Heels see a hint of the Duke rivalry in their Oklahoma matchup
Mar 28, 2009
You can never really escape the Duke-Carolina rivalry.
Not even in the Elite Eight, and not even when one of the teams is no longer playing.
Carolina may be playing Oklahoma, but there's a touch of the "Blues" involved in this game. Sooners coach Jeff Capel just happens to be a Duke grad, and the taker of the most famous shot in the Duke-Carolina series.
But get this - Capel grew up a Carolina fan. Like so many kids his age, Capel had a Michael Jordan poster in his room. He told his parents he would grow up to be a Tar Heel. But his first meeting with Mike Krzyzewski changed all of that. Capel decided then and there that Duke was in his future, and the rest is rivalry history.
Meanwhile, Tyler Hansbrough still has Duke on the brain -- although not on the front burner. Hansbrough's physical style often means he gets as good as he gives in the paint, and when someone asked "Psycho T" about the worst "cheap shot" he has ever taken his first inclination was to avoid the question.
Then came one of the great follow-up questions of all time:
Reporter: "You don't have to name any names."
Hansbrough: "Well, I did have my nose broken one time!"
Paging Gerald Henderson?
