Rob: Carolina’s Ten Best Wins Versus Duke

North Carolina hosts Duke on Saturday night for its annual contest in Chapel Hill, and the game will offer the Tar Heels an opportunity to bolster their resume as they pursue a high seed in the NCAA Tournament.

But this column will look back instead of forward. The rivalry has produced its share of elation and tears for both programs, and today we are ranking the 10 best Carolina performances against Duke since 1981. The year 1981 is significant because it marks the dawn of the Mike Krzyzewski era in Durham, which shortly led to the Heels and Devils becoming arch rivals above all others.

You will read no empirical analysis here. No analytics, no metrics, and tech no more sophisticated than a Rubik’s Cube. Memory and nostalgia are our guiding lights. We are defining “best” as most significant win, not necessarily the best game (so 1995 @ Duke is excluded).

Here they are in descending order:

No. 10. 2001 @ Duke (85-83) – The first entry on this list undoubtedly will be its least popular. The Tar Heels ended up crashing & burning in Matt Doherty’s first season, including back to back rout defeats to Duke. Nevertheless, in isolation this game absolutely belongs here. Carolina arrived at Cameron on a 14-game tear and were amped to end Duke’s five-game win streak that dated back to 1999. The Devils were a national favorite and indeed would go on to win the title, however, and they had a significant talent and experience advantage.

But Carolina never buckled under Duke’s pressure, bringing a physicality that appeared to catch their opponent off guard. Star guard Joseph Forte went for 24 points and 16 rebounds, setting a record at the time for most UNC rebounds by a guard. The Heels shot 51% from the field against a stout defense and outrebounded the Devils by double digits.

No. 9. 1990 @ UNC (79-60) – The 1990 Tar Heels did not rank among Dean Smith’s finest teams, but they nevertheless managed a sweep versus Duke. The first game proved to be a rout, with Carolina landing a knockout punch with a 16-0 run and a 45-21 halftime lead. Freshman George Lynch punctuated the first half with a running three-point heave as time expired. These Heels proved they could punch above their weight on other occasions and as a No. 8 seed famously defeated No. 1 seed Oklahoma in the NCAA tournament.

No. 8. 1989 @ Duke (91-71) – The Blue Devils were ranked No. 1 and led by Danny Ferry, who had become a thorn in UNC’s side and was symbolic of the changing power balance between the two programs, as a blue-chip player from DeMatha like Ferry in the past would have expected to pick UNC. The Heels had lost three straight to the Devils, all in 1988, and they were a substantial underdog at No. 13 with Jeff Lebo out nursing a sprained ankle.

Duke built a small lead in the second half, but Carolina played enraged defense thereafter and dominated inside. The final score, a 20-point win, was among the most surprising margins in series history. As an aside, this J.R. Reid breakaway dunk featured ESPN cutting away from the normal sideline view to a baseline camera. ESPN ran this clip persistently the rest of the season, and unfortunately it helped lead to regular cutaways to the baseline camera that frequently were disorienting to the viewer. Thankfully they stopped, eventually!

No. 7. 1992 @ UNC (75-73) – The narrative leading into this game was that Duke would exact revenge. The Blue Devils had the nation’s best team, led by Christian Laettner, were defending national champion and had built a 23-game win streak over two seasons. The most recent defeat had been a severe hiding at the hands of UNC in the 1991 ACC tournament final. For its part, Carolina was a young and improving squad but not ready to challenge for a national title.

Such was the backdrop, but the “Bloody Montross” game stands out for the indelible image of Montross standing at the free throw line with blood streaming down his face. The memory is bittersweet due to Montross’ recent passing, but the game lives in legend due to that image and Dean Smith’s continued excellence against Duke head to head even when the Devils had the superior team.

No. 6. 2006 @ Duke (83-76) – The coronation will not be televised. Well, it was televised, only there was no coronation. Duke senior J.J. Redick had enjoyed a spectacular senior year, and the ESPN hype machine grinded relentlessly throughout the 2006 season. The expectation was that Duke, which had defeated UNC in a tight game in Chapel Hill – Redick scored 35 points – would sweep the talented but young Tar Heels.

But this time it was another star who stepped forward, Tyler Hansbrough. Roy Williams’ ace freshman authored a signature performance of 27 points & 10 rebounds, spearheading the first of four straight UNC victories at Cameron. Hansbrough’s late three-pointer and subsequent beaming smile are this game’s signature moments.

No. 5. 1991 @ ACC Tournament (96-74) – Without question one of Carolina’s most complete performances against its archrival, the ACC tournament final was catharsis. The Heels had dropped a heartbreaker one week earlier in Chapel Hill, getting swept in the regular season despite having a true Final Four favorite for the first time since 1987. Just three years after the 3-0 sweep to Duke, UNC was fiercely determined not to suffer a repeat. This game was over early, with senior Rick Fox winning tournament MVP and junior Hubert Davis adding 17 points in the final.

