Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Duke vs. UNC

“The Greatest Rivalry in Sports”

March 9, 2013

If you’re not a basketball fan, I am sure that you are sick of me talking about basketball all of the time. If you are one of those people, just give this a chapter a chance and you might be transformed into a college basketball fan.

There are a few rivalries in sports that stick out to most people: The Yankees and the Socks, the Lakers and the Celtics, and in my opinion the greatest of all the Devils and the Heels. The Duke Blue Devils and the North Carolina Tar Heels began this fierce rivalry in 1920. Since then it has been a rivalry that has produced a plethora of hall of famers, multiple national championships, and has been witness to some of the greatest basketball games of all time.

As you already know I grew up hating the sight of Duke. Some of my parent’s friends even called it “brainwashing.” The word Duke has never been a word that has evoked any positive connotation in our house, and if we knew someone who cheered for Duke they were scratched off of our friends list (just kidding). The Helms house bleeds Carolina Blue. It can not only be seen in our wardrobes, but anytime that the Heels are on TV, our house shuts down. My dad used to recite Woody Durham’s famous quote to us (Woody is a famous announcer for UNC Basketball). “Go where you go, and do what you do, when the Tar Heels are in trouble.” I didn’t hear those words much, but when I did, I knew my dad meant business. For some reason, the Helms household actually thought they had an impact on the game. This all might seem odd, but I just wanted to explain how I was brought into this life. Loving the Tar Heels, and hating the Devils, it’s just my way of life.

When I was a small child I always dreamed of going to a UNC vs. Duke game. I can still remember asking my dad if we could go, and he would always explain to me how hard it was to get a ticket. I was very young at the time, so I didn’t take it very well. However, now I understand fully what he was talking about. The UNC vs. Duke game isn’t like any other game, it’s completely different. The atmosphere of this game is something that can’t be touched, and that atmosphere comes with a high price tag.

When I arrived at UNC I knew that I would at least have the opportunity to go to one Duke game because the university gives a priority to seniors. So arriving on campus as a freshman I never dreamed of going to the big game. However, as I mentioned in an earlier chapter I got involved. One of the clubs that I joined was Carolina Fever. In short, Carolina Fever is a club for students to join together and attend sporting events. Since basketball tickets are in such high demand at UNC; the top 150 people with the most points in Carolina Fever get basketball tickets.  For example, if you were to go to a volleyball game in the fall, you would earn three points. After I figured out how to earn tickets I began to attend as many sporting events as possible in hope I would get Duke Tickets. During fall break I even made my dad take me back early so I could go to a soccer game. I wanted the ticket so bad!!

During the season I was fortunate enough to earn tickets for all of the basketball games, but I was still unsure if I was going to get the Duke ticket. As you can guess, I should have never worried, I got the Duke Ticket!! As a freshman I got the Duke Ticket. I not only got a Duke Ticket, but I got a phase 1 ticket, which meant I would be one of the first students to enter the Dean Dome. I really couldn’t believe that I got a ticket because I remember my dad saying how hard it was to get a ticket. I was finally going to get to live out my dream!

The date was March 9^th, 2013, spring break had begun, and it was time for the UNC vs. Duke game. When the game is held at UNC it is a little different than when it is held 8 miles down the road at Cameron Indoor. Firstly, the tickets at Cameron are much harder to get because their arena is so much smaller. Also the students at Duke have to camp out in order to get a ticket. UNC uses a lottery system if you are not in the top 150 of Carolina Fever. Since we didn’t have to camp out to get our tickets we could show up a few hours before the doors opened. The UNC athletic association also makes sure that people don’t campout to be first in line. They do this by randomizing the line. For instance, if there are 500 people in line and they call number 300, number 300 would go first. The system can work for you or against you; it all depends on the number that is called.  

Since I had a phase 1 ticket I had to get to the Dean Dome a little early so that I would be in line for the randomization. A couple of buddies of mine and I arrived at the Dome at 3:15. The randomization was scheduled for 4:00. I was given number 259, and I was hoping that my number or close to my number would be called. I have never been a lucky person. I once won the lottery though; I bought a $1 ticket and won $1. That was the first and last lottery ticket I bought.  I have never had great luck, so I figured someone right behind me would be called and I would have to go to the back of the line.

I was wrong….

