Emotions runs high when the Carolina faces off against Duke. Whenever the oldest – and arguably best – rivalry in college basketball heats up, there’s always someone fanning the flames. The yelling doesn’t stop until the buzzer sounds, and the trash talk seemingly never ends.

Snagging a ticket to see this annual clash of titans is no small feat. Demand is high, from both sides of the rivalry, and seats are hard to come by even for students. Those looking to buy such coveted tickets outright should be prepared to pay in the hundreds, or even thousands. While the tickets may be expensive, some reactions to receiving them can be priceless.

One such reaction was elicited from John Blankenship, on his fifty-third birthday. His son Cody presented him with two tickets to the rivalry game – this year taking place on February 8 – at a birthday dinner in their home state of Virginia.

“What game is this?” said John Blankenship after opening the gift. “Duke? No frickin’ way! Are you serious? … That’s a bucket list! I’m gonna die soon, that’s a bucket list!”

The video of Blankenship’s reaction to receiving the tickets was posted to Twitter, and has since received thousands of views, hundreds of likes and a slew of retweets.

Storied rivalries are emotional business, there’s no doubt about that, but there’s no rule that says all those emotions need to be aggressive. More often than not, rivalries and spirited competition bring us closer together — both on and off the court.

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