Governor Cooper Proclaims North Carolina Center of College Basketball Universe
posted by Jacqueline Leibman | April 5, 2022 | In News, SportsOn March 31, two days ahead of the Final Four Men’s Basketball game—UNC vs. Duke—Governor Roy Cooper issued an official proclamation declaring North Carolina as “The Center of the College Basketball Universe.”
The is a long list of reasons in the two-page proclamation as to why Gov. Cooper believes N.C. has claim to the universe title. It cites N.C. as having a “proud history of college basketball excellence that can be traced back to the creation of the sport, N.C. colleges’ ability to regularly compete for and win NCAA National Championships.
North Carolina can also claim ownership to have produced “legends of the game including Stephen Curry, Tim Duncan, Grant Hill, David Thompson, Chris Paul, Earl Monroe, James Worthy and Michael Jordan (the GOAT) and many more.”
Fayetteville State University men’s basketball was also mentioned in the proclamation. The men’s team won the CIAA Championship in February after defeating Virginia Union University, 53-45.
North Carolina State University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill women’s basketball teams are also mentioned, as both earned spots in the NCAA tournament. The UNC women’s team was knocked out in the Sweet Sixteen and NCSU women’s made it one round further to the Elite 8.
The main reason for Gov. Cooper to issue the proclamation is the UNC/Duke University rivalry. A tale as old as time, yet this will be the first time the teams played against each other in the Final Four. UNC bested Duke in a close game, 81-77, contributing to UNC’s all-time lead in the rivalry over Duke: 143-115.
There was a lot more at stake than just the ability to play in the Championship game, as this is Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s last season—after coaching 42 seasons—and UNC Coach Hubert Davis’s first season as head coach, after Coach Roy Williams stepped down last year.
As a UNC alumnus and having rushed Franklin Street many times, I can confidently say that there truly is no greater rivalry than UNC versus Duke. The amount of hatred while playing against each other in any sport is unfathomable. Yet, the pinnacle of this rivalry is men’s basketball.
The last time the teams met was on March 5, at Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke for their—and Coach K’s—last home game. I can say with much euphoria that UNC beat Duke, 94-81.
However, when UNC and Duke met February 5, at the Dean Dome in Chapel Hill, Duke won, 87-67. The tied wins only intensified the expectations for Saturday’s game in New Orleans.
Photo courtesy of the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center.
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