Those Duke basketball fans — you know who you are — downplaying the importance of the regular season finale on Saturday at 6 p.m. evidently need a history lesson.
First and foremost, when No. 4 Duke (26-4; 14-3 in ACC) plays at No. 3 UNC (25-5; 15-2 in ACC), you will hear the word “rivalry” every five seconds throughout the telecast on ESPN. That word will accompany phrases like “college basketball’s greatest” and “two schools separated by just eight miles” — the combination of just these words alone is reason enough to refrain from ever downplaying the importance of such a game.