ESPN's College GameDay will be on location for Duke and North Carolina on Saturday, a decision that earned some second-guessing. Photo Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images Photo Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images
College BasketballESPNBy Michael Dixon on

Does the regular season finale between Duke and North Carolina’s men’s basketball teams deserve top billing? While ESPN thinks so, it’s far from a unanimous opinion.

Part of what makes the rivalry between the Blue Devils and Tar Heels special is that the two teams often meet as national powerhouses. That, however, is not the case this year. While Duke has spent the entire season at or near the top of the national rankings, North Carolina has struggled. With their win over Miami on Saturday, the Tar Heels moved their record to 19-11 on the year. One of those 11 losses was an 87-70 beating at the hands of the Blue Devils earlier in the season.

Despite the mismatch, ESPN announced on Saturday that College GameDay will be at UNC for Saturday’s game.

This isn’t to say that North Carolina can’t keep the game close, or even beat Duke. Anything can happen in one game. But the Tar Heels are an unranked bubble team. There is no shortage of other great matchups on Sunday, including a clash between No. 6 Alabama and No. 1 Auburn.

Keeping that in mind, college basketball fans and observers couldn’t help but wonder why the Blue Devils and Tar Heels are getting the VIP treatment.

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