With all the hype surrounding Wednesday’s showdown at Cameron Indoor Stadium between No. 8 UNC and No. 1 Duke–a game the Tar Heels won 88-72–the result was the third-highest rated college basketball game in the history of ESPN.

Posting a 3.2 overnight rating, the game was also the highest rated game ESPN has shown so far this season.

The Raleigh/Durham market had the highest market rating at 13.0, followed by Greensboro (12.0) and Charlotte (11.0).

Former President Barack Obama was also in attendance to see Luke Maye put up 30 points and 15 rebounds for the Tar Heels, who led wire-to-wire after Duke star forward Zion Williamson left with a mild knee sprain just over 30 seconds into the game–an injury which occurred after his left foot somehow broke through his shoe.

 

Photo via Todd Melet

Related Stories
‹
No. 3 UNC Completes Season Sweep Over No. 4 Duke, Clinches Share of ACC Regular Season Title
It doesn’t get too much sweeter for UNC fans than what they were treated to on Saturday night at the Dean Smith Center, as the third-ranked Tar Heels held off a late charge by the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils to win 79-70—completing the season sweep over their most hated rival on Senior Day. The […]
Zion Williamson Leaves With Injury, No. 8 UNC Takes Advantage in 88-72 Blowout Victory Over No. 1 Duke
After Duke star freshman Zion Williamson left with a knee injury just over 30 seconds into the game Wednesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the eighth-ranked Tar Heels rode seniors Luke Maye and Cameron Johnson to an 88-72 victory over the No. 1 Blue Devils. Williamson’s injury sucked the energy out of Duke (23-3, 11-2 […]
Zion Williamson Brings New Level of Intrigue to UNC-Duke Showdown on Wednesday
Just the two team names alone are usually enough to earn national attention when the middle of February rolls around and Duke and UNC get set to meet for the first time during the college basketball season. This year, though, the hype has reached a whole new level largely due to the exploits of Duke’s […]
Thursday Marks First Meeting Between Carolina 'Family' and Newly Touted Duke 'Brotherhood'
When No. 21 UNC takes the floor at the Dean Dome Thursday night against No. 9 Duke it’ll be the first official matchup between the Duke “brotherhood” and the Carolina “family” since highly-touted recruit Zion Williamson used the new Duke basketball branding term when committing to the Blue Devils just over two weeks ago. As […]
Caleb Love's Career Game Helps UNC Top Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium
It may have been the first time since 1960 that both UNC and Duke were unranked, but the game Saturday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium stayed true to the rivalry by going right down to the wire. Freshman point guard Caleb Love’s career-high 25 points ultimately proved to be enough for UNC to […]
No. 12 Duke Snaps UNC's Three-Game Winning Streak, Completes Season Sweep of Tar Heels
What has been a turbulent regular season for the UNC men’s basketball team finally came to an end on Saturday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium, as the Tar Heels had their three-game winning streak snapped with an 89-76 loss to the rival Duke Blue Devils. This marks the first time since 2015 that Duke (25-6, […]
UNC Loses in Stunning Fashion at the Buzzer to No. 7 Duke in Overtime
A season littered with struggles and heartbreak wrote perhaps its most tragic chapter on Saturday night at the Dean Dome, as UNC watched what looked to be a magical upset over the No. 7 Duke Blue Devils turn into a crushing 98-96 loss in overtime. Ahead by 13 points with just over four minutes remaining—and […]
No. 2 Seed UNC Pushes the Pace, Runs Past No. 7 Seed Louisville In to ACC Tournament Semifinals
An impressive 83-70 win over the Louisville Cardinals on Thursday night in Charlotte moved the third-ranked Tar Heels into Friday’s ACC Tournament Semifinals. Louisville (20-13, 11-9 ACC) had major problems keeping UNC (27-5, 17-2 ACC) from pushing the pace right from the tip, which allowed the Tar Heels to build a double-digit lead midway through […]
From Walk-On to Superstar: Luke Maye Gets One More Chance to Prove Everyone Wrong Again
By this point, the story has been told more than enough times. UNC senior forward Luke Maye–as much a staple in Chapel Hill at this point as Sutton’s or Time Out–joined the program as a preferred walk-on before he was eventually placed on scholarship soon after. Four years later, he’s about to lead the third-ranked […]
Wednesday's UNC-Duke Game Was Third-Highest Rated College Basketball Game in ESPN History
With all the hype surrounding Wednesday’s showdown at Cameron Indoor Stadium between No. 8 UNC and No. 1 Duke–a game the Tar Heels won 88-72–the result was the third-highest rated college basketball game in the history of ESPN. Posting a 3.2 overnight rating, the game was also the highest rated game ESPN has shown so […]
›