This article is by new DBR contributor John Seelke. We are working to get his own byline set up.
When Duke and #23 Northwestern face off against one another on Saturday afternoon, the teams may feel as if they are looking into a mirror. Both schools are known for their academic reputations (the latest in academic rankings, US News, have Duke at #8 with Northwestern at #12. Their institutions are both more known for championships in other sports (Duke, of course, for men's basketball while the Wildcat women's lacrosse team captured seven national championships from 2005-2012). Yet a quick peek at history demonstrates how similar the teams are.