The Chronicle

February 7th, 2008

For some fans, a difficult choice between Duke and UNC

It’s March 4, 2007 – the Duke-UNC basketball game at the Dean Smith Center. With 14.5 seconds on the clock, Duke player Gerald Henderson elbows UNC player Tyler Hansbrough during a layup, giving Hansbrough a bloody nose. A Carolina fan at the time, I was appalled. Henderson’s ejection from the game and suspension from the following one still didn’t seem like enough. Regardless, I was ecstatic that “we” went on to win the game 86-72.

Fast forward a year to Feb. 6, 2008 – another Duke-UNC game at the Dean Dome. Henderson goes up to block another Hansbrough layup and does so successfully. The scene was almost identical to that of last year, sans a bloody nose. This time, however, I’m watching from Cameron Indoor Stadium cheering with the Cameron Crazies, rather, cheering as a Cameron Crazie. This time, we win 89-78.

Growing up in Chapel Hill, being an University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill basketball fan was inevitable. But as soon as I decided to come to Duke, my conversion to Blue Devilism was complete before I even first set foot in Cameron. I’m now the one making calls to my friends who attend UNC or to my Carolina-fanatic father when Duke wins or UNC loses. I now call a tent my home. Intriguing are those like me, Tar-Heel born and Tar-Heel bred, who decide to be affiliated with Duke but maintain their allegiance to die as a Tar Heel dead, or so the UNC fight song goes.

But everyone seems to have different reasons for staying loyal to their team.

“People are like, ‘You’re from Durham, why don’t you go for Duke?’” said Don Jeffries, a housekeeper in Alspaugh Dormitory. “But I’m like, ‘I’m from North Carolina, and Durham’s just a place in North Carolina.’”

Marketplace employee Shawn Harris said Duke “pays good money” and that he could not receive a comparable salary at UNC.

When Krzyzewskiville was mentioned, UNC-fan Duke students and staff had similar perspectives.

“I’d say it’s very unique,” Jeffries said in between chuckles. “I’ve seen many kids pay the price for K-ville with the flu or pneumonia until the end of March.”

Freshman Kathleen Ghio said K-ville residents appear to be very devoted Duke fans.

“I was helping out a friend for one day, and I was miserable for those three to four hours, so I have a lot of respect for them,” she said. “But I don’t think I could ever do it. It must be rough.”

Despite the intense rivalry, sophomores Jordan Woodson and Chris Cogburn said they have not experienced much heckling outside of the Duke-UNC games.

On the rivalry itself, students on both sides appear to have fun with it, sophomore Derek Song said.

“I love it and I don’t think there’s any other rivalry like it,” he said. “Especially since the two schools are so close together, it’s really fun and it’s something really cool to be a part of.”

Jeffries said the fans create and fuel the rivalry more than the players do.

“People don’t know [the players] play actual games without coaches with each other – they’re friendly with each other – but it’s the fans who make it so much greater and better,” he said.

It’s true the rivalry will last for years to come. But for now, we’re just anticipating the arrival of the Feb. 7, 2008 edition of the Daily Tar Heel with its masthead printed in the victorious Duke blue.
-Emmeline Zhao

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