2008 ACC Player of the Year, No. 50 jersey retired, NCAA record holder in free throws made (968), ACC all-time leading scorer (2,872), 2008 National Player of the Year

Why Hansbrough?: Hansbrough is regarded by many as the best college basketball player of the last decade. He played with incredible toughness, heart and skill for four years in the Tar Heel Blue. Also, it always seemed like he played his best against his rivals over in Durham.

Forward: Shane Battier, Duke

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4 Mar 2001: Shane Battier #31 of the Duke Blue Devils looks on from the court during the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hills, North Carolina. The Blue Devils defeated the Tar Heels 95-81.Mandatory Credit:

PPG: 13.6

RPG: 6.1

FG%: .500

Accolades: 2000-01 First Team All-American, 2000-01 Naismith Player of the Year, two-time Academic All-American, No. 31 jersey retired, three-time NABC Defensive Player of the Year

Why Battier?: Who's your daddy? Battier! Remember those chants? Shane Battier is one of the best defensive players to ever walk the wood floors of Cameron Indoor. His game spoke volumes to how true Blue Devil hoops was to be played. Pure warrior.

Forward: James Worthy, North Carolina

PPG: 15.4

RPG: 7.4

FG%: .541

Accolades: 1981 First Team All-American, 1981-82 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, No. 52 jersey retired

Why Worthy?: James was a tough one, mostly because he was often overlooked by the two other superstars on his team. The fact is that Worthy is one of the most dominant post players of his time.

Forward: Dick Groat, Duke

PPG: 23.0

FG%: .410

Accolades: 1951 Helms Foundation Player of the Year, two-time consensus First Team All-American, No. 10 jersey retired, National Collegiate Hall of Fame inductee (2007)

Why Groat?: Dick Groat was a prominent baseball player aside from being a college basketball star. His No. 10 jersey was the first to hang in the rafters of Cameron Indoor, and in his final collegiate game in 1952, Groat scored 48 points against archrival North Carolina—the most ever scored against the Tar Heels until 1989.

Forward: Sam Perkins, North Carolina

PPG: 15.9

RPG: 8.9

FG%: .576

Accolades: 1982 National Champion, member of ACC 50th Anniversary Team, two-time consensus First Team All-American

Why Perkins?: Perkins understandably may have been overshadowed by James Worthy and Michael Jordan (both are on this team), but the numbers do not lie. He's third all-time in Carolina history in points (2,145) and second in rebounds (1,167), making him worthy to play in a game like this.

Forward: Christian Laettner, Duke

PPG: 16.6

RPG: 7.8

FG%: .574

Accolades: 1991-92 First Team All-American, 1991-92 National Player of the Year, No. 32 jersey retired, 1990-91 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player

Why Laettner?: The man synonymous with the most memorable shot in college basketball history was also one of the best college players in ACC history. Laettner holds NCAA Tournament records for games played (23), points scored (407) and free throws made (142). He is also the only player in NCAA history to start in four Final Fours. An incredible feat.

Predicting the Result

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DETROIT - APRIL 06: Tyler Hansbrough #50 of the North Carolina Tar Heels celebrates with his teammates after they won 89-72 against the Michigan State Spartans during the 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship game at Ford Field on A

This is about as evenly matched as this game is going to get.

Duke is undersized, but that's because they've never really had a go-to Center that can score at will. They make up for it on the defensive end.

Coach K has proved to be the best sideline general in big game situations, but when it comes to talent on the court, Carolina reigns supreme.

I think Carolina wins this one by a narrow margin. The difference will end up being North Carolina's ability to dominate the boards and get second-chance points.

But hey, who really knows? I guess we'll have to hope for a rematch in the ACC Tournament.