Everybody who’s played, coached, or even paid close attention to the North Carolina-Duke rivalry over the years has got an opinion on it, whether it be recollections of watching games, participating in said games or ranking where the Tobacco Road rivalry fits into other famous sports feuds.
Here, from UNC and Duke’s Tuesday media availability (plus the ACC coaches’ teleconference Monday), are some reflections from both sides going into the first matchup between the two teams this year.
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UNC junior forward Reggie Bullock (5.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg over 3 games vs. Duke)
“Getting a win (at Cameron) last season, just beating Duke at home is always great … the main thing I remember from when I was a kid is Jerry Stackhouse doing that dunk (in 1995, a reverse dunk over two Blue Devils). Me being from Kinston, him from Kinston, I just thought it was really cool.”
(Bullock was 3 when that dunk happened)
“I wasn’t that old. But it’s always a talk around Kinston. People always remember it.”
“If you get onto them early, take the crowd out of it early, it’s basically just like playing anywhere else in the nation.”
Duke sophomore guard Quinn Cook (3.0 ppg, 1.5 apg over 2 games vs. UNC)
“I’ve been playing (former Dudley star) P.J. Hairston all my life. I’ve been playing against Reggie Bullock. Me and James (Michael) McAdoo were captains on the 16-and-under and 17-and-under national team. I’m pretty close with a lot of them … McAdoo doesn’t get the credit he deserves. I think he’s having a great year. He’s one of the best players I’ve ever played with.”
“It’s a dream come true. It’s something every young basketball player watches and wants to have a chance to play in a rivalry. Duke-UNC is up there with the rivalries, with Celtics-Lakers, Boston Red Sox-Yankees. It’s in the same sentence. Everybody wants to grow up and play in that. To finally be in it says a lot about the hard work everyone on the UNC side and Duke side has put in. We’re going to make the most of it.”
“Nolan (Smith) in his senior year, the comeback two years ago (a 79-73 Duke win). That was one I really remember, just to see Nolan and Seth (Curry) take over the game. Ryan (Kelly) hit some big shots. Mason (Plumlee) had a big dunk. They all just fought hard. And that UNC team was great.”
Duke senior guard Seth Curry (16.0 ppg, 52.9 3-point% over 5 games vs. UNC)
(on getting the youngsters ready for the UNC game)
“You try to tell them about the energy, but you don’t want to tell them too much to get them nervous. We try to keep them in the same routine and try to have them experience it for themselves. We don’t try to get them too hyped up, because that just comes with the game. You try to tell them a little bit, but not too much.”
Duke senior forward Mason Plumlee (5.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg over 7 games vs. UNC)
“I just want to make sure we win (my last home game against UNC). Winning’s the priority. I figure I’ll have plenty of time to look back after I’m gone. I just want to make sure I do it right while I’m here.”
UNC senior guard Dexter Strickland (3.8 ppg, 2.0 apg over 5 games vs. Duke)
“When we drove into the parking lot (at Cameron), I think it was my sophomore year. They were throwing things at the bus. And I was like, ‘Wow, we can’t even get a nice entrance into the gym.’ That was just a sample of how the fans are deeply involved, how intense the games are.”
“All my friends went there. Kyrie (Irving), he went there. Austin (Rivers), my girlfriend (Callie’s) brother went there. Quinn Cook is a good friend of mine too. All my friends go there, and people expect us to be enemies because they go there. It’s kind of weird, but at the same time, there’s no friends on the court. I keep that in mind. Off the court, we’re great friends. I’m just looking forward to going out there and getting a win.”
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski (record vs. UNC: 37-37)
“I think that (the rivalry) kind of puts an exclamation point on, ‘Hey, remember while we’re doing all this stuff, let’s remember these things.’ Whether it’s that Ohio State/Michigan, whatever the rivalries are in different conferences. Let’s not forget about those. Because that’s what makes college basketball, college sports, are those, the traditional games, because they conjure up memories of other great games, great players, and really good coaches … The fact that you have this one, and it’s not going away, is a good thing. It’s really a good thing.”
UNC coach Roy Williams (record vs. Duke while head coach at UNC: 9-10)
“The uniqueness is how close we are, but I think if we were in Asheville, we were here and we had the same records, the rivalry would still be tremendous. The past history, the success, the fact that there are a lot of basketball players that get down to North Carolina or Duke. There are a lot of students that get it down to North Carolina or Duke. The first college t-shirt I had was a Duke t-shirt. I don’t have it anymore. I got rid of it pretty quickly.”
“I really don’t think of (memories of the Duke rivalry). I’m trying to figure out how to score. That’s what’s important to me. I don’t lay back and think, ‘Gosh, when so-and-so made that basket, that was really a thrill.’ Or, ‘When that kid threw that grapefruit at me …’ I don’t really think that way … When I retire, I’ll look back on a lot of things.
“I understand the rivalry. I’m flattered to be involved in it. I think it’s the greatest. But I really don’t (dwell on memories). Last year they beat us here, and I was crushed. I was absolutely as low as you can possibly be. Five weeks later, that game was immaterial. It was a non-factor. It will always be a great factor for Duke, and it should be. Because it was a great win at North Carolina. It will always be a great moment for Austin Rivers and his family, because it was a great moment for them. We’ve had some great, great games, and most of the time both teams have been very, very good.”
“If my team’s not fired up tomorrow, I might send them over to the morgue and see if they have enough boxes ready for them … We’re really looking forward to it. I am. I hope the guys in the short pants are looking forward to it, too.”
“I’d rather us be too fired up as opposed to us sashaying in there and tiptoeing through the tulips. I want somebody to put their stupid feet down on the floor and compete.”
