Thursday, February 10, 2011
Duke vs North Carolina One of the best rivalries in sports.
Last night Duke and Carolina renewed their ACC rivalry. I believe this is one of, if not the best rivalry in sports. To have this type of atmosphere, we have to have certain elements in place. First the teams have to be geographically close, in this case a mere 15 miles apart. Second both teams have to have a tradition of winning. Third there has to be something of value at stake when they meet. Lastly they have to have a fan base of zealous supporters. This match-up usually has all of the above factors and more. Duke fell behind by 14, only to come back and win 79-73. I know several of you are going to come up with your opinion of the greatest rivalries, so let me know if you agree and if not which team match-up are better and why. Some to think about are Yankees-Red Sox, Florida-Florida State, Southern Cal-Notre Dame, Celtics-Lakers or Ohio State-Michigan. There are more, but this should whet your appetite for options.
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Last night was not only a great game between the "dookies" and the Tar Heels it was also a great example of why this remains such a great rivalry! It is certainly the deepest rivalry in college basketball. Each team without a doubt brings out the best in each other. That is another key ingredient of a rivalry.
ReplyDeleteSome of the rivalries are of heavier intensity than others. For example the Red Sox/Yankees. It is always a great rivalry however it is also an important game or series of games because they are both in the East division of the American League. It brings extra intensity to a rivalry if both teams play in the same conference or division of their sport.
This also holds true for Duke/UNC, Ohio St./Michigan. This is also the reason I would not consider Florida/Florida St. an important rivalry anymore. For Florida St. I would consider their rivalry with Miami Hurricanes much more intense simply because it's a conference game and there is much more at stake in that rivalry since they both play in the ACC.
As for the Yankees, the Buckeyes, the Blue Devils, the Miami Hurricanes, the Lakers, and the USC Trojans simply put: They disgust me!
Michael