There seems to be a dangerous attitude afoot amongst Duke fans, and the gist
of it is that Duke is just going to go over to Chapel Hill and UNC is going to
meekly give them a victory. Are you guys nuts?
This rivalry is never like that. Even when one team is clearly
superior, the other fights like a rabid dog. You don't have to look too
far back to see examples of this. You can start in 1995, when UNC was
killing a crippled Duke team in Durham before Duke rallied and took the game to
double overtime before losing. A couple of years later, Duke, with Elton
Brand still recovering from a broken foot, rallied from 17 down late in the
second half to win.
Then there's the famous 8 point comeback by UNC. What's often lost in
that is that Duke was at an all-time low, with an interim coach after the tumultuous
Bucky Water years, and still had an eight point lead in the last 16 seconds.
UNC's comeback was incredible, but they were a top 5 team and Duke was extremely
weak.
A year before that, if memory serves, or maybe two, Duke upset #3 UNC behind
Robby West. Duke was far from strong that year as well.
The point is that it's not a given that Duke will win (anyone remember a
certain Tallahassee team?). As you read this, UNC's team is plotting,
preparing, getting pumped up - and they have the advantage of being distinct
underdogs. They might have had some terrible games this year, but you
should know, if you don't, that they are going to come after Duke and come
hard. And needless to say, stealing a game from Duke would make up for a
lot of what's gone wrong this year. Clearly, Duke is having a better year and will be a heavy favorite.
It's a huge opportunity for them, not
something to just toss away, and we need to be cognizant of their passion and
determination and hope that we match it with our own.