Barry Jacobs On Winning & Losing In Durham & Chapel Hill
Virginia Tech’s overtime victory the other night at Chapel Hill was more than just a big upset. It marked more than an end to the Tar Heels’ quest for a fourth undefeated season at the Smith Center since moving there 21 seasons ago, more than the sixth straight overtime defeat for UNC, more than a sweep of the home-and-home season series with the Heels. (Something Clemson has never done, incidentally.)The Hokie win, coupled with a triumph in January at Duke, constituted a remarkable statement of arrival for coach Seth Greenberg and his program. In its third year as an ACC member, Virginia Tech accomplished a feat matched just twice in the past quarter-century and a mere five times in modern conference history, which we date to 1980, when Georgia Tech joined the league.
During that period, there have not been all that many years in which the hosts were particularly vulnerable. Duke has gone undefeated at home seven times since 1986. Three more times, the Blue Devils’ only loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium came against North Carolina. The Tar Heels posted unblemished home records four times since 1984.
Sweeping the schools tied loosely by the umbilical cord of US 15-501 was much more common in the ACC’s early years. From 1954 through 1977, nine teams won at both Durham and Chapel Hill in the same season, including every year from 1973 through 1977.
Since then just six teams, counting Virginia Tech, won at both venues in the same season. The last team to do it was Georgia Tech in 1996, the most recent season the Yellow Jackets finished first in the ACC.
Wake Forest doubled up at Durham and Chapel Hill more than anybody else in modern times, beating Duke and UNC on their homecourts in 1981 and 1982 under Carl Tacy and in 1995 under Dave Odom. Terry Holland’s Virginia squad with Ralph Sampson, Jeff Lamp, Lee Raker and Jeff Jones also visited and bested both in 1981.
Since 1980, only that ‘81 Virginia squad and Georgia Tech coached by Bobby Cremins in ‘96 defeated both Duke and UNC in round-robin competition, that is home-and-home, in the same season. Virginia Tech already beat the Tar Heels in Blacksburg this year, but Duke is not making a visit to Cassell Coliseum in ‘07 thanks to the unbalanced schedule of an expanded league.
Coleman Collins, the Hokie senior, said he expected his team might meet the Devils again “in the tournament.” The boyhood Tar Heel fan was asked which tournament he meant. “The ACC Tournament,” Collins replied, noting he didn’t want to jinx making the NCAAs, which Virginia Tech last visited in 1996, by speaking the name of that tournament aloud.
Next up for Virginia Tech is a Sunday game at N.C. State. Of the five modern squads to sweep UNC and Duke on their home floors, four also won that season at N.C. State, making their rare Triangle conquests complete.
| HAPPY TRAILS | ||||
|
Visiting Teams Victorious At Duke And/Or UNC Since Advent Of ACC |
||||
| Season | Beat Duke At Home | Overall Duke Home Record | Beat UNC At Home | Overall UNC Home Record |
| 2007 | VT,FSU,NC | 14-3$ | VT | 14-1$ |
| 2006 | NC | 14-1 | Mia,BC,D,Illinois | 12-4 |
| 2005 | M | 14-1 | UNBEATEN | 15-0 |
| 2004 | GT | 14-1 | WF, D | 12-2 |
| 2003 | UNBEATEN | 15-0 | M,WF,NCS,Ky | 11-4 |
| 2002 | UNBEATEN | 13-0 | WF,V,NCS,M,D,Ind,Hampt, Davidson,Ohio | 6-9 |
| 2001 | M,NC | 13-2 | Ky,D | 12-2 |
| 2000 | M,St. John’s | 13-2 | FSU,V,D,UCLA, Michigan State | 7-5 |
| 1999 | UNBEATEN | 14-0 | M,D | 12-2 |
| 1998 | UNBEATEN | 15-0 | NCS | 12-1 |
| 1997 | WF, Michigan | 15-2 | M | 11-1 |
| 1996 | GT,WF,NC,Illinois | 11-4 | M,GT,FSU | 9-3 |
| 1995 | C,V,NCS,WF,M,NC | 8-6 | WF | 12-1 |
