What no thread about DUKE/UNC tonight????

[Bonbonsgrrl]

I can't believe the biggest rivalry in the ACC isn't covered here...i know this is State territory for the most part...but i'm intruiged every year when these two games pop up and tonight is the first of 2...;)

[goalie33]

State/Carolina is much more important to people who actually live here than Carolina/Duke is. Carolina/Duke is the Wal-Mart rivalry.

[Caniac]

And a figment of ESPN's imagination.

[dakuwan]

State/Carolina is much more important to people who actually live here than Carolina/Duke is. Carolina/Duke is the Wal-Mart rivalry.
Hah, i love it when its recognized for what it is. A Wal-Mart rivalry (also as an ESPN creation). Im not saying there arent die-hards all around who care but this "rivalry" is manufactured and I never even heard of it till Duke started winning championships. I grew up and it was Carolina vs State, I never met a single fan of Duke. I'll be honest, I didnt even know Duke was in North Carolina before they won their championship. When you started school the question was are you for Carolina or State.

Is it a good game, sure. Do people care about it, of course. Is it the rivalry the entire country seems to make it out to be? No. It is the rivalry to those that buy their shirts at Wal-Mart, to those that are spoon fed by the media, and most importantly to those that DID NOT GO to the schools. State and Carolina play in ping pong and Raleigh and Chapel Hill hold their breaths.

The sad state of it all is that the newer students are growing up on the media rivalry and forgetting what the real rivalry was. Hopefully Lowe can bring State back to the point where it is a contest each and every time, like it was last Saturday, and people will again realize what rivalry matters.

When Duke and Carolina play, we all lose. We lose almost every single sporting news source to the media rivalry and its ridiculous. So lets get it over with and move on.

My .02

[SouthernHockeyChick]

I agree, the State/UNC thing is really a much bigger deal. That was evident from the reaction of my many UNC graduate co-workers after Saturday's game. They seriously seemed to think the sky was falling and some terrible wrong had been exacted on them by the universe, lol. Seemed a more much severe reaction than when they've lost to Duke.

[nccanes]

Interesting discussion.

But my question is....do the players wearing the two shades of blue think this is the biggest rivalry? If they do - it's tough to see the State/UNC as being bigger - if the primary combatants don't buy into it. Alumini? Sure - I'd buy that.

[Caniac]

The ones buying tickets and driving the tv ratings are the only ones that matter.

The biggest rivalry in the country might be between Southern Harker's Island Tech and the Highland Beauty School for Men but we'd never know because ESPN doesn't have a teaser on two weeks in advance everytime they play.

Give Sidney Lowe another year or two and you'll hear the powder blue faithful change their tune about the rivalry's standing.

[Bonbonsgrrl]

in my honest opinon...when any of the three play each other duke/ncsu or ncsu/unc or unc/duke i think they are all highly rivalrized (is that a word?) considering all 3 are within driving distance of one another.
with the rivalries, thats why i don't think the Wake Forest rivalry is as high...if it were still in Wake Forest....sure it'd be a great 4 way rivalry...but now its 2 hours away

[livinthedream]

When I was at State, we couldn't give two hoots about Duke. The rivalry was State/Carolina all the way. Nothing else mattered, and nothing came close to it. Admittedly that was a longggggg time ago, way before Coach K.

Over time (20+ years), I've mellowed a lot when it comes to the State/Carolina rivalry. It's still a big-time rivalry to me, but it's fun and I don't come away with hard feelings like I used to (except when we kept losing football games and I wished for Chuck's firing).

But now with the maturity of my advanced age, I can honestly say that I now effing hate Duke. And it has nothing to do with sports rivalry. I just generally despise everything about them.

[livinthedream]

Okay, so that last post was a little severe, sorry if I ran over any Duke fans here, but I have occasion to interact with Duke personnel, and I constantly get the "we're Duke, we're more special than everyone else" attitude. Got it again today which is why I'm a tad touchy. :beatup:

So, I'm totally cool with tonight's outcome. :D

[ONeillsNo1Fan]

*cough*

:D

And this is a VERY happy birthday present for our very own tommy.

[Serendipity]

I graduated from Carolina in '00 and State/Carolina was never what Carolina/Duke is the time I was there. Sure, if we lose to State, we hate it, but if we lose to Duke, the world is ending. :lol: The Carolina/Duke rivalry is huuuuuge.

