Michael Jordan still hates Duke, proving why no other rivalry compares to this one

Michael Jordan accomplished a few things at North Carolina; a national title, two All-American selections, a Naismith Award, a Wooden Award, AP Player of the Year... and, he'll remind you, a good track record against Duke.

In a recent ESPN piece by Ryan McGee, Jordan reminisced on his days in the rivalry... and still clearly holds some disdain for the Blue Devils.

"It's been 40 years since I played a college basketball game," Michael Jordan said. (Perhaps you've heard of him, Cooper?) "To this day, before people ask me about our national championship or our three ACC championships or ACC tournament wins, any of that, they ask, 'How did you did you do against Duke?'"

After pausing to make room for a Grinch-like evil grin while reflecting on his UNC days while at a NASCAR event (he's now a team owner) late last fall, the GOAT added: "By the way, the answer is that we did very well."

Duke vs. UNC still stands alone in college sports

There have been a few matchups in recent years that have lacked a bit of luster, but this rivalry still stands heads above anything else in college basketball — and competes with anything in American sports, both college and pro.

Duke being perhaps the best team in the country and having the clear best freshman (player?) in the country, Cooper Flagg, brings back any shine that folks think may have been lost in recent years. If UNC can keep it close today, that's good enough for neutral fans.

The stakes might actually be higher for North Carolina, which sits precariously on the bubble as we enter February. A road win against Duke would launch them back into the presumed field of 68, at least for the time being.

You don't need to dig deep to find storylines for today's matchup; but even in matchups when the stakes aren't high for the college basketball world at large, Duke vs. UNC means everything in Chapel Hill and Durham.