The rivalry of Duke and North Carolina

Essay by ZSmeltz18Junior High, 8th gradeA, May 2008

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What is a Rivalry? A Rivalry is fierce sports competition among two teams. One of the greatest rivalries today is between the basketball programs of Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, otherwise known as Duke and UNC. The rivalry between Duke and UNC is one of the largest and most intense in all of Collegiate Sports. Whenever these two teams meet up; both programs are tested mentally, physically, and emotionally.North Carolina is among one of the elite basketball programs in the nation and has been since the early 1900's. The Tar Heels play in the well-respected Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). They won their first national championship in 1957 under head coach Frank McGuire. After Frank left, the most memorable coach for the Tar Heels Dean Smith took the reigns of the program. In Dean's campaign as coach he preceded to take the Tar Heels to two National Championships, and he also set the record for most wins ever by a college coach (779).

That record was recently broken by Bob Knight of Texas Tech in the 2006-2007 regular season. Smith also coached some of the greatest players ever to play the game. Some of them included former NBA star Michael Jordan; and current NBA stars Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, and Rasheed Wallace. After Smith's legacy passed; former UNC alumni Roy Williams took the job as head coach and lead the Tar Heels to their most recent national title in 2005. This team was lead by current NBA sophomores Raymond Felton, Sean May, and Rashad McCants. North Carolina was, is, and always will be one of the top teams in the country.

Duke's men's basketball squad is one of the best-known teams in college sports. Like the Tar Heels, they also play in...