Whether you just got here, or have lived in these parts your entire life, you’re doubtless familiar with the rivalry. Certainly you’re familiar with the hype: When these teams play, forget the records. Or, if you prefer a more old-fashioned rendering, when they meet throw the record books out the (open) window.
The tradition! The talent! The coaches! The intensity! The quality of play! Great fodder for sages of couch and press room who have, with justification, anointed Duke-North Carolina the greatest rivalry in American sports.
TV too loves the Carolina-Duke series, almost as much as cliche-mongers love the outdated “Tobacco Road” label for the Triangle area.