Top Moments in Duke-North Carolina

On Wednesday night, the Blue Devils of the world reigned supreme. On the heels of a tremendous comeback, and the incredible buzzer-beater of Austin Rivers, we experienced on the best moments of our lives.

"This game is special, it's better than any other game....the rivalry is bigger than any one of us." The words of J.J. Redick When someone asks me why I throw down for Duke as hard as I do, or why this is the greatest rivalry in the world, Wednesday night's is undeniable testimony.  Down by 10 to a potential NCAA champion, on their homecourt, with 2:15 to go, the Duke Blue Devils took down the North Carolina Tar Heels, with Austin Rivers' 3-point buzzer beater. A shot which will live in the minds of Tobacco Road participants forever. In honor of Duke's perseverance, here is a look at the top 10 moments of Duke-UNC since 1995:

10) 2010 @ Chapel Hill, Mason Plumlee's reverse jam- Tied 45-45 in a dogfight with UNC, Mason Plumlee took on Carolina's towers, Deon Thompson & Ed Davis. Skying for an offensive rebound, Mase battled the Tar Heels 2-1 down low. Then, igniting a fire, Mason blasts the heels with a reverse slam-dunk like it was nothing at all.

9) 2008, @ Chapel Hill, "It's raining 3's in Chapel Hill!"- Duke K-Oed North Carolina, treating UNC's homecourt like their own personal playground. Duke hit 13 3-pointers on 29 attempts, with Greg Paulus drilling 5 in a row.


8) 2001, @ Chapel Hill, Momentum Swing- Duke was coming off a loss to UNC, after one of their most intense meetings ever. The Devils, up 50-47, watched as UNC's Joseph Forte broke away for an uncontested dunk. Then, out of NOWHERE, Shane Battier comes from behind to block Forte's dunk; Dunleavy recovers, fires it back up court, for a Jason Williams 3-point jumper. An incredible sequence of events, from which UNC would not recover.

7) 2010, @ Duke, Heel Stomp- 2006-2009 were a painful 4 years for Blue Devil fans. Tyler Hansbrough & Danny Green led North Carolina to 4 consecutive wins in Cameron Indoor Stadium; something never accomplished before. With that being said, the 2010 Blue Devils exorcised demons with a therapeutic 32 point beat-down of UNC at home. It was a rip-roaring fun-time, which ignited Duke's championship run.

6) 2004, @ Chapel Hill, Coast 2 Coast- Leading 81-78 in overtime, UNC's Rashad McCants nailed a tying 3 with 15 seconds to go in OT. Unphased, Chris Duhon took the in-bounds pass 94 foot, straight to the basket for a reverse lay-up to win the game. Heartbreak city, in Chapel Hill, N.C.

5) 2011, @ Duke, The Comeback II- Down by 14 points at the half, Duke would have it's biggest comeback in over 50 years. Nolan Smith had a career high 34 points, with Seth Curry also putting in a career high of 22. A euphoric comeback, evidence of Duke's passion and drive to beat North Carolina.

4) 1998, @ Duke, The Comeback I- From start, until 1:00 left in the second half, Duke never led the game.  Dominated by the low-block firepower of Antawn Jamison & Vince Carter, and the speed of Ed Cota, Duke struggled to get back into the game. But on the back of soon-to-be superstar, Elton Brand, Duke came storming back to win the game 77-75, in one of the most exciting games in the history of Tobacco Road.

3) 2005, @ Duke, The Stop- Monster matchups! Redick vs. McCants, Williams vs. May, Ewing vs. Felton,  Nelson vs. (Marvin) Williams. Building up to round 1 of The Battle of Tobacco Road, the world knew this had all the makings for a game for the ages. It certainly lived up to it. Final 10 seconds, 71-70 Duke, no timeouts to either team, UNC with the ball at the top of the key. Felton picked up his dribble, looked for an option, threw the ball away, "3-2-1 They're not gonna get a shot away! DUKE'S GONNA WIN IT!" Duke stopped the #2 Tar Heels in their tracks, in one of the most dramatic finishes ever.

