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Duke vs North Carolina: 25 best games ever in the Tobacco Road rivalry

DURHAM, NC - MARCH 03: (L-R) Head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils greets head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels before their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 3, 2012 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC - MARCH 03: (L-R) Head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils greets head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels before their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 3, 2012 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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GREENSBORO, NC – MARCH 12: J.J. Redick #4 of the Duke Blue Devils (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
GREENSBORO, NC – MARCH 12: J.J. Redick #4 of the Duke Blue Devils (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

10. 03/04/2007

The rivalry got turned up a notch in this game. Tyler Hansbrough was the one player for North Carolina who still incites rage in Duke fans. Gerald Henderson has the same effect for Tar Heel fans. With 15 seconds left to go in a game that North Carolina never trailed, Henderson elbowed the North Carolina star in the nose. It was one of the biggest cheap shots that the rivalry has ever seen. The Duke star was ejected while Hansbrough with a bloody nose made the two free throws. That image is one of the most iconic images this rivalry has ever seen. Hansbrough ended the game with 26 points and 17 rebounds as North Carolina blew out Duke 86-72.

9. 01/31/1996

On a team with Antwan Jamison, Vince Carter, and Jeff McInnis it was Dante Calabria who is responsible for one of the more memorable moments in the rivalry. Not saying Calabria was not an exceptional player for North Carolina, but he lacked the star power of the others mentioned. Duke blew leads of 17 and 12 in the first half. In the second half, they led by 11 points with eight minutes left.

The Tar Heels as they had done so many times under Dean Smith clawed back into the game. Duke star Steve Wojciechowski hit a three with just over a minute to go. That gave Duke a 4-point lead. North Carolina came back again. In the final seconds, Tar Heel big man Serge Zwikker had his shot blocked. Calabria came and got the tip in to secure the win. North Carolina wins 73-72.

8. 01/03/1975

Another game in the Big Four tournament and this time it was a better result for Duke. Duke was the one to get the upper hand in the second half. They had a 9-point lead. Then one of the best players to ever play basketball for North Carolina made a huge basket. Phil Ford hit a driving layup with under 10 seconds to go sent the game into overtime. The overtime was back a forth with eight points combined coming in the last 20 seconds. Duke came out on top led by Bob Fleischer with 26 points. Duke wins 99-96.

7. 03/05/2016

Brice Johnson was a player that still gives the Duke fanbase nightmares. In the first meeting between the two schools, Johnson went for 29 points and 19 rebounds in a UNC heartbreaking loss. In the second game, Johnson got his revenge. He finished the game with 18 points and 21 rebounds. UNC led for the duration of this contest. Not only was Johnson dominant, but North Carolina also guards Joel Berry and Marcus Paige took the game over late. The Tar Heels won for the first time in 12 years in Cameron. The Tar Heels won 76-72.

6. 02/09/2005

Yet another battle between two top 10 teams. This game was one of the weirdest games in the history of the rivalry. Both teams played good defense. Duke played such stifling defense that they would not let North Carolina get out and run. The Tar Heels turned the ball over 23 times which was one of the key reasons why North Carolina lost the game. This game was hard for either team to build a rhythm on offense. There were a ton of made threes and free throws in the game.

One other odd aspect of this game was the only fast-break points came in the final minutes of the game. JJ Redick was great for Duke as he was so many times over his career. DeMarcus Nelson also starred for Duke. As time expired North Carolina had the ball with 18 seconds left. The stifling defense was at it again and the Tar Heels were never even able to get a shot off. Duke won this clunky matchup 71-70