Duke vs North Carolina: Best rivalry in the world with European spice / News - Basketnews.com

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Tonight is going to be a big day not only for college basketball but also for the entire basketball history.

The famous Tobacco Road Derby, where North Carolina Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils come against each other as a perennial rivalry, will take place in the semi-finals of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in history.

The occasion is even more special because Mike Krzyzewski will retire at the end of this Final Four in New Orleans after 47 years of coaching, while it is the first season of North Carolina coach Hubert Davis at the helm of his team.

This is going to be the 258th meeting between the two top-level schools, which dates back to 1920, and Tar Heels leading the series 142-115. However, under Coach K, Duke won 50 of the 97 games.

The season series is tied; Duke won easily on the road at the beginning of February, led by AJ Griffin's 27 points.

But Hubert Davis' earned a huge credit from the Tar Heels community by spoiling Krzyzewski's farewell party in their home, Cameron Indoor Stadium.

With no substitutions in the second half, North Carolina pulled off a comeback win where four different players shared the scoring load with 20+ points.

There are many unforgettable games and moments during the meeting of these schools, and the rivalry was arguably in its best years at the beginning of the 90s. Duke won two championship titles back-to-back during 1991 and 1992, while North Carolina won it in 1993.

There are many familiar names from that era. One of them is former assistant coach of the legendary Roy Williams, the first-year coach Hubert Davis himself, who played for Tar Heels between 1988-and 1992.

Perhaps more familiar for the European fans, currently Turk Telekom head coach Henrik Rödl was also a part of that rivalry back at the beginning of the 1990s. Alongside his current assistant Brian Reese, they won an NCAA championship back in 1993.

"In our times, those games are incredibly important," Rödl recalls. "I remember my first Duke-North Carolina game. We did not win that day, but it was my first time getting into that atmosphere. The rituals before the game within the locker rooms it was special. There is nothing like it."

The German coach, who led his country to an Olympic quarterfinal last summer, also added that the rivalry is otherwordly and also time-proof.

"It is sometimes more important than winning anything else. Obviously, the two schools are in very close location to each other, 15 minutes ride. In our time, both schools were always ranked as Top 5 schools in NCAA, and the games were very competitive.

Some controversial players like Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley, and Grant Hill were also there. Guys that were having a lot of impact in many other ways. Special times, special games."

"Not much of it is lost. The rivalry continues pretty much the same. I haven't seen anything anywhere like this. Maybe the best rivalry in the world. It is an incredible hype," he adds.

Rodl also shared his views on his ex-teammate and current North Carolina head coach, Hubert Davis:

"They were struggling early in the season and could not win against any big teams. It is not so unexpected that they struggled in the beginning; the college scene changed so much with the transfer players, and there are so many new players coming into the team. Brady Manek is basically a pro, I would say. I mean, he is a fifth-year player."

"But he stood really well and blended together lately at the right time. Then they started to roll, and they even got Duke at the end of the regular season. Hubert did an incredible job, and I'm really proud of how Hubert and his coaching staff managed to do that.

I think he is an exceptional person, a great character, and a great guy. He likes his players, he treats them really well. But he is extremely competitive, it is a great mixture.

The players really liked that. He has an experienced coaching staff with him. I'm not surprised he is doing well. It is not being expected that he would lead the team to the Final Four right away, but the program can always be there."

There are other Euro connections in both teams' benches, which rings the bell of another epic rivalry.

One of the assistant coaches of North Carolina is Sean May, who had a remarkable international career after his triumphant term with Tar Heels. May also won a Turkish League and cup titles with Fenerbahce.

On the other hand, Mike Krzyzewski's staff includes Nolan Smith, who played for the archrival Galatasaray back in 2014 for a brief stint.

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