Today is the day of the best rivalry in college basketball. While Duke-UNC is hyped endlessly, it’s the domain of the corporate, of the white collar fan who has a dry riesling and discusses portfolios between timeouts and bouts of apathetic clapping. It’s a place for that kid at school with the sweater tied around his waist and trust fund money. The fans that cheer against each other are all cut from the same cloth. Cingular v. T-Mobile. It’s artificial.
The Crosstown Shootout isn’t that. It’s violent, earthy, genuine hate. It’s real. In this game names are made, legends are burnished or tarnished in equal measure.