Way back when, Dean Smith seemed to have plateaued as a coach, while an ascendent Mike Kryzewski took Duke to five straight Final Fours, three title games, and two national titles. “Dean must go!“ talk dominated UNC fan discussions, with the occasional flying object in support of arguments totally based in sound logic. In other words, Duke and Carolina fans have always used the rivalry as a (if not the) measuring stick. That’s not new, and it’s not unique to this rivalry. It’s pretty much always been
this way for college and pro fans alike.
Duke’s consistently been center stage in college basketball the last five years, with two #1 NBA picks, 10 first rounders, two ACC titles, and ESPN slathering the Blue Devils in nonstop adulation. UNC has two late first rounders, zero ACC titles, and Joe Lunardi occasionally sneering at UNC’s Net ranking. Duke’s been a high seed in four straight NCAA tournaments and appear headed to another one. The Tar Heels missed one altogether and scraped into last year’s. Duke has two Final Four appearances but zero wins. UNC has one Final Four appearance and one win. Both have an Elite Eight appearance in there as well. That’s not the sum total of the two programs over the past five years, but it’s a fair summary.
So, would you trade UNC’s last five seasons for Duke’s last five seasons? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