I mean, people, come on. When Duke lost the National Championship in 1999, we were celebrating on Franklin Street with bonfires. Carolina lost in the first round, but we were more excited that our rivals lost. That's jacked up.

Now, is the rivalry overhyped? Sure. What isn't these days? The media sucks.

[goalie33]

The point is that there was no national-attention-sized rivalry between Duke and Carolina fifteen years ago. It developed because Duke got good and State got bad. The sanctions against State really set the program back, and good ol' Les eventually got in way over his head. Herb turned the State program around but treated the Carolina game like any other, and so that rivalry took a back seat to Duke/Carolina because they were perennial powers.

I'd never argue that there isn't a rivalry between Duke and Carolina, because there certainly is, and it's certainly significant. But it's only been developed and noticed recently because Herb wasn't interested in holding up State's end of the bargain.

In 1990, State and Carolina both had two national championships. Duke had none. State had 10 ACC championships, Carolina 11, and Duke 7. Everything started changing from then on out on the floor, but the fans never changed.

The main difference I see between the two is that the Carolina fans hate losing to Duke and the Duke fans hate losing to Carolina, but close friends and familial relationships aside, there's palpable hatred and disgust between State and Carolina. I forget which player said it, but it was something along the lines of, "The Duke students will make you laugh, but the State students will make you cry."

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/9832/gthcar23ughd7.jpg

[Serendipity]

I understand your point; historically, sure. I mean, we scream "Go to hell State" in our fight song. Rivalries come and go when teams get good. It's really a credit to Duke what they've been able to do since 1990. The rivalry is certainly not a media creation--one of the these two teams has played in the title game 8 times since 1990. Whether the media overblows the rivalry (in my opinion they do) is a different issue. You can bet that the next time State and Carolina play the media is going to be all over it.

In my opinion, the Duke/Carolina rivalry has crossed over from sports and there is a real distaste for either school aside from who wins on the basketball court (although it certainly stemmed from sports). Most of my friends from college do not feel that way about State. Maybe the students at State feel that way about Carolina; I don't know.

Unless Duke somehow stumbles to the basement at the same time State becomes a national powerhouse, I doubt that the Carolina/State rivalry would ever be what it used to be.

[corylav]

whoever's winning games make the rivalry big ... Duke-UNC the best teams? That rivalry's the biggest. UNC-State? Even Maryland-Duke was a huge deal in the Juan Dixon/Steve Blake days.

[Solracer]

Guess its just a down year for my Blue Devils.. :(

[Serendipity]

Guess its just a down year for my Blue Devils.. :(

Maybe by Duke's standards, but some teams would kill to be 18-6 overall! I wouldn't count out Duke...they always find a way to win somehow.

[dakuwan]

... Rivalries come and go when teams get good. It's really a credit to Duke what they've been able to do since 1990. The rivalry is certainly not a media creation--one of the these two teams has played in the title game 8 times since 1990. Whether the media overblows the rivalry (in my opinion they do) is a different issue. You can bet that the next time State and Carolina play the media is going to be all over it.

Dont take this personally, as I dont mean it so, but ive heard that argument from tons of people. That explanation the media's justification for the "rivalry". A real rivalry exists no matter what the records are. If both teams are undefeated it matters, if both teams are winless it matters, if one is doing great and the other bad it still matters. Caring about a game because they're both doing well and won x# of titles smacks of jealousy and not rivlalry (from both sides). It means when one of the teams starts to do badly the Wal-Mart fans will switch to the next "rivalry". Real rivalries do not depend on stats and records, they're more than that.

In my opinion, the Duke/Carolina rivalry has crossed over from sports and there is a real distaste for either school aside from who wins on the basketball court (although it certainly stemmed from sports). Most of my friends from college do not feel that way about State. Maybe the students at State feel that way about Carolina; I don't know.

This smacks of the "Carolina Complex" that everyone hates. We're too important to care about you, when in reality we do but we're not going to give you the satisfaction. By graduating in 2000 it means you were brought through high school and into college only hearing and being fed the media "rivalry" as were all students from the 90's on. As I said in a previous post the real rivalries are being crushed under what the media says should be the rivalries rather than recognizing and playing up the real rivalries. (Which is what Bettman is doing with the new schedule and splitting up natural rivals by the way)

Unless Duke somehow stumbles to the basement at the same time State becomes a national powerhouse, I doubt that the Carolina/State rivalry would ever be what it used to be.

