It takes two teams to make a rivalry series compelling. When it comes to the Duke Blue Devils, they often draw the ire of so many on the hardwood. Under Mike Krzyzewski, Duke won five national championships, as well as so many other trips to the Final Four. They are a program upon which ACC basketball is built around. They call it Tobacco Road for a reason. So who are Duke's biggest rivals?
So what we are going to do today is outline Duke's three biggest rivalries on the basketball hardwood, two more emerging rivalries that need a bit more fuel to the fire to really ignite them, and one that has faded away too quickly into obscurity. That one needs to be brought back. With so many games to be played annually on the college basketball court, there is never a wrong time to schedule good teams.
Let's start with Duke's three biggest basketball rivals before working our way down the rest of the list.
Duke-North Carolina is the greatest rivalry in college basketball all time
There was no other choice for the top spot on this list. Duke and North Carolina's campuses are only separated by a few miles in The Triangle. Over the years, Duke and North Carolina have defined excellence on the college basketball floor, not just in the ACC, but across the entire sport. While North Carolina holds a narrow 119-106 all-time lead over Duke, that could be going away in a hurry.
Since Duke and North Carolina play twice annually, it may only take a handful of years before Duke comes out on top in this all-time rivalry series. Keep in mind Duke has had to make up for lost time from a pre-Coach K world. Under Jon Scheyer, the Blue Devils are more than well-equipped to eat away at the deficit, and then some. It remains to be seen what Michael Malone does at North Carolina.
Right now, it is hard to argue for any other college basketball rivalry carrying more clout than this one.
North Carolina State will occasionally play up to Duke's lofty standard
For as much celebration as the Duke-North Carolina rivalry gets, the Blue Devils have another great one in The Triangle with the likes of the North Carolina State Wolfpack. NC State may not be a pro basketball factory like other teams of note across the country, but the Wolfpack have gone to Final Fours before and have won a national championship. Duke owns the all-time series lead at 120-82.
Overall, North Carolina State seems to have a well-respected athletic program, but one that is only good, but rarely great at any of its sports. Duke even has the better football history head-to-head over them... That being said, you cannot have Tobacco Road without Duke and North Carolina State vibrantly a part of it. The same principles apply to North Carolina, as well as Wake Forest, too.
While Duke often cuts down the nets to reach Final Fours, NC State regularly makes the Sweet 16.
Wake Forest is not holding up its end of the bargain lately playing Duke
Even though Duke has had the comfortable upper hand in the Blue Devils' rivalry with Wake Forest, we will occasionally get a really good Demon Deacons team out of Winston-Salem. Duke may lead the all-time series at 149-61, but the two North Carolina private schools in the ACC share a rich history in pretty much every sport. Proximity has played a huge part in their developed animosity.
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Unfortunately, this rivalry could go off to the wayside with it becoming too imbalanced. Long gone are the days of Muggsy Bogues, Tim Duncan, Chris Paul, and Jeff Teague starring for Wake Forest. Duke continues to recruit one five-star after another. While Wake Forest has gotten better on the football field as well, Duke seems to be the more well-rounded athletic department of the two programs here.
Regardless, this is a long and storied rivalry that has helped put ACC basketball on the map for us.
Michigan and Duke have the tendency to make heavyweight title bouts
Even though they have not played a ton over the years, seemingly every time Duke takes on Michigan, it is in a high-stakes contest. Duke holds the all-time series lead over the Wolverines at 23-8, but we are talking about two of the preeminent programs in the sport today. Michigan is the defending national champions, but just saw their former head coach Dusty May leave for the Dallas Mavericks.
Because Duke and Michigan do not play in the same conference, there are no guarantees of any annual meetings between the two. However, these are two marquee programs that fans everywhere would love to see play in the non-conference. More importantly, everybody and their brother will be tuning in when the Blue Devils take on the Wolverines over the course of March Madness any season.
This emerging rivalry is defined by both schools being at the peak of their powers at the same time.
Virginia is starting make its presence be felt year over year in the ACC
Historically, Duke has dominated Virginia on the hardwood, as illustrated by their all-time lead over the Cavaliers, 115-41. What is important to understand here is that UVA is a program of frequent crests and troughs. When it has an iconic player like Ralph Sampson or a transcendent head coach like Tony Bennett, UVA cuts through. With Ryan Odom coming over from VCU, maybe it will continue?
The thing that really stands out is how lopsided this ACC rivalry looks on paper. Recent history may suggest that this rivalry is closer than it actually is. Duke should maintain the upper hand in it for the foreseeable future. However, having a Virginia program that can not only punch up, but keep other ACC programs down when the Cavaliers are good are certainly commendable traits we must respect.
Frankly, this rivalry will only grow and prosper in the event Odom is the right coach in Charlottesville.
Maryland used to have a such fierce rivalry with Duke, but not anymore
This is the one rivalry that went away that makes people mad the most over conference realignment. Back in the 1990s and 2000s, Duke and Maryland used to absolutely hate each other. Gary Williams' teams were always a thorn in Coach K's side. The Terrapins even won a national title back in 2002. Duke may hold a sizable all-time lead over Maryland at 109-54, but this series needs to be reignited.
Shockingly, these two basketball programs have not faced each other in over a decade. Their last meeting came on Feb. 15, 2014. This coincides with Maryland leaving the ACC for bigger financial gains to be had in the Big Ten. To be totally honest, the move to the Big Ten has not been as good for the Terps as Marylanders were hoping for. The money is good, but the level of competition is tough.
We can only hope Duke gets to take on Maryland at some point in the next few NCAA Tournaments.
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