No. 4. 1998 @ UNC (97-73) – No. 1 vs No. 2, two blowouts in the same game, Antawn Jamison extreme efficiency, and the most famous missed dunk in Carolina history. The Tar Heels hosted top-ranked Duke in a showdown that featured two national title caliber teams. UNC started hot and seemingly had put the Devils away, but a mini-meltdown enabled Duke to pull within a few points. Which precipitated another massive UNC run to close out the contest, punctuated by the failed Ed Cota to Vince Carter off-the-backboard lob attempt. Bill Guthridge was beside himself on the bench, hands on head, and the players continued on with Shammond Williams immediately hitting a three. UNC players continued celebrating no matter how frustrated their coach became.

Jamison scored 35 points despite having the ball for only 53 seconds, a seemingly impossible achievement. Little known fact: The student campout for tickets to this game took place the night before the FSU football game in 1997. For those who were on campus at the time, the party started promptly that Friday after class.

No. 3. 2005 @ UNC (75-73) – Roy Williams’ second Carolina squad entered this contest as a clear national contender, but Williams still had not gotten the monkey off his back. UNC was 0-3 versus Duke in the prior three attempts, including a broken set play at Duke earlier that season that left Raymond Felton and Rashad McCants glaring at each other in frustration.

More frustration arose in this contest, as UNC found itself down nine points with only 3:00 left when Lee Melchionni hit a corner three. Billy Packer spoke for the entire Carolina fanbase after that shot when he said, “How? How is he wide open?” The knives were sharpened for Williams and the Heels, who appeared simply unable to get over the hump.

Carolina quickly fought back, however, relying heavily on a legendary performance by Sean May – one of several for him over the final six weeks. May tallied 26 points and 24 rebounds in an epic show of brawn and heart. Still, UNC found itself down a point with Raymond Felton shooting for the tie with 19 seconds to play. Felton back-rimmed the free throw, which Marvin Williams scooped up and lofted off the glass for a three-point play. That shot, with Williams high-stepping into the arms of his teammates, was one of the most explosive moments in Smith Center history. The Heels finished the game on an 11-0 run to stun Duke and begin their march to the national title.

No. 2. 2022 @ Duke (94-81) – Like 2006, this game was an expected coronation. Only this time, the coronation was for the coach as Mike Krzyzewski was coaching his final game at Cameron. And you didn’t need ESPN to hype away your belief: Duke had massacred UNC in Chapel Hill three weeks prior.

Hubert Davis, in his first season, had helped his team recover from that setback and the Heels had won four straight to likely play their way off the NCAA tournament bubble. Even so, the army of Duke luminaries united in the stands, celebrities at courtside and the course of destiny all appeared to be working against UNC.

The Heels showed grit throughout the contest, however, never allowing Duke to ride an emotional wave to put the game out of reach. On a couple of occasions when Duke did build a working margin, including a nine-point first half lead, the Heels quickly punched back.

The ebb & flow continued until late, when Carolina began to piece up Duke’s defense. Four Tar Heels scored at least 20 points in a balanced attack, and Brady Manek hit 5-10 threes as his heroic turn that season had properly commenced. A late dish from Caleb Love to Armando Bacot – illuminated by this photo – captured the defiant sentiment Carolina brought to Durham that night.

Immediately after, a seething Coach K was forced to endure his own salubrious comments on the jumbotron about the virtues of being the Duke coach and his ascent to greatness. It was so sweet a win that it could hardly be topped. Hardly. …

No. 1. 2022 @ Final Four (81-77) – The show of all shows, the mister of misters, this Final Four contest trumps all other games in the rivalry and is the easy call as No. 1. For decades, most fans on both sides of the rivalry had agreed to an armistice that the two programs should never face off in the NCAA tournament. The closest call during the modern era was 1991, with both the Heels and Devils advancing to the Final Four. Ironically, it was Roy Williams who helped block a 1991 matchup from occurring and who helped facilitate the 2022 collision.

But once No. 8 seed UNC took out No. 1 Baylor in the second round, the possibility began to creep forward. When both teams won their Elite Eight games, the meteor finally struck. The prevailing opinion was that Carolina’s win at Cameron had been a fluke and was not repeatable. Duke had been the superior squad all year, notched the blowout at UNC and, again, appeared swept along by fate.

But we know fate can be fickle, and it was clear early that neither team would be pulling away from the other. There would be 18 lead changes scattered throughout, both teams trading shots in the middle of the ring. For the Heels, multiple different players played the role of hero from possession to possession. R.J. Davis made timely plays creating off the dribble, Brady Manek hit a pair of killer threes – including “bang bang …..……” – while Armando Bacot held down the frontcourt against an elite Duke frontline.

Finally, Caleb Love hit a three from the top of the key that pierced the hearts of the Blue Devils. At long last, Carolina had achieved triumphant closure against the coach who had helped shape the rivalry since the early ‘80s.  

Honorable Mention: 1989 @ ACCt; 1990 @ Duke; 1995 @ Duke; 1998 @ ACCt; 2009 @ Duke; 2011 @ UNC; 2012 @ Duke; 2019 @ Duke.