See above, rivalries do not depend on records, they simply exist. I do want to reiterate that this is meant as a general reply to this argument and not specifically directed to you Serendipity. I hear this all the time and it needs a rebuff.

[Serendipity]

I don't take it personally, but I don't understand the rationale that just because Carolina/State historically was a rivalry, why it must be so now. Times change, people change. Rivalries have to start somewhere and they usually start when two powerhouses meet and keep clashing through the years, i.e. Duke/Carolina.

The ACC is extremely competitive and any team is really capable of beating any other team. Why does it matter who is who's biggest rival? Some games are more intense than others; they're all important. The real problem is that people should ignore the media and make up their own minds.

I feel I've made my argument without insulting State or its fans (or even Duke and their fans, because I respect both teams equally), without referring to Wal-Mart (which I don't even understand) or a "State Complex."

[Caniac]

I feel I've made my argument without insulting State or its fans (or even Duke and their fans, because I respect both teams equally), without referring to Wal-Mart (which I don't even understand) or a "State Complex."

Walk into a Walmart. Wade through the UNC t-shirts in search of Duke stuff and when you find that dig around looking for NC State stuff.

You will then be in understanding.

[Serendipity]

So are you saying that Carolina fans typically shop at Wal-Mart (and that there is some kind of negative implication there) or are you upset that Wal-Mart doesn't carry State merchandise? Either way, I don't see the relevance to any real or perceived rivalry between the teams.

[Bonbonsgrrl]

shoot Go to WalMart in Wake Forest they carry everything Duke/UNC/State/Hurricanes even other ACC teams occasionally i've seen a VA Tech or Maryland stuff in there.

i mean there is no denying that the last i'd say 6 or so years of my life the biggest rivalry has been Duke/UNC.
i'm not a college basketball fan but i know the State fight song and don't they knock all the NC acc teams
-go to hell carolina, duke and deacs stand in line- right???

[dakuwan]

So are you saying that Carolina fans typically shop at Wal-Mart (and that there is some kind of negative implication there) or are you upset that Wal-Mart doesn't carry State merchandise? Either way, I don't see the relevance to any real or perceived rivalry between the teams.

The relevance is that the majority of the fanbases that support this "rivalry" are just random people that buy into it, not fans. They get their gear from Wal-Mart, Target, etc, wherever they see it and they believe its a rivalry because of the media and gear prevalence in Wal-Marts (ie any store but Wal-Mart is more recognized). Hence they're Wal-Mart fans who didnt go to any of the schools and a Wal-Mart rivalry they support they're told too, because its fashionable, etc. By doing so they falsely inflate the sense of rivalry and perpetuate the myth. Sheep. Ask 90% of the people wearing Duke or Carolina gear when did they graduate and see how many say they went.

[puck_it]

Walmart fans are the band wagoners with no ties to the university other than what they buy at walmart. some times theyre totally oblivious, like the person who said to me, "dean smith and his boys are gonna whoop up on your wolf pack..." dean smith had been out of coaching for YEARS at this point. All they get is the hype from espn.

State has its share, but the ammount and reach of the walmarters is WAY smaller.

[Serendipity]

The relevance is that the majority of the fanbases that support this "rivalry" are just random people that buy into it, not fans.

But I don't understand what difference it makes? Who cares how/why they are fans? If they are fans because they like Carolina blue, or they like the way the Duke sweatshirt fits, I could care less. There are "ignorant" fans of every team; there's nothing special about Duke or Carolina. There's a dangerous line there saying that people can't be fans if they didn't go to school there.

Eh, it's all just pointless arguing anyway.

[dakuwan]

But I don't understand what difference it makes? Who cares how/why they are fans? If they are fans because they like Carolina blue, or they like the way the Duke sweatshirt fits, I could care less. There are "ignorant" fans of every team; there's nothing special about Duke or Carolina. There's a dangerous line there saying that people can't be fans if they didn't go to school there.

Eh, it's all just pointless arguing anyway.
Its not that they cant be fans, its that they misrepresent themselves normally and these are the people who deny there is a State/Carolina rivalry cause they just parrot the media. Those that actually attend the schools usually will acknowledge the rivalries. Its extremely frustrating for an outsider to deny what those who went to the schools will acknowledge. Well thats partially true, most Carolina fans wont acknowlege State as a rivalry cause they were brought up on the media or are just trying to tick off State fans.

