Hodge: Duke vs. North Carolina never disappoints — except for me

It’s the epitome of what a great rivalry should be, the two most notable Tobacco Road schools, a clash of adversaries roughly 10 miles from each other — it’s the Duke Blue Devils vs. the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Known as the greatest college basketball rivalry and one of the biggest rivalries in all of sports, Duke vs. North Carolina always seems to deliver — but it hasn’t for me.

In the last four years, I’ve had the privilege of attending three Duke vs. North Carolina men’s basketball games, including this past Saturday’s 260th installment of the battle of “blue blood” programs.

In those contests, the North Carolina Tar Heels have lost all three by a combined 26 points. Granted, 20 of those came in one game — last year’s 87-67 beat down in Chapel Hill — but, as an avid North Carolina fan, it’s been difficult to watch altogether.

If that doesn’t sound bad enough, out of six Tar Heel games I’ve been to at the Dean E. Smith Center, I’ve seen North Carolina come away with one win — a 103-90 victory over Gonzaga in 2018.

My first time watching the Duke-North Carolina rivalry in person was at the 2019 ACC tournament semifinals, where the Blue Devils crushed me — and all Tar Heel fans — by squeaking out a 74-73 win. On top of that, seeing Zion Williamson dunk all over your team doesn’t feel so good but was admittedly kind of awesome to see in-person. However, what wasn’t great was being surrounded by fans of my team’s foe and having them taunt yours truly throughout the entire game.

Saturday’s game may have been worse than that game, and the 20-point dismantling, though.

Walking into the Dean Dome, the energy felt different. The place was packed, nearly full, with several minutes left before tip-off. While that’s not unusual for Duke vs. North Carolina, the chants seemed louder and the emotions felt higher, because the stakes were bigger.

The Tar Heels needed a win to keep themselves in the NCAA Tournament discussion but failed to get the job done, losing 62-57. Caleb Love looked to replicate his miraculous 3 that eliminated Duke from the Final Four last year but failed to knock it down with 10 seconds left, and Blue Devil fans started to cheer once Dereck Lively II snatched the game-sealing rebound.

Duke and North Carolina have provided some historic games over the course of history but last year’s NCAA Tournament showing and Saturday’s meeting may be two of the more imperative ones.

I’m grateful to have witnessed one of those personally; however, the result makes it something I’d rather forget.

There were no cheers leaving the arena from the Tar Heel faithful, only chatter from those discussing the disappointing ending of what was supposed to be the win that saved the season.

For the average fan, Duke vs. North Carolina is one game that many can only dream of seeing up-close; although, for myself, maybe it’s time to save some green and watch it from the couch.