| 1994 | WF,NC | 15-2 | GT | 14-1 |
| 1993 | V,WF | 14-2 | UNBEATEN | 12-0 |
| 1992 | UNBEATEN | 13-0 | FSU,NCS | 13-2 |
| 1991 | UNBEATEN | 16-0 | GT,D | 11-2 |
| 1990 | NC | 13-1 | NCS,M | 11-2 |
| 1989 | NC | 14-1 | D,Iowa | 12-2 |
| 1988 | M,NCS | 12-2 | D,Temple | 9-2 |
| 1987 | GT,NC | 14-2 | UNBEATEN | 13-0 |
| 1986 | UNBEATEN | 15-0 | M | 11-1 |
| 1985 | WF,NCS,NC | 12-3 | GT,D | 7-2 |
| 1984 | M,NCS,GT,C,NC | 11-5 | UNBEATEN | 9-0 |
| 1983 | V,WF,M,NCS,NC, Wagner,Louisville | 9-7 | Villanova | 8-1 |
| 1982 | M,V,WF,NC,Vandy, App. St., Davidson | 8-7 | WF | 9-1 |
| 1981 | V,WF,NCS | 9-3 | V,WF | 7-2 |
| 1980 | V,NC | 10-2 | M | 8-1 |
| 1979 | Pittsburgh | 11-1 | UNBEATEN | 9-0 |
| 1978 | UNBEATEN | 12-0 | UNBEATEN | 10-0 |
| 1977 | C,NCS,WF,M,NC | 6-5 | WF | 7-1 |
| 1976 | NCS,C,NC, Tenn. | 8-4 | NCS | 8-1 |
| 1975 | NCS,V,M,NC | 8-4 | M | 9-1 |
| 1974 | WF,NCS,M,NC | 7-4 | NCS | 9-1 |
| 1973 | NCS,NC | 8-2 | V,NCS, Miami (O) | 6-3 |
| 1972 | V,Penn | 10-2 | UNBEATEN | 9-0 |
| 1971 | NCS,M | 8-2 | UNBEATEN | 9-0 |
| 1970 | NCS,SC# | 8-2 | WF,SC# | 7-2 |
| 1969 | NCS,SC#,Michigan, East Tenn. St. | 6-4 | UNBEATEN | 9-0 |
| 1968 | SC# | 9-1 | SC# | 8-1 |
| 1967 | NC | 8-1 | Princeton | 8-1 |
| 1966 | UNBEATEN | 10-0 | VT&,D | 8-2 |
| 1965 | NC,Michigan | 8-2 | NCS,M | 5-2 |
| 1964 | UNBEATEN | 10-0 | VT&,D | 6-2 |
| 1963 | UNBEATEN | 11-0 | WF,D | 6-2 |
| 1962 | NCS | 11-1 | WF,D | 4-2 |
| 1961 | UNBEATEN | 8-0 | UNBEATEN | 7-0 |
| 1960 | M,WF,NC,GT& | 5-4 | WF | 5-1 |
| 1959 | NCS,NC,Ky | 7-3 | UNBEATEN | 6-0 |
| 1958 | UNBEATEN | 9-0 | NCS,D | 8-2 |
| 1957 | NC | 8-1 | UNBEATEN | 8-0 |
| 1956 | WF | 9-1 | UNBEATEN | 11-0 |
| 1955 | NCS | 9-1 | M,NCS,D | 3-3 |
| 1954 | George Washington | 10-1 | NCS,WF,D | 7-3 |
- $ Two home games remain.
- # Prior to withdrawal from ACC.
- & Prior to becoming member of ACC.
* North Carolina’s apparently light home schedules in previous years are a bit deceptive. Often, home games were moved to Greensboro or Charlotte, usually against nonconference opponents.
* Nine teams — N.C. State in 1955, Wake Forest in 1960, South Carolina in 1970, N.C. State in 1973 and 1974, Maryland in 1975, Virginia in 1981, Wake Forest in 1995 and Georgia Tech in 1996 — won at Durham and Chapel Hill en route to finishing first or tied for first in the ACC.
* Of the 14 teams to win at UNC and Duke in the same season, only N.C. State in 1974 and Virginia in 1981 advanced to the Final Four. The Wolfpack won the NCAA title.
* Among modern teams, Virginia in 1981, Wake in 1982 and 1995, and Georgia Tech in 1996 won at Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State. Only Wake in ‘81 failed to complete the deal.
* Duke has beaten UNC at Cameron Indoor Stadium 14 times in the past three decades, including 8 of the last 11 meetings. The Heels have beaten the Blue Devils at Chapel Hill 19 times in 29 tries since ‘78, with a game yet to come at the Smith Center on March 4. Duke has won six of the last 8 games at UNC.
* Duke has lost 17 home nonconference games since 1954, nine in the past 30 years. UNC has lost 16, 11 in the past 20 years.
* Duke’s sole home loss in 1957, 1967, 1989, 1990 and 2006 came against North Carolina. Oddly, the Heels suffered at least two home defeats in each season they fell to Duke at Chapel Hill. * Since the start of the ACC, North Carolina suffered a single losing season at home, going 6-9 under Matt Doherty in 2002. Duke has come close, finishing 5-4 at Cameron in 1960 under Vic Bubas, 6-5 in 1977 for Bill Foster, and 8-7 in 1982, Mike Krzyzewski’s second season at Durham.
All charts by Barry Jacobs are the property of Barry Jacobs. The charts cannot be reproduced or disseminated without express written permission of Barry Jacobs.
