Between the 2014-15 season and the 2021 post-COVID campaign, the rivalry between Duke and UNC appeared utterly fictional in the realm of women’s basketball. Eleven wins and only one loss told a story of Blue Devil dominance over their in-state competitor.
Duke head coach Kara Lawson has brought a boatload of success to Durham, but her role in the rivalry isn’t yet a positive branch of her legacy. Since Lawson took over the Duke program, North Carolina has flipped the script and won six out of the last eight meetings. After an overtime loss in their first meeting this year, Duke is hungry to redeem themselves on Thursday evening when the Blue Devils host the Tar Heels in Cameron Indoor Stadium (7 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Duke’s troubled waters
Duke (21-7) is a comfortably good program sitting at a vaguely uncomfortable record. Jarring losses are plaguing top programs on a weekly basis, but seven losses for the Blue Devils is indicative of them being a streaky wildcard, rather than a thunderous contender, come…
