From a ratings perspective, it's not even close. UNC-Duke always have two of the highest rated games each year.

The only reason why this is a discussion right now is because Cal coaches Kentucky and Pitino (former Ky coach) coaches Louisville. Before Cal showed up, Kentucky was in shambles. Louisville went almost 20 years between Final Four appearances. Kentucky went almost 13 years between appearances. Excellence over the past 25-30 years is the biggest difference.

I will say, however, the fans in the UK/Lou rivalry are a little more intense...mostly because of the coaches and the 1 time playing a year.

(03-23-2014 05:49 PM)7thHeaven Wrote:  Which Rivalry is bigger and why?

I thought your thread title already told us what to think, yes?


----

For the record, TV execs (and their ratings) say "Duke vs. NC" is the better hoops rivalry

(03-24-2014 06:39 AM)dawgitall Wrote:  

(03-23-2014 08:47 PM)john01992 Wrote:  i know that i am gonna get a lot of s*** for this but I think the duke-unc rivalry is overrated.

UNCs true rival is NC state and UNC fans who are over 40 understand this. duke-unc developed into the rivalry that it is today because the TV execs pushed it.

The Carolina / State rivalry is fan driven, the UNC / Duke rivalry is competitiveness and media driven. There just aren't nearly as many Duke fans in North Carolina as there are State fans, and that is in all age groups. When State is able to win about as many as they lose against the Tar Heels again that will change everything. They are getting closer to that point every year for the last three years.

in CBB rivalries cycle and that is a simple fact of life. syracuse went through it with gtwon/uconn and unc went through it with ncsu/duke.

to be honest there is no CBB rivalry that is deserving to be in the same class as the top pro sports and college football rivalries.

(03-24-2014 08:32 AM)john01992 Wrote:  

(03-24-2014 06:39 AM)dawgitall Wrote:  

(03-23-2014 08:47 PM)john01992 Wrote:  i know that i am gonna get a lot of s*** for this but I think the duke-unc rivalry is overrated.

UNCs true rival is NC state and UNC fans who are over 40 understand this. duke-unc developed into the rivalry that it is today because the TV execs pushed it.

The Carolina / State rivalry is fan driven, the UNC / Duke rivalry is competitiveness and media driven. There just aren't nearly as many Duke fans in North Carolina as there are State fans, and that is in all age groups. When State is able to win about as many as they lose against the Tar Heels again that will change everything. They are getting closer to that point every year for the last three years.

in CBB rivalries cycle and that is a simple fact of life. syracuse went through it with gtwon/uconn and unc went through it with ncsu/duke.

to be honest there is no CBB rivalry that is deserving to be in the same class as the top pro sports and college football rivalries.

Why not? Is college basketball not popular enough?

Well this thread is pointless

I would have to argue that it's Duke-Carolina for a number of reasons. First of all, it has a 63 year head start on Louisville-KY. The NC rivalry started in 1920 and the two teams have met at least twice a year since then - a total of 238 games. The KY rivalry for most of that time consisted of a rivalry in which the teams never played each other unless they were in the same tournament. They have only met on the court 46 times.

The second reason is that the series results are more one sided in KY, with the Wildcats holding a 31-15 edge overall, and 22-12 since they finally started playing annually, though in different conferences. Their rivalry is more akin to that of Carolina and NC State than it is Carolina and Duke. The Heels and Devils have played 238 games, with Carolina holding a slight edge at 133-105. Since Coach K's arrival the series is even closer with Duke holding a 40-38 edge. You have to go back almost 60 years to find a Duke Carolina game in which neither team was ranked.

The third reason is a simple one. Duke and Carolina are in the same conference, and have been for longer than any of us has been alive. KY-Louisville may be bigger in the state of Kentucky, but otherwise it's second place at best.

Right now the only thing Louisville-Kentucky means to me is that Kentucky is in the way of were we want to go and that is back to the Final Four...

(03-24-2014 08:46 AM)jaminandjachin Wrote:  

(03-24-2014 08:32 AM)john01992 Wrote:  

(03-24-2014 06:39 AM)dawgitall Wrote:  

(03-23-2014 08:47 PM)john01992 Wrote:  i know that i am gonna get a lot of s*** for this but I think the duke-unc rivalry is overrated.

UNCs true rival is NC state and UNC fans who are over 40 understand this. duke-unc developed into the rivalry that it is today because the TV execs pushed it.

The Carolina / State rivalry is fan driven, the UNC / Duke rivalry is competitiveness and media driven. There just aren't nearly as many Duke fans in North Carolina as there are State fans, and that is in all age groups. When State is able to win about as many as they lose against the Tar Heels again that will change everything. They are getting closer to that point every year for the last three years.

in CBB rivalries cycle and that is a simple fact of life. syracuse went through it with gtwon/uconn and unc went through it with ncsu/duke.

to be honest there is no CBB rivalry that is deserving to be in the same class as the top pro sports and college football rivalries.

Why not? Is college basketball not popular enough?

did you read what i posted? the rivalries are always cycling and on top of that the sport is nowhere near football in terms of history or exposure.

(03-24-2014 10:41 AM)john01992 Wrote:  

(03-24-2014 08:46 AM)jaminandjachin Wrote:  

(03-24-2014 08:32 AM)john01992 Wrote:  

(03-24-2014 06:39 AM)dawgitall Wrote:  

(03-23-2014 08:47 PM)john01992 Wrote:  i know that i am gonna get a lot of s*** for this but I think the duke-unc rivalry is overrated.

UNCs true rival is NC state and UNC fans who are over 40 understand this. duke-unc developed into the rivalry that it is today because the TV execs pushed it.

The Carolina / State rivalry is fan driven, the UNC / Duke rivalry is competitiveness and media driven. There just aren't nearly as many Duke fans in North Carolina as there are State fans, and that is in all age groups. When State is able to win about as many as they lose against the Tar Heels again that will change everything. They are getting closer to that point every year for the last three years.

in CBB rivalries cycle and that is a simple fact of life. syracuse went through it with gtwon/uconn and unc went through it with ncsu/duke.

to be honest there is no CBB rivalry that is deserving to be in the same class as the top pro sports and college football rivalries.

Why not? Is college basketball not popular enough?

did you read what i posted? the rivalries are always cycling and on top of that the sport is nowhere near football in terms of history or exposure.

I did read it. I just don't agree with it. A rivalry, in any sport, makes the nation pay attention. UNC and Duke make the nation pay attention. It is what it is.

UNC-Duke

UK-UK
after that
maybe tOSU-UM, Georgetown-Cuse, Kansas-Mizzou

Realignment has hurt two real good rivalries but has a chance to create some new ones.

(03-24-2014 12:47 AM)ChrisLords Wrote:  

(03-23-2014 10:44 PM)blunderbuss Wrote:  I can't believe this question is even being asked on a so-called ACC board.

I can't believe it's being asked period but then growing up in Virginia I've been force fed the UNC-Duke rivalry for 40 years. So maybe I'm not an unbiased source.

try growing up in NC. I remember a time when NCSU-UNC was the bigger rivalry if you can believe that.

I agree with Blunder..

Growing up in NC during the late 70s and into the 80s, "State vs. Carolina" was THE rivalry that we all looked forward to. Duke was an after-thought, on par with Wake Forest.

All that changed when:

a) Duke hired Coach K

b) the "witch-hunt" took down Jimmy V, and the subsequent FAIL by NC State's own officials to virtually de-emphasize basketball.

c) ESPN got involved. Duke has a better "national" following thereby allowing ESPN to promote Duke vs. North Carolina to a broader audience.

(03-24-2014 11:12 AM)blunderbuss Wrote:  

(03-24-2014 12:47 AM)ChrisLords Wrote:  

(03-23-2014 10:44 PM)blunderbuss Wrote:  I can't believe this question is even being asked on a so-called ACC board.

I can't believe it's being asked period but then growing up in Virginia I've been force fed the UNC-Duke rivalry for 40 years. So maybe I'm not an unbiased source.

try growing up in NC. I remember a time when NCSU-UNC was the bigger rivalry if you can believe that.

When was that, and how long did it last? There are a lot of "rivalries" that span a few years when two schools have some short term success. But the true rivalries are generational.

(03-24-2014 11:12 AM)blunderbuss Wrote:  

(03-24-2014 12:47 AM)ChrisLords Wrote:  

(03-23-2014 10:44 PM)blunderbuss Wrote:  I can't believe this question is even being asked on a so-called ACC board.

I can't believe it's being asked period but then growing up in Virginia I've been force fed the UNC-Duke rivalry for 40 years. So maybe I'm not an unbiased source.

try growing up in NC. I remember a time when NCSU-UNC was the bigger rivalry if you can believe that.

(03-24-2014 11:36 AM)ecuacc4ever Wrote:  I agree with Blunder..

Growing up in NC during the late 70s and into the 80s, "State vs. Carolina" was THE rivalry that we all looked forward to. Duke was an after-thought, on par with Wake Forest.

All that changed when:

a) Duke hired Coach K

b) the "witch-hunt" took down Jimmy V, and the subsequent FAIL by NC State's own officials to virtually de-emphasize basketball.

c) ESPN got involved. Duke has a better "national" following thereby allowing ESPN to promote Duke vs. North Carolina to a broader audience.

see......

I'm not crazy

(03-24-2014 11:36 AM)ecuacc4ever Wrote:  I agree with Blunder..

Growing up in NC during the late 70s and into the 80s, "State vs. Carolina" was THE rivalry that we all looked forward to. Duke was an after-thought, on par with Wake Forest.

