Fight nearly erupts in annual Duke-North Carolina managers game
Just as the rivalry between the Duke and North Carolina basketball teams produces plenty of memorable moments each year, so too does the twice yearly matchup between the team managers for the Blue Devils and Tar Heels.
Almost one year ago to the day, the game in Durham ended on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Duke manager Graham Vehovec, inspiring a mini-court storming from the hundreds of students in attendance. Tuesday's 38-33 North Carolina victory in Chapel Hill didn't feature any late-game heroics, but it did include some contentious moments.
Tempers flared at the end of the first half when a North Carolina manager grabbed a rebound, tried to create space for himself swinging his elbows and struck Duke's Drew Goldstein in the face hard enough to knock the freshman to the floor. The ensuing scuffle didn't feature any haymakers thankfully, but grainy video via the Duke Chronicle shows that teammates had to step in to keep the two combatants from trading punches.
The annual games between the Duke and North Carolina managers take place on the eve of the actual meetings between the Blue Devils and Tar Heels in the same venue as the real game occurs. The Duke managers will have a shot to avenge Tuesday's loss on March 7 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Hopefully the real Duke and North Carolina players will be as invested in tonight's game as the mangers were the previous evening. If so, it should be another memorable chapter in one of college sports' greatest rivalries.
