Just heard K say

[*CatinIL*]

"K"

 

[LeonThe Camel]

Tubby Smith?

I stand corrected.

 

[katwest]

More hyped than good lately, he's still high from surgery.

 

[OhioDukeFan32]

Duke won it all two years ago (2015) and UNC came within a last second shot of winning it all last year. How is more hype than good??

 

[420grover]

Not likely. The NCAA Men's Finals are the 4th most watched sporting event in the U.S., behind only the BCS Championship, the Olympics and the Super Bowl, and ahead of the NBA finals, the Kentucky Derby, the Daytona 500, the Masters, the World Cup and the World Series.

People who couldn't name the mascots for the teams playing watch the final four because they have money riding on an office pool. What's the ratings for regular season games for teams outside of those states I listed?

 

[TopCatCal]

There is no doubt this is the biggest rivalry in all of college sports. Both teams are ALWAYS ranked, most times both are in the top 10, and look how many Final Fours both these programs have gone too in the last 30 years!!! And no doubt it holds a national audience based upon ESPN's TV ratings for the game.

UK/Louisville is a great rivalry now but how many years and decades did they not even play each other??

Son, what planet are you living on ? I've heard more than 1 person that was born & raised in North Carolina that now lives in Kentucky that will tell you. That the UK-UL basketball rivalry is far more intense than the UNC-Duke rivalry. And even the UK-UL basketball rivalry pales in comparison to the Iron Bowl game between Alabama-Auburn. So junior, you need to face reality & get out of that little fantasy world that you're living in. And besides if UNC-Duke is such a big deal why is it that almost every year that the most watched regular season games on TV are UK games, not Duke.So get over yourself little buddy.

 

[JimBR_rivals319758]

I believe UK-ul has the most hate and is the most intense rivalry. But I also believe unc-duke is a bigger and certainly more publicized one. And facing facts, ul does not have a national following/awareness like UK, duke and unc.

 

[bigbluehomer]

There is no doubt this is the biggest rivalry in all of college sports. Both teams are ALWAYS ranked, most times both are in the top 10, and look how many Final Fours both these programs have gone too in the last 30 years!!! And no doubt it holds a national audience based upon ESPN's TV ratings for the game.

UK/Louisville is a great rivalry now but how many years and decades did they not even play each other??

Don't forget all the times each team has used ineligible players in these games and all the W's that should be vacated. Boy, talk about adding juice to the rivalry when one of you wins the game on the basketball court, but loses it on the NCAA compliance court. Would certainly give all the ESPN talking heads something to discuss when they start previewing these games in November.

Here's a good trivia question - When was the last time UNC had a legitimate win in the series? 1980's? 70's? 60's? 50's? 40's? Never?

 

[Leatherface1983]

Ive been to 16 countries and have indeed seen fans from Duke, Unc, uk, and loserville. Mostly Hats and shirts. I guess that color is popular everywhere. In Italy, I bumped into a young couple who were cat and card fans. Talked for a bit. In Germany, I drank a beer with a man discussing the Gerald Henderson-Tyler Hansbrough debacle (Shortly after it had occurred). All other countries, Ive seen shirts, hats and coats. But also of dozens of American teams. Bulls, Steelers, Cubs, Red Wings, everything in between. Though not near as popular as Coach K is maybe trying to state, people do know about it. We have exciting sports to watch. All our sports are worldwide. Go USA

 

[Cowtown Cat]

There is no doubt this is the biggest rivalry in all of college sports. Both teams are ALWAYS ranked, most times both are in the top 10, and look how many Final Fours both these programs have gone too in the last 30 years!!! And no doubt it holds a national audience based upon ESPN's TV ratings for the game.

UK/Louisville is a great rivalry now but how many years and decades did they not even play each other??

Nah, the whole Pitino at Louisville thing puts the UK-UL rivalry ahead of that, IMO.

 

[PokerCat72]

As UK fans do we really want to go there? We are the needle....500k for a glorified practice...gold standard and on and on

That's ummmmmm completely different......yeah...that's it.

 

[OhioDukeFan32]

Duke has three of the ten highest rated NCAA championship games of all time. UK one.............. and it was in 1975!

https://www.statista.com/statistics/219645/ncaa-basketball-tournament-games-by-tv-ratings/

 

[katwest]

Duke has also lost more championship games than anybody, In this part of the country it's UK vs UL.

 

[Ben101er]

And yet the ratings for the game tonight, will be less than for American Pickers, on the History Channel.

 

[420grover]

Duke has three of the ten highest rated NCAA championship games of all time. UK one.............. and it was in 1975!

https://www.statista.com/statistics/219645/ncaa-basketball-tournament-games-by-tv-ratings/

Duke's highest rated game wasn't because of Duke, it was because of the Fab 5. The other Fab 5 title game is listed higher than any other Duke game.

 

[feel_the_mashburn]

If you're in that part of the country then UNC-Dook is the biggest. If you're in our part of the country then UK-UL is the biggest. If you in a different part of the country then Team A - Team B is the biggest. That's simply because there are more fans of those teams in their respective regions.

Now, these games are still watched by people outside of their regions of course. And, as much as we don't want to admit it, UNC-Dook is followed by more/hyped up by more because both teams are typically in the hunt for a title. Additionally, both teams are very equal in terms of wins in the series. UK-UL is hurt because UK dominates them. It's like a rivalry against a big brother and a little brother, whereas UNC-Dook are like to guys the same age, size, strength, etc. So, if you were going to get excited to watch a fight would it be for Tyson vs Spinks or Ward vs Gatti? Tyson would destroy the other three, but the best fight is clearly Ward vs Gatti. This is what UNC-Dook has going for them that UK-UL doesn't (thanks to UL).

 

[feel_the_mashburn]

Not speaking in relation to the Duke/UNC rivalry but have to say I have been very few places across this great land that I haven't ran into UK fans. On the other hand I don't see that many Duke or UNC shirts and hats. Maybe they just don't proclaim their love for their program like UK fans.

And yet the ratings for the game tonight, will be less than for American Pickers, on the History Channel.

I'm not sure if that is true, but it's not far off, which is shocking to me. I heard that the UK-UNC game was the most watched game of the season (maybe to date), yet was almost doubled-up by the Las Vegas bowl which was airing along side it. Crazy.

 

[StubbornPenny]

Not the best rivalry (and UK-LOU is) for two reasons: they play up to 3 times a year, at some point it's watered down. Also, they NEVER play in the tournament when it actually means something.

 

[akaukswoosh]

the UNC rivalry isn't just national, it's world wide.
In reference to a question of just how big this game is.
Just a little full of himself...

Is he using an ESPN slogan or are they using a K slogan?:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: