UNC Basketball's All-Time Loudest Home Win Over Duke

This may have been UNC basketball's most satisfying home performance against its Duke basketball nemesis.

Photo credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Since the Dean E. Smith Center opened its doors in 1986, nine of the 38 annual meetings in Chapel Hill between the UNC basketball program and its Duke basketball archrival from eight miles up Tobacco Road have been decided by two points or less.

The Blue Devils have come out on top in six such thrillers (1988, 1989, 2004, 2012, 2016, 2020), or two-thirds of the time.

That includes three straight in these instances, resulting from the buzzer-beating three by Austin Rivers in 2012, a chaotic, empty possession by the Tar Heels as they came up short in 2016, and unbelievable late-game magic by Duke's Tre Jones (and ultimately Wendell Moore Jr.) in regulation and overtime in 2020.

One must rewind the rivalry to 2005 to find the last instance of a UNC basketball team prevailing in a do-or-die scenario versus Duke in Chapel Hill. Four weeks later, the Tar Heels captured their fourth of now-six NCAA Tournament titles (breaking a tie with the Blue Devils, who still trail UNC by one in this count).

Entering that 2005 showdown, pitting then-No. 2 UNC against No. 6 Duke before the largest crowd ever to watch an on-campus college basketball game in North Carolina, the Blue Devils had won four straight overall in the rivalry, not to mention 10 of the past 11 and 15 of the past 17.

Ouch. It had easily been the Tar Heels' most dreadful span in the rivalry.

Furthermore, UNC had a chance to avenge the previous year's home loss to the Blue Devils, the one where slick Duke basketball guard Chris Duhon went coast to coast for a game-winning layup in the closing seconds of overtime.

And that 2005 battle was Senior Day for UNC basketball gems Jackie Manuel and Jawad Williams. Moreover, it would be the last time Tar Heel greats Raymond Felton and Sean May ever faced the Blue Devils, as they both turned pro as juniors following the season.

Speaking of that season, then-second-year UNC basketball head coach Roy Williams had watched his group string together an impressive win streak, with a chance to make it seven in a row in the regular-season finale.

Add in the fact the top spot in the ACC standings was on the line that day. On that note, consider the Tar Heels were in the midst of their all-time worst 10-year stretch in this department, having then worn the conference's regular-season crown only once since 1995.

Fast forward to late in the second half of that early-March heated affair.

After trailing by nine with under three minutes to play, UNC scored the contest's final 11 points, including what proved to be Marvin Williams' and-one putback game-winner off a missed free throw by Raymond Felton, leading to an oh-so-dramatic 75-73 win.

I believe this still may be the loudest single moment in the history of the @DeanSmithCenter 🏀🐏 pic.twitter.com/0bwRgQM1u9

— Great Day Tar Heel (@GreatDayTarHeel) May 12, 2022

As Great Day Tar Heel reminded folks with its Friday repost of the above highlight — insert volume warning here — when Williams' shot banked in with 17 ticks remaining, the ensuing roar by the players, coaches, fans, ushers, concession workers, you name it, represented arguably the loudest moment in Dean E. Smith Center history.

The carried-over pandemonium from that bucket and made free throw surely affected Duke's final possession. Legendary Blue Devil sharpshooter JJ Redick bricked an off-balance 3-point attempt with six seconds to go, leading to a long rebound by fellow Duke guard Daniel Ewing, who air-balled his try to tie the game as time expired.

A UNC basketball classic, no doubt.

Third-year head coach Hubert Davis' Tar Heels have now dropped two straight to Duke, the first two meetings with Jon Scheyer at the helm of the Blue Devils, since ending Mike Krzyzewski's career in 2022. However, UNC continues to enjoy a comfortable all-time lead in college hoops' premier rivalry, 143-117.

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