Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Everybody loves a rivalry...

Forget Christmas- the most wonderful time of the year happens tonight. That's right- it's the annual Duke/North Carolina college basketball match-up. This sporting event is almost undisputedly the most anticpated regular season competition in any sport. Coverage for the game begins hours before the match-up and almost every sports fan gets excited about the game.
So what makes a good rivalry? North Carolina and Duke squared off on the court for the first time on January 24, 1920. North Carolina came away with the win, with a victory margain of 36-25. Eighty-nine years later, the rivarly continues to be stronger than ever. Some factors that contribute to this historic rivalry include the back-forth between the two teams. The winning streak between the two is currently a mere 1- with North Carolina winning the last competition, and Duke winning the one before that. Even the overal record between the two teams is close, with North Carolina leading in wins, 128-97.
Also, contributing to the rivarly is the dominance of both teams. North Carolina boosts 26 ACC regular season championships, leading the ACC in conference wins. Duke comes in at second, with 18 ACC reagular season championships. North Carloina also leads the ACC tournament championships with 17 ACC tournament wins. Duke is in second in that category as well, a mere win behind North Carolina at 16 ACC tournament championships. Both teams play for the toughest NCAA basketball conference and excel within the conference. Duke and North Carolina have succeeded on a national level as well, with North Carolina holding the most final four appearances at 17, and Duke coming in third of all-time with 14 appearances. North Carolina has won 4 NCAA national tournamant championships, tied for 4th of all-time. Duke has won 3, tied for 5th of all-time.
So, curl up on your couch and witness the finest sporting events have to offer. I know I will be. Oh yeah, and go North Carolina!

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