2) 2012, @ Chapel Hill, AUSTIN RIVERS- For all of the non-believers in this rivalry, this game is evidence that ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN IN THE DUKE-UNC GAME. Down 10 points on Carolina's homecourt, it was showtime. Tyler Thornton 3, Seth Curry 3, a Harrison Barnes charge, and Tyler Zeller tipping in a Duke shot into his OWN goal?! The stage was set; 4 seconds left at the top of the key, for Austin Rivers, 84-82 UNC: Rivers with Zeller on him, from beyond the arc, he fires with 1 second left...IT'S IN! Duke upsets the #5 North Carolina Tar Heels, IN CHAPEL HILL! At the buzzer!!!

1) 1995, @ Duke, Jeff Capel's Half-Court Shot- UNC had one of its best teams ever, with Jerry Stackhouse & Rasheed Wallace. Duke had one of its worst teams ever, having lost its upperclassmen to graduation, and Coach K for the season to back-spasms. But with the magic of Tobacco Road, Duke's undermanned team pummeled the Goliath Tar Heels for 40 minutes, up until a 99-102 deficit in OT. With 3 seconds left, UNC misses 2 free throws. And from half-court, Jeff Capel heaves a 50 ft shot, and SWISH- TIE GAME! A half-court buzzer-beating shot to stab the Tar Heels through the heart; one of the best plays in all of college basketball history.

Blue Blood 4.0: The Battle

Chapel Hill, N.C. So few cities in the United States carry the swagger such as the home of the North Carolina Tar Heels. When you hear Chapel Hill, you think of powder blue glossed across the campus of the university, you think of Michael Jordan, you think of beautiful scenery painted with pine and timber. Most of all, you think of Chapel Hill as the baby blue counterpart to the empire of the north: Durham, N.C.

Durham, N.C. A city known for business, technological research, grand scenery left over from the days of tobacco plantations. More importantly, you think of the boys in blue who dwell on the campus of Duke University. The likes of Christian Laettner, the Cameron Crazies, and Mike Krzyzewski. These are the Duke Blue Devils; these are the arch-rivals who counter the Tar Heels of the University of North Carolina. These are the legendary programs of the prestigious North Carolina universities- this is Tobacco Road. THIS is the greatest rivalry in the world, where the camps live 8 miles apart on a road painted two shades of blue.

The UNC Tar Heels come into this game ranked 5th in the nation, followed by the Duke Blue Devils ranked 9th. Duke comes off of an embarrassing loss at home to the Miami Hurricanes, who have never won in Durham in their program's lifetime. Meanwhile, the Heels are on a 5 game win streak since losing horribly at Florida State. For round 1 being played in Chapel Hill, here is the tale of the tape:

• Opening game since 2000: Duke leads, 9-3 (all 3 losses in Cameron)
• Opening game played in Chapel Hill since 2000 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010:
  Duke 6-0.
• Games played in Chapel Hill: Duke leads, 7-5
• UNC vs. Duke with Hansbrough: 6-2
• UNC vs. Duke post-Hansbrough: 1-4
• Teams played eachother 8 times since 2000 when both are ranked: Duke leads 6-2.

As you may see, history favors Duke heavily in this matchup. Throughout the season up until this point, the numbers between the two teams have been identical. However, there are departments in which both teams excel while the other trails. Keys to the game:

UNC

• Second chance points through their superior front court
• Perimeter shooting; living without Strickland or McDonald complimenting Marshall.
• Stopping the Dunk-a-thon; when the Plumlees get rolling, they're incredibly difficult to stop.
  
  
  
• Duke

• Good passing; UNC's strength is the transition. Poor passes will allow UNC to get out on the fast break, leaving Duke in the dust.
• Rebounds; limiting Zeller & Henson on the boards will be HUGE if the Devils are to continue their round 1 dominance.
• 3-Point Shooting; going up against Barnes, Henson, and Zeller means more perimeter shooting, and essential shots made from beyond the arc.

That is my take on tonight's game. This and the 2nd game played between the two teams are the biggest nights of my entire year. Bigger than the new year, more exciting than the Super Bowl, more fun than my birthday, THIS is what I live for. Broken hearts, rough days in the office and the classroom, and generally hard times come and go- but no matter what, Duke basketball is always there. It is my saving grace, this is what powers me throughout the year. And now, it is finally here, the greatest moments of my life are found in this rivalry: NORTH CAROLINA-DUKE! LETS-GO-DUKE!!!