Than at the Duke-North Carolina game.  Yes, I was lucky enough to snag a ticket to this game, which will go down in history as the Battle Down South, the Blood on 15-501, or at the very least, another chapter in this storied rivalry, one which will add fuel to the fire between these schools that takes center stage in basketball, but is still hot in any sport they compete with each other, be it rowing or fencing or chess. 

That is what the separation of 8 miles will do to 2 schools which are consistently ranked in the top 30 best schools nationwide, and worry about their images as academic powerhouses as much or more so than their respective athletic prowess.  Here are some other facts and nuggets of information from this game which the news media outlets may have overlooked: 

-This was the first sweep by North Carolina over Duke in 11 years.

-North Carolina has won 3 straight against Duke, and 4 out of the last 5.

-Even though Tyler Hansbrough's efforts in this game may have been overshadowed by a nasty elbow to his nose, he had the biggest performance in a Duke-North Carolina game with his 26 points and 17 rebounds since Sean May in the 2005 classic.  Hansbrough had his 3rd highest point output of the season, and had over 9 rebounds above his average.

-Reyshawn Terry played like a man possessed, in his best effort of the year by far, in his last game at the Dean Smith Center.  His game was total as he had 15 points, 8 rebounds, and played solid defense with 2 steals and overall great play at forward.

-North Carolina had 5 players in double figures, once again showing their vaunted balanced scoring and overall depth. 

-Duke had its worst season in the ACC since 1995-1996, going 8-8.

-Duke will have a tough test against NC State in the 1st Round of the ACC Tournament Thursday, especially without the services of Gerald Henderson.  NC State is one dangerous team, especially when they bring their shooting touch.  Just ask Virginia Tech, who they beat twice, and North Carolina, who they split with. 

Speaking of Henderson, I never saw or heard such a hatred to one man in my life.  Thankfully, the officials made the right call and ejected him from the game, lest he get hurt by either the opposing players or the North Carolina fans, who were about to start a riot as the blood poured from Hansbrough's nose.  You just had to be there in the Dean Dome, as fans gushed obscenities at Henderson faster than the blood spilled out.  I actually was showed with spit as many drunk fans yelled four letter words with excessive S's in rapid fire speed.  Needless to say, Henderson might not want to set foot in Chapel Hill for quite some time, if ever.  A humongous sign (that covered half of the front of a fraternity house) that could be seen while driving down Franklin St a scant 15 minutes after the game said it all from the Tarheel fan perspective:

F**K YOU HENDERSON!

Yes, this rivalry has gotten another swift kick in the pants, as if it needed one to begin with.  To reference the cult classic Spinal Tap, they sure turned it up to "11".