Even though North Carolina fell short in their cinderella Esq. title run, the
shockwaves they sent through their storied 102-year-old basketball rivalry with
Duke will be remembered for decades. In the game that each side in The Battle For
Tobacco Road had to have, and the game that each side would never get back, the
Tar Heels ensured the details of Coach K’s potential last game will be showcased
on Skipper, Bowls drive in Chapel Hill forever.
The two teams capped off an exceptional 100 game series during the Coach K Era
with a high-scoring duel for the ages. Although the win by North Carolina knots the
series at 50 wins aside, Krzyzewski’s rivalry with the Tar Heels will forever lean
slightly in favor of Carolina, largely due to the Final Four loss.
That game was also an epitome of an aspect of Coach K’s legacy at Duke in my
eyes – his team falling short with star-studded talent. Duke has had the nation’s
top recruiting class three times since 2014, all of which are three of the greatest
recruiting classes of all-time, and have only one national championship to show for
it.
Furthermore, Carolina has won the ACC regular-season more times than Duke
since Roy Williams came to Chapel Hill and has been to more final fours since
then, and more National championship games since 2014 too.
After enduring a three-game losing streak from 2019 to 2020, UNC has now won
four out of the last five matchups against Duke, including their unprecedented
Final Four haymaker.
What’s clear is that if there’s anything to be said about where Duke stands with
North Carolina post-Coach K era, it’s that while Carolina will have Duke circled on
their calendar like they always do, Duke will have North Carolina double-circled,
with a little bit of catching up to do too.
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