Are These Revitalized Rivalries Better for College Hoops?
The days of teams having pure hatred towards each other are officially back. In past seasons, the rivalry aspect of college basketball has slowly faded compared to previous years. However, in recent interviews during ACC media day, it was apparent that North Carolina, Duke, and NC State have a triangle of hatred among themselves. In the most historic and iconic college basketball rivalry between Duke and Carolina, Carolina holds the all-time record, but as of late, Duke has dominated, including a Final Four win in 2022 to send coach Mike Krzyzewski into retirement. In a game that featured many NBA players such as Paolo Banchero, Mark Williams, Wendell Moore, Caleb Love, and Armando Bacot, this was just the start of the revitalization of the iconic rivalry. Will Wade looks to shape his new roster and hopes to have the same success as Coach K.
Ever since arriving on campus as one of the saviors of Wolfpack basketball in the eyes of many fans, Darrion Williams hasn’t been shy about his feelings towards that one specific team in Chapel Hill. On October 8th, the ACC orchestrated its Tipoff event in Charlotte, and it didn’t take long for the trash talk to start flowing. Williams was asked about the rivalry and about the UNC fans, and his response was just as you’d expect. "The fans are crazy. We hate UNC, which I don't have a problem with. I hate UNC as well," Williams said. This could be a signal that one of the dormant Tobacco Road rivalries might be back in a major way. Will Wade was asked about the competitiveness of this group, and he stated that Williams and former McNeese forward Quadir Copeland have butted heads during practice off pure competition and competitiveness. These three teams, along with Louisville, will be at the top of the ACC all year. Adding more fuel to the fire, Williams was asked about North Carolina coach Hubert Davis and specifically about the Ven-Allen Lubin situation. Williams was quoted as saying, "I think he did Ven wrong and then he did Kerwin Walton wrong, my old teammate at Tech, who was there, I just don't like the guy," Williams said. The future First Team All-American and potential Player of the Year candidate was quick to defend his teammates' backs, ultimately increasing the bad blood between these schools.
Rivalries are always good for sports, no matter who the opponents are, but when it comes to college basketball, the Tobacco Road rivalries are some of the most intense and nasty that there are. If it wasn’t clear by the quotes from both sides, NC State and North Carolina despise one another, and it should make for an interesting night on February 17th. While Ven Allen-Lubin was heavily criticized by multiple coaches, his teammates and current head coach were quick to his defense. Star-studded transfer Darrion Williams rekindled this rivalry by calling out UNC head coach Hubert Davis for being unfair to his previous teammates. While NC State has done most of the talking, they can easily back that up on February 17th when they take on the Tar Heels in the Lenovo Center. I expect both teams to be in the March Madness Tournament, but I’m giving the edge to NC State and Will Wade’s loaded new roster.
