University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Look to Spoil Blue Devils Perfect Run
June 21, 1999 | Men's Basketball
January 27, 1999
BY DOUG FEINBERG
AP MegaSports Writer
DURHAM, N.C. (AP)--There's no better rivalry in college basketball than the battle of Tobacco Road.
Even though the Duke Blue Devils are ranked second in the nation, undefeated in the conference, winners of 32 straight home games and heavy favorites, don't expect No. 10 North Carolina to roll over when it travels to Cameron Indoor Arena on Wednesday night.
"We've never gone into a game like this where people thought we were the better team," said Duke captain Trajan Langdon. "But in this rivalry, that doesn't matter.
"Both teams are 0-0 in Duke-Carolina games this year. Carolina doesn't care if we're favored. They feel they're the better team and we're going to have to feel the same way and come out and try to be as intense as them."
This will be the 202nd meeting in the storied rivalry. Although the game will not have the same glitz as last season's No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown in Chapel Hill - a game the top-ranked Blue Devils lost by 24 points - it will mark the 21st time since 1985 that the teams meet with both ranked in the top 10.
"We learned a lot from last year when we let the hype of the game really get to us," Duke's Shane Battier said. "We're a year older now and we're looking at this more as a basketball game than a media event."
The Blue Devils (19-1, 7-0 ACC) are coming off a 92-88 overtime victory against No. 9 St. John's on Sunday at Madison Square Garden and have had only two days to get ready for the Tar Heels (17-4, 5-2).
Duke, which has lost 10 of the last 12 meetings, is in the midst of a very tough stretch in its schedule. The Blue Devils will travel to N.C. State on Saturday to play for the final time in Reynolds Coliseum before hosting No. 4 Maryland on Feb. 3.
"Coach wanted us to play the best teams, so when postseason came we are already acclimated to teams as talented as us," Langdon said.
The Tar Heels were supposed to be "too young and inexperienced" to make an impact in this season's ACC race. This was going to be the season that UNC's 34-year streak of finishing in the top three of the ACC ended.
Just don't tell that to the players.
"We are a typical Carolina team that slowly evolves, and when March and April comes along, we're going to be better than we were today," said Ademola Okulaja, the team's only senior starter, after UNC beat Wake Forest 52-40 on Saturday.
"We've got Carolina written over our chest and we know what that means. So far, we've done a pretty good job."
North Carolina has an all-time mark of 29-32 at historic Cameron.