I cant say about Duke fans because I rarely encounter one. The few I have couldnt care less about Carolina or State.

[puck_it]

it is a big deal when fans with no ties question our choice of rooting for a school or call you an idiot for rooting for rooting for a school, when we actually went to school there.

as much as i hate any one school, i wouldnt ever challenge someones affiliation if they went to school there.

[dakuwan]

it is a big deal when fans with no ties question our choice of rooting for a school or call you an idiot for rooting for rooting for a school, when we actually went to school there.

as much as i hate any one school, i wouldnt ever challenge someones affiliation if they went to school there.

Seconded. :D

[Serendipity]

it is a big deal when fans with no ties question our choice of rooting for a school or call you an idiot for rooting for rooting for a school, when we actually went to school there.

as much as i hate any one school, i wouldnt ever challenge someones affiliation if they went to school there.

I don't think anyone on this board is doing that. Like I said, there are ignorant fans of every team. Even the 'Canes (met one yesterday).

[puck_it]

oh no absolutely not. nobody here has done anything to my knowledge. But this board tends to tap from a pool of more intellegent, non dumb ass people.

i was just getting at why walmart fans are called walmart fans and why we hate them so much.

[Serendipity]

oh no absolutely not. nobody here has done anything to my knowledge. But this board tends to tap from a pool of more intellegent, non dumb ass people.

i was just getting at why walmart fans are called walmart fans and why we hate them so much.

I gotcha. This board is definitely of a higher caliber intelligence. I enjoy it immensely. :D

[SouthernHockeyChick]

An example of the WalMart thing.....I have a cousin in Pennsylvania. Ever since he was a kid, when he'd never, ever even set foot in NC, he's been a UNC fan. I've never gotten where the hell that came from and how on earth he had more crap from a school in the state where I live, than anyone else I knew.

The media has somehow lifted UNC up so that there are fans all over the country. How on earth does someone from Idaho pull for UNC? I just don't get it.

And it all started with the most boring-ass Dean Smith stall-ball. How in god's name did anyone watch that and think to themselves "This is awesome!" :huh:

[SouthernHockeyChick]

I gotcha. This board is definitely of a higher caliber intelligence.

That's just cause I'm skewing the curve. :beatup:

[puck_it]

And it all started with the most boring-ass Dean Smith stall-ball. How in god's name did anyone watch that and think to themselves "This is awesome!" :huh:

devils fans? :beatup:

[livinthedream]

The media has somehow lifted UNC up so that there are fans all over the country. How on earth does someone from Idaho pull for UNC? I just don't get it.

I think perpetuating the UNC media hype is part of the curriculum at their School of Journalism.

[Caniac]

BOOYAH!

[Serendipity]

I think perpetuating the UNC media hype is part of the curriculum at their School of Journalism.

Definitely not. J-school would have been a lot more fun if it had. :D

[Shell]

As far as fans far away liking UNC, I can see it, and it may just be because of the rivarly :lol: Guyute grew up in South Jersey hating Duke with a passion because of the ego monsters they were at that time.. I could see him pulling for the opposite team to win :shrug: Though, he didn't personally, he is a St. Joe's fan.

I went to school in NY so it doesn't sound like I am entitled to be here anyway though ;)

[dakuwan]

Before I found out Duke was in NC I always thought they were from somewhere up north. Duke fans didnt exist in my hometown till they one their first championship. Then the bandwagon started rolling along for them.

[Jay]

I think perpetuating the UNC media hype is part of the curriculum at their School of Journalism.

Hah, I've always thought the same thing.

[goalie33]

I should clarify the Wal-Mart idea. It's not about a Wal-Mart in Cary or Durham or Wakefield. It's not about shopping at Wal-Mart; I shop there all the time. The point is that there are Wal-Marts all over this country, and every single one of them sells Duke & Carolina t-shirts and hats. There's a dude in Idaho who's a Carolina fan instead of a Boise State fan because the TV told him to pick one or the other and he can buy the shirt at Wal-Mart.

[OswegoExpress]

Battle of the Blues: Part 2 @ 4:00

[Serendipity]

Woo-hoo! Go Heels :D

That was bad shot that Hansbrough took at the end of the game. I agree with the announcers that Henderson was going for the ball and there wasn't any intent to injure. I'm very surprised he was ejected and suspended a game. I hope Hansbrough's nose isn't broken.

