Storied Rivalry to Reignite in Durham Tonight
Follow college basketball? If so, you are in for a treat tonight as the North Carolina Tar Heels hop on a chartered bus in Chapel Hill and travel all of seven miles to Durham and Cameron Indoor Stadium to tangle once more with their hated, but highly respected, rivals, the Duke Blue Devils. It will be a match-up every college basketball diehard looks forward to twice each year. And, as is the usual case, the unexpected is expected.
Carolina enters the game having experienced the second consecutive disapointing year. Although the team is on a solid run, having won ten of its last eleven games, the Heels have not been their accustomed dynamic force of late. They failed to make the NCAA tournament last year and since then have seen the premature and voluntary departure of three significant recruits. Still, to fully dismiss a Roy Williams squad is never a wise thing to contemplate. A master motivator and game coach, Williams can be trusted to have his charges locked and loaded for the Dookies and Cameron Crazies.
As for Duke, the recent loss to ACC opponent Miami still must sting. And, with the ongoing absence of freshman guard, Kyrie Irving, Coach K’s team faces a charging Carolina bunch a bit shorthanded. Nonetheless, the leadership and inspirational play of seniors Kyle Singlar and Nolan Smith have the Blue Devils poised for yet another deep run toward a second straight NCAA national championship.
So, tonight’s contest will be like all the others — a fierce battle between two very proud programs, neither of which will give an inch of hardwood from tip-off to final buzzer. Throw aside the records. Toss the coaches’ resumes to the wind. When Carolina meets Duke on a basketball floor, anything can happen and it’s a joy to watch. Let’s roll!
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