UNC vs. Duke basketball rivalry history: All-time record, how many Top 10 meetings

In all of sports, but especially in college basketball, no one is going to find a better feud than the Duke-North Carolina rivalry on the hardwood. These two schools located less than 10 miles from one another are blue-bloods of college hoops with UNC claiming seven national championships in the Tar Heels' rich history while Duke has five to their credit.

The rivalry, of course, has changed in recent years. With the retirements of both UNC's Roy Williams and Duke's Mike Krzyzewski -- replaced by Hubert Davis and Jon Scheyer, respectively -- we're into a new phase of this clash on Tobacco Road. That's even more pertinent after North Carolina defeated Coach K and the Blue Devils in the 2022 Final Four in the legendary Duke head coach's final game.

But the rivalry didn't wholly stop there and these two ACC foes will clash twice again in the 2023-24 season, starting with a matchup at the Dean E. Smith Center on Saturday, Feb. 3. So where does the rivalry stand coming into this season? Let's take a look.

UNC-Duke basketball all-time record in rivalry

UNC and Duke have played an astonishing 261 times with North Carolina holding a 144-117 advantage in the all-time series. But the rivalry is far closer than that record, which was heavily favored toward the Tar Heels in the 1920s and prior to modern college basketball. In modern history, this rivalry has been shockingly split down the middle.

How many Top 10 meetings have UNC and Duke had in rivalry?

The Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024 meeting between North Carolina and Duke was the record-best 49th time the two rivals have played one another as Top 10 teams. As has often been the case with this heated affair in the Tar Heels and Blue Devils, the 49 meetings are split almost right down the middle with North Carolina having only a slight edge with a 25-24 overall record when the two programs face off while both ranked inside the Top 10.

What is UNC's record vs. Duke at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill?

The Tar Heels have slightly taken advantage of home-court since the Dean E. Smith Center opened in 1986, with UNC holding a 21-18 advantage over rival Duke in home games over that span against the Blue Devils.

What Duke's record vs. UNC at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham?

Duke has taken a bit more advantage of playing at home against Carolina, holding a 47-39 all-time record against the Tar Heels in front of the Crazies at Cameron Indoor Stadium, which first opened in 1940.

Last 5 UNC-Duke games leading into 2023-24 season

North Carolina has been the victor of the most recent series. They were swept by Duke in the 2022-23 regular season, but were coming off a season finale win in 2022 and beating Coach K in his final game back in the 2022 Final Four. The Tar Heels also picked up an emphatic victory in the first meeting of the 2023-24 campaign.