[puckin_A]

An example of the WalMart thing.....I have a cousin in Pennsylvania. Ever since he was a kid, when he'd never, ever even set foot in NC, he's been a UNC fan. I've never gotten where the hell that came from and how on earth he had more crap from a school in the state where I live, than anyone else I knew.

The media has somehow lifted UNC up so that there are fans all over the country. How on earth does someone from Idaho pull for UNC? I just don't get it.



Michael Jordan has helped make UNC famous but also the logo is hugely popular across the nation, for whatever reason.

Did I go there? Nope. AM I a huge UNC fan. YEP. But I don't waiver. I stick with them thru thick and thin and have for years. I also will cheer for STATE only IF they aren't playing UNC. DOOK? NEVER!! ;) (ok if they are in the NCAA finals and no ones else from Carolina is, I might root them on) .....I became a fan by force lol......My close friend that lives here that went to UNC met me and my son at the airport when we moved here with UNC hats and t-shirts!! (cracks me up to think about that) to make sure we were going to support her school right off the back. I got into it the first year, nine years ago, and never looked back.

(not that I have to justify my aliance to YOU PEOPLE!) :p lol

anyway.......UNC rocked today!! Both boys and girls!! WOOT!!


Congrats to the UNC women for winning the ACC CHAMPIONSHIP!! yeahhhhhh

[Serendipity]

Congrats to the UNC women for winning the ACC CHAMPIONSHIP!!

Doh! I completely forgot about the UNC women! Congrats to them. And thanks to the NC State women's team for beating Duke. That was sweet. Kay Yow is awesome and what an inspiration for her team.

[Bonbonsgrrl]

Good that the Womens tournament is over.....I honestly WISH WISH WISH they would push it back a few weeks because being at UNC Greensboro SUCKS during tournament time. Our spring break is during the ACC tournaments and last year it was still FREEZING outside so it wasn't much of a "spring" break. Traffic SUCKS and Park and Ride from the lot to campus is lame.
BUUUUUT then again i guess that is just the benefit of living 2 minutes from the coliseum too...traffic traffic traffic..........and it doesn't even get us out of class

[dakuwan]

I would say what would be baiting would be bringing that carolina/duke is a manufactured rialvary in the first place. You are probably correct in this really is not the thread to discuss this, however I am sure part of the reason the majority here feel that the Carolina/duke rivalry is manufacture is because there are a majority of state fans on this board.
Moved from the March Madness thread to reply since this is where the majority of this discussion has taken place.

Its far more baiting to deny its manufactured when there is a clear majority on this board that know it is. Whether its true or not *cough*it obviously is*cough* the majority here does accept it, even UNC/Duke fans that have been fans longer than a decade and not spoonfed what to believe will grant its a media rivalry.

Hence, baiting if its posted where a vast majority are of the opposite opinion which is here.

Lots of UNC/Duke fans will admit it is a media rivalry however they will argue that it doesnt matter because its more competetive lately, a position some state fans I know take as well. That's probably true but does not discount the source. I argue, however, that a rivalry isnt a rivalry if it doesnt exist because one team is no longer a legitimate threat.

Note, im not trying to make a personal attack or anything just pointing out why I referred to it as baiting.

[Solracer]

That a rivalry isnt a rivalry if it doesnt exist because one team is no longer a legitimate threat.



Then at my workplace, which is populated with several UNC Grads, Duke Carolina is the better rivalry that State/UNC, as they have all said they would rather beat Duke than State. To them the State Rivalry is second class to the Duke Rivalry

I have been a Duke Fan Since Mike Gminski was a center for them. I work with about 10 to 15 Carolina fans, and trust me I see them get more excited for the Duke games than the state games. IMHO The Media did not create this rivalry like so many of the State Fans on this board seem to think, they over hype it like crazy when I think it is unnecessary, especially when both teams are Ranked in the top 10 or top 5 like they have been so many times.

I will say I really don't care which rilvalry is better or more real, a true rivalry is create by both the players and the people who are fans of the team, the media can only try to build on the hype and make it seem bigger than life. I just think it silly to hear people say that the Duke/Carolina Rialvary is a media creation.

