Here’s an interesting nugget unearthed by Joe Giglio of the Raleigh News & Observer.
There have been 36 teams that have beaten both Duke and North Carolina since 1981 – excluding those who beat Duke in the Pete Gaudet Year and toppled the Tar Heels in The Year North Carolina Was Bad.
So taking out 1995 and 2002, only one team that beat both Duke and Carolina in that span missed the tournament.
Just one – 2007 N.C. State, which happened to ride the magic of Sidney Lowe and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat to victories over both.
So while Maryland isn’t a sure thing if it wins tonight, history is certainly on the Terrapins’ side if they can beat the Tobacco Road titans back-to-back.
