As the dust continues to settle following UNC’s epic Final Four win over Duke, college basketball fans will soon begin asking a rather poignant question: Have the Tar Heels officially one-upped the Blue Devils after winning the first NCAA tournament meeting in the storied rivalry’s history?
To some, the all-time edge already belonged to UNC, who now boasts an impressive 143–115 record over Duke. But, to others, including CBS Sports reporter Jon Rothstein, the magnitude of Saturday’s night win was enough to definitively answer the question once and for all.
“North Carolina has one upped Duke for eternity, and there is nothing that any Duke fan or anybody from Duke can do about it,” Rothstein declared following the conclusion of the Final Four.
While Rothstein’s proclamation will likely garner plenty of criticism from the Cameron Crazies, his take, at least in the heat of the moment, may not be all that far-fetched.
On top of advancing to the program’s 12th national title game, UNC had the privilege of ending Mike Krzyzewski’s legendary career a month after beating Duke in Krzyzewski’s last game at Cameron Indoor. The win also evened the rivalry’s win-loss record to 50–50 in the Coach K era.
Is that enough to give UNC bragging rights for all eternity? Well, that might depend on who you ask. But rest assured, the 2021–22 Tar Heels, led by first-year coach Hubert Davis, have earned a significant place in the “Tobacco Road” rivalry and college basketball history, given the overwhelming circumstances.
No. 8 UNC will look to add another exclamation mark to its magical run on Monday night against No. 1 Kansas in the national title game.
