What’s On the Line for Duke and UNC?
College Basketball March 7th. 2008, 5:12pmIs Saturday night’s showdown in Durham simply a meaningless meeting between two of college basketball’s most storied programs, or is there something larger at stake? Let’s be honest – the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the ACC tourney means nothing, because neither road is more difficult. Isn’t the ACC tourney winner going to grab the No. 1 seed in the East? UCLA seems entrenched at No. 1 out West, Memphis is all but a lock in another bracket, and assuming Tennessee doesn’t implode in the SEC tourney, they have a top seed locked up. So where does that leave Kansas, assuming the Jayhawks win the Big 12 tourney? Or what if Texas steals it – does it have a case?
30 Responses to “What’s On the Line for Duke and UNC?”
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March 7th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Well as someone who still likes to follow conference title races it’s a big deal…I don’t know if they care about the regular season crown in the ACC but that’s one thing the game has going for it
I’ll try to watch it at a bar that has Dickie V on mute (although it would be a fun drinking game to take a shot every time he talks about how great the rivalry is)
March 7th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
My bracket is already busted.
March 7th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
I am not sure if this will be on ESPN in my area or not. The first one was blacked out on ESPN and was on our local My Network station, Tim Brando and Billy Packer were the commentators.
As for the game and as a UNC fan, this game could be for last place in the ACC it wouldn’t lessen it in my eyes, UNC didn’t have Lawson the first time and Duke took advantage of it, it’s time for payback.
March 7th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
The CAA tournament has started today, GMU is the #3 seed and their only chance of getting into the tournament is to win the conference tournament.
GMU has played like crap on the road all year so I don’t have high hopes but they reached the finals last year and were barely a .500 team going into the conf. tournament.
If VCU doesn’t win the conference tournament, I think they should still get an at-large.
March 7th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
The game is meaningless. Their play in the ACC tournament will determine their seeding. Even if UNC loses again to Duke tomorrow, if they get a win over them in the ACC tourney, then they’ll still get the 1 seed. Duke will only get a 1 if it wins the ACC tournament and things break their way.
March 7th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Anyone else think playing three times diminishes this great rivalry? I’m an OSU guy, so I’m obviously biased about rivalries…but if UNC/Duke played only once a year – and the game actually mattered (they only matter for seeding purposes currently, and in the end, do seeds really matter in a tournament defined by upsets?), how much better would the rivalry be?
March 7th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
You guys are missing the point, the seeding is irrelevant, these teams and their fans hate each other, it may not matter to you but to the fans and players it does.
Just like when Michigan/Ohio State play, that game always means something, it doesn’t have to have anything at stake to matter.
March 7th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Not a big fan of the importance of conference tourneys. The regular season should matter much much more. Who cares if Maryland, Texas Tech, Illinois, etc. gets hot for 4 days, that doesn’t make them deserving over a team like Gonzaga/ST Marys who may get ousted by a hot conf. tourney team
March 7th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Agreed Onterrio, a few years ago Syracuse was on the bubble and was likely to not even make the tournament. Then they got hot, won the Big East tournament and went from not even getting in to being a 5 seed.
They got beat in the first round.
March 7th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Agree with the Whizzenator…the Big Ten Tournament is a complete waste of time and prevents the league from doing a pure round robin (although they did play 18 conference games which beats the ACC, Big East and SEC I believe) plus the final is right before the selection show so it doesn’t even matter who wins
March 7th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Reading back I think I am missing the point, I guess to all of you guys the game is meaningless, but does that mean you won’t watch?
March 7th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
cbh49er, I agree that it’s a big rivalry, but it doesn’t affect the national college basketball landscape the way Michigan/OSU has over the last 40 years. Their games have affected the Rose Bowl and even the National Championship.
When does a Duke/UNC game (or any college basketball regular season game) do this… unless we’re talking Hang Gathers
March 7th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Hank
March 7th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Hank – when has ANY CBB regular season game impacted the national championship directly?
March 7th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
I got UCLA, Kansas, Memphis, and Duke/UNC has my number ones depending on how the conference tourney’s turn out. If Kansas falls early and Texas wins out it has to be Texas or Tennessee as the final number one.
March 7th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
I was alluding to the game he died in..which I’m pretty sure affected Loyola Marymount’s title chances. They were pretty good. Remember Bo Kimble – shooting free throws opposite handed (better than LeBron shoot’s them normal hand!)
March 7th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
Yeah, Hank died during the WCC tourney round 1 game game they awarded the auto bid to Loyola and canceled the rest of the tourney. They made it to the Elite 8 but were ousted there, they probably wouldn’t have won the title, but who knows?
March 7th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Oh wow I stand corrected. I remember the year before when they literally ran Michigan out of the tournament. Talk about a program that had not recovered.
Anyone remember the made for tv movie about Bo and Hank? They never show on tv anymore.
March 7th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Sorry for this unrelated, but I was just floored. I flipped it briefly to the NBC Nightly News, and I just heard Brian Williams actually apologize to his audience because there wasn’t a Brett Favre retirement story on last night’s newscast.
“Sorry we talked too much last night about Iraq, the economy, and the presidential election. We should have been covering Brett Favre’s retirement.” (this is not what he said but my interpretation)
That is beyond shameful.
March 7th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Cheesey movie, but I do remember it. I think it was 1990 when they ran Michigan outta the gym, cuz Michigan won the title in 1989.
March 7th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
I think CHJ is wrong. If Duke wins tomorrow, then any UNC win in the ACC tourney doesn’t put them ahead for NCAA seeding purposes. Same number of losses + winning 2 out of 3 = higher seed.
March 7th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
The exception to that would be if Duke flames out early in the ACC tourney.
March 7th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Final Shot
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March 7th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
The game tomorrow is maybe a little bigger for Duke, given recent slip-ups. But that’s like saying earth is a littler bigger than Mars. This game is, and always will be, huge for both sides–at Duke there was a free concert last night on campus right by the student tents to get people amped for the game. If Duke wins tomorrow they are a number one, regardless, same goes for UNC in my opinion. I’ll be there in the stands doing my best to make that happen, but either way it will be great game.
March 7th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
RKM – Disagree. I’ll venture to say that there’s like a 1% chance that UNC and Duke are both No. 1 seeds. Even if one wins tomorrow and the other wins the ACC tourney.
March 7th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
TBL 1%?!? that’s way too low, even if you are right that % is too low. People thought there was a 1% chance the Giants would win the Super Bowl.
March 8th, 2008 at 12:18 am
That’s alumnigonzo@gmail.com
Send lots of tips everyone
March 8th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Whoever wins the game will get a 1 seed in the ncaa tourney. For duke they would have ACC crown, sweep of UNC, win over Wisconsin and a top 4 rpi and top 3 national ranking. If unc wins they will have acc crown, undefeated on road, number 1 in nation, top 2 rpi. If they both make it to the finals of ACC tourney, it makes this game even more important. If todays winner flames out early I still do not see it being enough to give up the 1 seed to kansas/tenn
March 8th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Tenn will more likely get the top spot if UNC loses. Duke i dont believe has a shot at the #1 seed even with a win.
Memphis, UCLA, TN or UNC(if they win tonight), Kansas
fuck Duke, but i think they will win tonight
March 8th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
If Duke wins tonight, Tennessee would need to win out in order to be able to lay claim to the East #1.