All that changed when:

a) Duke hired Coach K

b) the "witch-hunt" took down Jimmy V, and the subsequent FAIL by NC State's own officials to virtually de-emphasize basketball.

c) ESPN got involved. Duke has a better "national" following thereby allowing ESPN to promote Duke vs. North Carolina to a broader audience.

yup, perfect storm of events that made Duke-UNC the bigger rivalry.

I think that this question is a bit like asking, "Which is better, beer or whiskey?". They are both great, yet for different reasons.

I view the UNC-Duke rivalry as a mostly basketball thing. Both schools have similar types of students and a unspoken mutual respect (along with intense dislike) for one another. The rivalry is steeped in tradition and the fan bases are passionate. Anytime these two teams square off, you feel the history and are acutely aware that something could happen on that court that could permanently add to the storyline of this matchup and become the stuff of legend.

I view the Louisville-UK rivalry as one of pure hatred. Sure, it is mostly over basketball bragging rights in the state of Kentucky. Yet, it also extends to football and to the history of the institutions themselves. If Kentucky football is having a down year (which it usually is), the game is still a hate fest between the two fan bases. The hate is what makes it special and it extends to anything and everything. These schools hate each other over perceived student body and fan base issues. Louisville fans view themselves as the larger city school that has long embraced diversity and they view Kentucky fans as backwater and intolerant. Kentucky fans view themselves as a superior land grant institution and they view Louisville fans with contempt and consider them "urban" and "thuggish" (which isn't true).

If Louisville met UK in any sport, it would make good theater. If they sold tickets to see Louisville play UK in cornhole or ladder ball, it would still probably get rowdy and a fight or two could erupt.

Anyway, go Cards! Take down them wild kitties!!!!!

(03-24-2014 11:44 AM)john01992 Wrote:  see......

I'm not crazy

Yes you are.

---

I understand the passion between Louisville fans towards UK, however, it's difficult to label it better than Duke/Carolina due to the following:

Duke/Carolina have played at least twice a year for a VERRRRY long time.

It took an Elite 8 meeting in 1983 for the smarter "heads" in Kentucky to realize the two schools should play every year. However, I'm still sure that if Kentucky Wildcat officials "didn't have to" play Louisville every season, they wouldn't. That likely explains why they hadn't played since 1959.

Y'all check back with me when ESPN or CBS televises Louisville/Kentucky on the same night as either Duke/Carolina matchup so we can have something to compare.

Until then, it's Duke/Carolina > Louisville/Kentucky

(03-24-2014 11:39 AM)ken d Wrote:  

(03-24-2014 11:12 AM)blunderbuss Wrote:  

(03-24-2014 12:47 AM)ChrisLords Wrote:  

(03-23-2014 10:44 PM)blunderbuss Wrote:  I can't believe this question is even being asked on a so-called ACC board.

I can't believe it's being asked period but then growing up in Virginia I've been force fed the UNC-Duke rivalry for 40 years. So maybe I'm not an unbiased source.

try growing up in NC. I remember a time when NCSU-UNC was the bigger rivalry if you can believe that.

When was that, and how long did it last? There are a lot of "rivalries" that span a few years when two schools have some short term success. But the true rivalries are generational.

Despite what ESPN might tell you, it was that way for decades up until Jimmy V got hammered.

The cool thing is the ACC will have a bunch of Top 10 games each year.

Duke/UNC
Cuse/Ville
(mix and match any of these above)
throw in Pitt, UVA and NCSt to the fray...I think the ACC will score a homerun in hoops.

(03-24-2014 11:58 AM)blunderbuss Wrote:  

(03-24-2014 11:39 AM)ken d Wrote:  

(03-24-2014 11:12 AM)blunderbuss Wrote:  

(03-24-2014 12:47 AM)ChrisLords Wrote:  

(03-23-2014 10:44 PM)blunderbuss Wrote:  I can't believe this question is even being asked on a so-called ACC board.

I can't believe it's being asked period but then growing up in Virginia I've been force fed the UNC-Duke rivalry for 40 years. So maybe I'm not an unbiased source.

try growing up in NC. I remember a time when NCSU-UNC was the bigger rivalry if you can believe that.

When was that, and how long did it last? There are a lot of "rivalries" that span a few years when two schools have some short term success. But the true rivalries are generational.

Despite what ESPN might tell you, it was that way for decades up until Jimmy V got hammered.

I'll concede that State fans may have believed that. But not Carolina fans. Even during the down stretch in the 70's, when Duke was mediocre at best, their games against Carolina were still major events. At that time, many games against State were more important from a national standpoint, but they were still less important from a rivalry standpoint. Frankly, during that time, I'd say State's series against Maryland was more compelling than the Carolina series.

Still, we are way short of "decades", as opposed to the 94 year old Carolina-Duke rivalry. That didn't stop just because Duke had some down years.