Damn You, Carolina/Duke

I hate hype. Can’t stand unnecessary shameless promotion where those that speak of the event/player/game can’t except even the notion that anything on Earth could be better. See: ESPN, John Madden and half the media world in relation to Brett Favre.

It’s sort of the same thing with UNC-Duke. Here’s my problem. It’s warranted. There, I said it. Strike up the cliche band, they all apply. Yes, every year, no matter their respective records or the venue, this is one of the greatest rivalries in sports. There is a higher level of intensity that’s palpable even for the unaffiliated fan watching from home. The floor burns are at a premium. The crowds are awesome (even those annoying-as-anything “Cameron Crazies”).

It explains why in a season where I’ve yet to watch more than 15 minutes of any single college basketball game, I found myself entertained for a complete game. It certainly didn’t evolve into one of this rivalry’s classics, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

From the department of the obvious, when playing well, nobody in the country is scarier that North Carolina. And, yes, I can say that with confidence despite not having watched a tremendous amount of college hoops this season.

We’re not getting tourney fever quite yet. It’s coming, though. Not too far away. By the way, we’re thinking the alma mater is going to be a bit less rattled this time around. Mark the Big Red down for a 13-seed, and…