The 9 wildest moments from Duke and UNC's storied rivalry

The obvious place to start is the event many attribute as the starting point of Duke and UNC's heated rivalry. Art Heyman was considered the top high school basketball player in the country when he changed his commitment from UNC to Duke, thanks to recruiting efforts from Duke head coach Vic Bubas.

In the fourth quarter of a 1961 game, Larry Brown of UNC drove to the basket and was fouled hard by Heyman. Brown turned around and threw the ball at Heyman, then a punch, igniting a brawl that involved, players, coaches, and fans. Already cross-town rivals and two of the best teams in the country, the fight turned up the heat by making things personal.

In a 2012 classic, Rivers scored 29 points, including the game-winning, buzzer-beating 3 to silence a stunned Chapel Hill crowd. Duke overcame a double-digit UNC lead to win the game, 85-84.

—ESPN (@espn) February 8, 2022

Though this game wasn't particularly close, it illustrates the intensity between the two teams. With UNC leading 84-72 in the final minute, Tar Heels forward Hansbrough corraled an offensive rebound. As he went back up with the ball, Duke guard Gerald Henderson came down and hit Hansbrough in the face. Hansbrough's nose bled profusely as both teams kept their players separated. Henderson was ejected, and Hansbrough donned a mask for the rest of the season.

With 17 seconds remaining in a 1974 game, unranked Duke was leading No. 4 UNC by eight points. That's when UNC managed to pull off an incredible comeback by repeatedly stealing the ball in the backcourt for quick layups. UNC's Walter Davis hit a 30-foot bank shot (pre-three-point line) as time expired to tie the game, sending it overtime. UNC eventually won, 96-92.

North Carolina forward Eric Montross became a symbol of Duke and UNC's intense battles in 1992 when he shot free throws as blood ran down his face from a cut under his eyes. UNC went on to the win the game, 75-73, with Montross pulling in a clutch defensive rebound after a late stop.

He has since called the scar under his left eye a "badge of honor."

Duke managed to pull off miracles twice against their rivals in 2020. First, with 4.4 seconds left and Duke down two, Tre Jones intentionally missed a free throw. He got his own rebound on the right wing, and hit a deep two, while on the move and under pressure, that went in as time expired to tie the game.

In overtime, Jones was fouled again with 6.6 seconds remaining and Duke down one. After making his first free throw, he missed the second. He once again corralled his own miss, this time near half-court. He attempted nearly an identical shot as his overtime-forcing shot, but missed. Luckily, Wendell Moore was there to grab the put-back and lay it in as time expired to give the Blue Devils a 98-96 win.

Capel's buzzer-beating, near-halfcourt shot to force overtime was a rare bright spot in a bad season for Duke. Mike Krzyzewski had to take the season off with back trouble, and Duke was just 10-9 and unranked heading into the game. The Blue Devils ended up losing in overtime, but ESPN has since referred to the game as the one that "reignited" the rivalry between the two teams. This game also featured Jerry Stackhouse's up-and-under poster on Cherokee Parks.

Jordan's final game at Carmichael Arena came against Duke. He began the game slowly, but turned it on the second half, including both overtimes. Though he missed the game-winner at the end of the first overtime, he helped seal UNC's win with a drive-and-dish for a Sam Perkins dunk.

Roy Williams' first game against Duke was a classic, see-saw affair that featured several future NBA players, including JJ Redick, Luol Deng, Chris Duhon, Shelden Williams, Raymond Felton, and Rashad McCants. There's no iconic, historical moment, but it was hard-fought game, with an electric atmosphere. Duke eventually won, 83-81 in overtime.

Afterward, even Krzyzewski acknowledged that the game went above and beyond the normal contests, saying: "I think you do it an injustice to say it was a great Duke-Carolina game. It was a great game. You can't match the intensity level."