“Whatever argument happens, it’s always gonna be about ‘we beat you guys in the Final 4,’ that pretty much ends the argument” - Danny Green on the bragging rights at stake between Duke and UNC
Danny Green's North Carolina Tar Heels will be taking on their heated rivals, the Duke Blue Devils, in the Final Four on Saturday. The game will have the biggest stakes the rivalry has ever had. A berth in the national championship game is on the line, after all.
But the biggest bragging rights are up for grabs as well, as the Philadelphia 76ers guard knows.
The rivalry is one of the biggest in college sports, and their Final Four matchup will be one of their most critical showdowns. The teams have never met in an NCAA Tournament until now.
After the teams swapped blowout victories on each other's court this season, the rubber match will be for a spot in the national championship game. A Tar Heels' win would also end the career of their rival's legendary coach, krzyzewski" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Mike Krzyzewski.
On his show "Inside the Green Room," Green talked about the bragging rights in the rivalry that are also at stake.
The cut scene of @DGreen_14 poster dunk on Paulus WILL NEVER get old
Here is DG on what Saturday’s Final Four game means
Listen to hear his “pre-game speech” to younger Tar Heels
apple.co/3DlUWhE twitter.com/nc_governor/st… https://t.co/caWHCHyjCE
Green said the winner will consider themselves the superior team for a long time. That's because a Final Four victory would be something no Duke or UNC team has ever had.
Given how competitive the rivalry is in almost every regard, any advantage one team has over the other is significant.
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The competitiveness of Duke and UNC during Danny Green and Coach K's careers
During Danny Green's time with North Carolina (2005-09), he helped the Tar Heels win the 2009 national championship, the school's fifth, as a senior. UNC won its sixth national title in 2017.
Still, Coach K has all five of Duke's national championships (1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015). That's the second-most of any Division I coach in NCAA history, behind only UCLA's John Wooden (10).
North Carolina has five (1982, 1993, 2005, 2009 and 2017) since Coach K's arrival. Those five are shared by Dean Smith (the first two) and Roy Williams (the last three). Krzyzewski, Smith and Williams are in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Saturday will be the 100th Duke-UNC meeting in the Coach K era. Things have been CLOSE 👀
Wins- Duke: 50 | UNC: 49
Points- Duke: 7,784 | UNC: 7,763
Don't miss it Saturday at 8:49pm ET on TBS https://t.co/IRPkCypbHM
With the rivalry being so competitive during the Coach K era, a win in the Final Four will be significant in the rivalry's history, as Green said.
A UNC win would even the record between the two teams during the era (Duke 50, UNC 49) and would retire Krzyzewski.
A Duke win would give them a winning record in the rivalry during the Coach K era. It would also land them in another national championship game with the potential for Krzyzewski to have as many titles as the UNC program has.