It will be a contrast of coaches Saturday night in the Smith Center. On the UNC sideline, Hubert Davis will be coaching in his first-ever edition of the Duke-Carolina game. On the opposite sideline, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski will be making his last-ever trip to Chapel Hill before his retirement following this season. Davis will be the fifth Carolina coach to face off against a Krzyzewski-led Blue Devils team, and will look to start off his record in the rivalry on a positive note.
Earlier this week, Davis was complimentary of his Duke counterpart, against whom he’s faced off as a player and now as a head coach.
“Coach K is one of the best coaches in any sport, all-time,” Davis said. “It’s not just about basketball. And what he’s done for Duke University, what he’s done for this conference, what he’s done for this rivalry, what he’s done for basketball, what he’s done for this community, can’t be put into words.”
ESPN’s College Gameday will be broadcasting live on-site from the Smith Center that morning as well. It’s something of a full circle moment for Davis, who spent several years as an analyst with the show before joining Carolina’s coaching staff in 2012.
“The experience of having played in this rivalry, and having covered it in my seven years with ESPN, and then for nine years as an assistant coach, and now being part of it for the first time as head coach is really special,” he said,
Still, Davis said even though the Duke-Carolina rivalry has been a major part of his life since he was a teenager, he doesn’t let it define his life.
“It’s something that I’m very thankful that I was a part of, and that I got to experience,” said Davis, before adding, “And it’s also something that I rarely think about, because I’m 51-and-a-half years old, and I’ve got a wife and three kids.”
It’s safe to say Duke will be a top priority for Davis come Saturday night. Two out of the last three UNC head coaches have won their first career games against the Blue Devils, but if Davis loses his first game in the rivalry, he’d be forced to join the ragtag company of Roy Williams and Dean Smith.
Featured image via Todd Melet
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