When 4:00pm came up the security guard began to make his way down the line. He kept saying a number, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying. He kept approaching my group and kept repeating the same number. Finally, he got close enough and I made out the number. He said “number 252,” wait….. He just said what? I was 259 remember. I took a breath, looked at one of the guys I came with and we just started yelling. I was going to be the eighth person in line. That meant that I was going to be on the front row of the UNC vs. Duke game. I was not only attending the UNC vs. Duke game as a freshman, but I was going to be posted up on the front row. Did I mention that the #bananaman was still alive? Oh yeah, the banana would be on the front row. College Gameday, ESPN primetime, Dickey V baby, all of it began to sink in. The people in front of us were also realizing how lucky we just got. One of the guys kept saying, “senior year, senior year!” I looked at him and said “freshman year, freshman year!”  We high fived, shared a laugh and paraded to the front of line.

When we finally passed all of the 200+ students that were in front of us, we all got on our cell phones and began to call our friends and relatives. It was if we had won the real lottery! In that moment I was quite possibly the happiest I had ever been. This was something I could only dream about. I actually texted my mom and said, “A dream is only a dream, until you make it a reality.” I know that I was very fortunate to make it to the front row, but the text just seemed appropriate. The phone calls, texts and tweets took up a majority of our time in line because we were all in shock. I even tweeted Dick Vitale and told him that if he had the chance he should come see the #bananaman in the student section.

The wait took a long time, but it was well worth it. If we were to win the game it was going to be a huge upset. Duke was ranked 3^rd in the nation, and we were unranked. However, my Heels were on a 6 game win streak and the Tar Heel faithful had hope. When the security guards finally let us in at 6:30 we came busting in. I was actually stopped by a security guard who told me to slow down. She didn’t have any idea how long I had waited for this moment. The banana and I scooted down to the risers, and we claimed our spot on the front row!

The experience I had at on the front row got better as time progressed. We were informed by some of the security guards that we needed to behave while in the risers. They said that the courtside seats in front of us cost in the range of $50,000. For real though, the security guard dropped the 50G on us. I stood in disbelief and he reassured us that if we got out of hand that they could have us removed. I took his advice and continued to absorb everything.

Since this was my first experience of the rivalry in person I was in heaven; especially when all of the celebrities walked out. There were so many famous people in the building that I couldn’t even find them all. Just to name a few, Andy Roddick, Brooklyn Decker, Mitch Kupchak, Merril Hoge, and Andrew Wiggins were in the audience. Andrew Wiggins, the number one recruit for the class of 2013, was sitting about five people to the left of me. I’m not going to lie, that was pretty exciting. Dick Vitale made his way over to the student section and I got to shake his hand. The electricity before the game is something that I will never forget.

The game on the other hand was not as electric. The Heels didn’t play up to potential. We didn’t make the shots that we usually make, and the Devils made all of their shots and then some. We were down 18 at halftime and it wasn’t looking bright for us. All I kept saying to myself was, “go where you go, and do what you do,” but I realized I couldn’t do that because I was in the Dome. I hope my dad understood that I could go where I go.

The Heels came out much better in the second half, scoring a little better and playing defense on a slightly higher level. But, it was Duke’s night. They were feeling it. Sharpshooter, Seth Curry didn’t miss his shot, and the Tar Heel big men couldn’t handle the size or the athleticism of Mason Plumlee. When the final buzzer rang, the score was 69-53 in favor of Duke.

The score might have been in a favor of Duke on that Saturday night, but I still felt like a winner. I had experienced something that some just dream about, and something that was probably a once and a lifetime opportunity. If we would have won the game, I probably could have written a totally different book on the subject. However, the experience was all I needed.

I hope that you, the reader gain something from this. Maybe you aren’t a UNC fan, or maybe you are not a basketball fan at all, but everyone has a dream. Since I was a small child I wanted to go to a UNC vs. Duke game, and I finally got to experience it. No, I didn’t know when it was going to come, or how it was going to come, but I made that dream a reality. Living out a dream is hard to explain. It’s something that is surreal in every way. When you finally get to experience the reality of a dream, take it all in. Scream, yell, and get pumped because you made it happen. You might have had a little luck on the way, but you took the small steps to get to where you are. Keep working hard, keep studying, because one day it will all pay off!