Feb. 6, 2006
Game Notes vs. Duke
CHAPEL HILL -- The University of North Carolina (14-5, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) will open the second half of conference play on Tuesday night when it hosts No. 2/2 Duke (21-1, 9-0 ACC) at 9 p.m. in the Smith Center. The game will be televised regionally by Raycom/Jefferson-Pilot and nationally by ESPN.
Carolina finished the first half of its ACC slate with a record of 5-3, including a 3-1 mark on the road and a 2-2 record at home. The Tar Heels are coming off a 76-61 home win over Clemson on Saturday afternoon. UNC is ranked No. 23 by the Associated Press and No. 24 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll.
Duke, ranked No. 2 by the AP and the coaches, is coming off a 97-96 overtime home win over Florida State on Saturday afternoon.
Tuesday's game will be worth one point in the Carlyle Cup, the annual multi-sport competition between UNC and Duke. The Tar Heels enter Tuesday's game with a 7-5 edge in the 2005-06 Carlyle Cup standings.
After Tuesday's game, Carolina will play at Miami on Sunday at 8 p.m.
THE SERIES VS. DUKE
Carolina leads the all-time series with Duke, 124-95.
UNC is 57-29 against Duke in Chapel Hill and 12-8 in the Smith Center. The Blue Devils have won five of the last seven over Carolina in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heel wins in that span were in 2002-03 and 2004-05.
Overall, Duke has won 15 of the last 18 games in the series.
Carolina and Duke have met 58 times when both teams were ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, with Duke leading the series in those games, 30-28.
Carolina is 31-30 against Mike Krzyzewski-coached Duke teams.
This is the 120th consecutive meeting in which at least one school has been ranked in the AP Top 20 or AP Top 25. The last time Carolina and Duke met when neither team was ranked by the Associated Press was on Feb. 27, 1960. Frank McGuire and Vic Bubas coached the Tar Heels and Blue Devils, respectively, at the time.
Carolina has been ranked in the AP poll in 97 of the previous 119 games. Duke was ranked in 74 of those 119 matchups.
This is the 140th meeting between the two schools since the ACC began play in 1953-54 and the 137th time at least one of those teams was ranked in the AP Top 20 or AP Top 25 (the only games in which both teams were not ranked were in 1955 and 1960).
The longest stretch in between being ranked for the Tar Heels was 12 games (the first 12 games Dean Smith was head coach). Duke's longest stretch of not being ranked was 24 games from 1970-1978.
Carolina and Duke have accounted for 30 of the ACC's 52 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championships
Carolina and Duke are No. 1 and 2 all-time in the ACC in wins, ACC regular-season wins, ACC Tournament wins and NCAA Tournament wins.
Carolina has won the ACC regular-season title 24 times, including in 2004-05. The Blue Devils are second with 17 regular-season crowns.
Either Carolina or Duke have played in the NCAA Final Four in 19 of the last 25 seasons (Carolina in 1981, 1982, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2005).
The Tar Heels and Blue Devils have won six national championships in the last 24 seasons (Carolina in 1982, 1993 and 2005).
Carolina has won 16 NCAA Regional championships and played in an NCAA-record 16 Final Fours. Duke has played in 14 Final Fours.
Sports Illustrated on Campus named the Carolina-Duke rivalry the No. 1 "Hottest Rivalry" in college basketball and the No. 2 rivalry overall in its Nov. 18, 2003 issue.