[Shell]

I have to agree. As an unbiased outsider, the people I work with who are Duke and UNC fans go after each other WAY more than the State fans do. I hear "Anyone but Duke" and "Anyone but Carolina" all the time but I have never heard anyone say "Anyone but State"

[dakuwan]

I have to agree. As an unbiased outsider, the people I work with who are Duke and UNC fans go after each other WAY more than the State fans do. I hear "Anyone but Duke" and "Anyone but Carolina" all the time but I have never heard anyone say "Anyone but State"
The statement above has no bearing on the rivalry being manufactured, its only a justification of the "rivalry" meaning more at this moment. Ask those guys when they became fans, when they went to the school, or when did they graduate. You'll find out quickly why they became fans and prove the point. Though most likely they'll give the generic answer "Ive always been a fan".

To me anyone who cant answer one of those three questions with a real answer has no weight to me. SolRacer threw out a fact by dropping Gminski that a real fan would know, which makes his opinion valid to me, not the "I like [blank] cause they're the best." or throw out Jordan, Hill, Valvano or some other name that anyone on earth knows.

The real proof will be when one of the teams starts to suck again and then the "rivalry" will fall apart because it doenst have a resonance. When Carolina was on their 20 loss season you didnt hear about the Duke game, before Coach K started winning you never heard about the Carolina game (or heard about Duke fans). Look at this year, because Duke wasnt as good as they usually were the game wasnt anywhere near as covered as last year.

Thats why its manufactured because it falls apart based on whose doing good and whose doing bad. Thats convenience, not rivalry.

Personally Duke never has and never will matter to me. When I grew up and was a Carolina fan, I never heard of Duke, met a Duke fan, or heard of this huge important rivalry. After I had to choose schools and toured Carolina and realized what pompous pricks everyone there acted like (thought Ive met decent people that go to Carolina since) and chose to go to State I still didnt hear of this rivalry. It wasnt till around the mid 90's that the media started creating this rivalry and I started hearing about it and seeing the Wal-Mart shelves get stocked. My timing may be off on the creation but thats when I started noticing it.

Ive lived in NC all my life so its not like I didnt have the opportunity to find out about this "rivalry" if it was real but I never did. Thirty-One years in one state and never hearing anything about it, only learning about it from the national media says a ton to me about its significance.

[Shell]

OK, so my follow up question is: Who cares? lol
It's just a game for fun. does it matter if people really hate the other team with as much rabidity as people claim? Do you just feel that State is slighted because the media doesn't talk about how much people hate them too? I guess I am missing the point?
However, I moved here from elsewhere and didn't go to college here so from what I have read that means I shouldn't pick any team to like because I don't have enough validity.
http://edinburgh-printmakers.co.uk/artpages/nicola_murray/mountainmolehill.jpg

[Guyute]

I also go with "Who the **** cares?". And I'll chip in my other thought of if you two (dakuwan and solracer) want to continue going with this ad nauseum, maybe you could spare the rest of us. Not saying you "have to"... but consider it. It's become a conversation that really is a 2 person discussion.

[dakuwan]

Edited to Remove

Sorry, Ill refrain from all ACC posts going forward.

[Shell]

Well, UNC/Duke fans care, nothing gets them more riled up than to question their sacred right of privelage and entitlement to having the best of everything. Ones an Ivy League wannabe and the other is a state university that wants to be a wannabe too. Point out the facts and watch them start foaming at the mouth and sticking their nose up in the air about how "you" (meaning a fan from wherever) dont matter.


OK, here is where I draw the line. The rule still stands that if you want to discuss the ACC, you must do it in a way that does not insult the other fans. You are throwing a lot of nasty generalizations around and that has to stop immediately.

[Solracer]

OK, so my follow up question is: Who cares? lol
It's just a game for fun. does it matter if people really hate the other team with as much rabidity as people claim? Do you just feel that State is slighted because the media doesn't talk about how much people hate them too? I guess I am missing the point?
However, I moved here from elsewhere and didn't go to college here so from what I have read that means I shouldn't pick any team to like because I don't have enough validity.


Well Said, and I agree whole heartily.

I will also say, I really don't care, I just fell into that old message board trap of feeling like I have to respond to everything. In the End all that matters is I like Duke, I believe that the Duke/Carolina Rivalry is one of the best rivalries in college sports, and there is not much that anyone can say that is going to change my opinion.