Duke-UNC rivalry: Coaching history and records against one another

Mike Krzyzewski has coached at Duke for over 40 years, but how have he and North Carolina’s coaches fared against each other?

The storied Duke-North Carolina rivalry is set to take center stage at the Final Four this weekend, which will lead to plenty of media coverage and groans from fans of neutral parties across the country. The truth is that there is no bigger event on the sports calendar right now, especially given the fact that the first-ever NCAA Tournament meeting between the bitter rivals could be the last game that Mike Krzyzewski ever coaches.

Krzyzewski’s arrival in 1980 has really elevated the Duke-UNC rivalry to new heights and he has had plenty of success against the Tar Heels over the years. North Carolina has had plenty of great coaches square off against Krzyzewski and Duke, including Hall of Famers Dean Smith and Roy Williams, a status that current Tar Heels’ head man Hubert Davis hopes to reach someday.

How have the coaches of this rivalry fared against their rivals in the modern era? Let’s look at the records of each head coach since Smith and Krzyzewski have fared against the other program.

How have Duke’s head coaches fared against UNC?

The lion’s share of these games belong to Krzyzewski, who has compiled a 50-47 record against the Tar Heels since 1980. The only other Duke coach to serve in this span was Pete Gaudet, who went 0-2 against North Carolina while serving as the interim coach in 1995 while Coach K was sidelined after experiencing complications due to back surgery.

How have UNC’s head coaches fared against Duke?

We’ll start with Smith, who went 59-35 overall against Duke and 24-14 in head-to-head competition with Krzyzewski.

Smith was succeeded by Bill Guthridge in 1997, who won two of his first three meetings against the Blue Devils before losing four in a row to end his tenure with a 2-5 record vs. Duke.

Matt Daugherty replaced Guthridge in 2000 and actually won his first game against Duke before losing the next five, getting fired after the 2002-03 season and leaving with a 1-5 record vs. Duke.

Roy Williams came in and was the longest-running coach to work against Krzyzewski since Smith. The Tar Heels went 18-22 against the Blue Devils during Williams’ tenure, which ended with his retirement last season.

Davis is now in charge in Chapel Hill and split his first two games with Krzyzewski. A win on Saturday will ensure that Davis finishes with a winning record against Coach K, something no other UNC coach has done since Smith.

For more NCAA basketball news, analysis, opinion and features, check out more from the FanSided college basketball section to stay on top of the latest action.