During any political election, the difference between the red and blue states is stark. If there were an electoral map of the college basketball nation, only one team could cause such a sharp divide among fans: the Duke Blue Devils.
No college basketball team has had the continuous success the Blue Devils have enjoyed during the past 20 years. Fans around the country either love or love to hate Duke, making it comparable to a certain other "Evil Empire."
"I think it's the Yankees Syndrome," coach Gary Williams said. "They've been so successful. When they play a game on television, they're the best student body in the country, and all those things go into that. But any time you win as they have, people, just like anything else in our society, anything that's successful, like to see them taken down. I think that's why there's some animosity out there."
Even in a year when the Blue Devils (22-7, 8-6 ACC) are not playing up to their usual level - they have not lost this many conference games since the 1995-96 season - the two Duke games still create more buzz on the campus than any other game. Terrapin fans' hatred for Duke will once again arise tonight when the men's basketball team travels to Durham, N.C., to take on the Blue Devils.
"In order to have heroes in your life, you have to stereotype and characterize villains," said Phil Costanzo, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke, on why Terp fans have feelings of animosity toward the Blue Devils. "Duke is kind of like a perfect target. ... Not only are they successful, there's a stereotype that goes along with Duke that it's an elitist school."
This year, the Terps have overachieved while Duke has underachieved, yet it hasn't taken away from the way fans feel about Duke. In fact, a win tonight over Duke could be that much sweeter for Terp fans, given their recent drive toward a high seed in the NCAA tournament.
Duke's recent surge of dominance began in the late 1980s and has yet to stop. Since 1988, the team has appeared in nine Final Fours and won three national championships. Dating back to the 1997-98 season, Duke has been ranked No. 1 in the polls during eight different seasons, for a combined 55 weeks. They've also dominated in the ACC tournament, winning seven of the last eight titles.
The one loss came to the Terps in the 2004 ACC Championship game, a victory that set off riots in downtown College Park. Wins over Duke have been celebrated in that fashion a few times in recent memory, in part because of Duke's status as one of this university's main rivals. Since 2001, there have been seven basketball-related riots in College Park, and five have stemmed from games against Duke, including last year's women's championship game.
University students' displeasure with Duke is also evident on Facebook, where numerous anti-Duke groups exist. One, cleverly titled "Duke Sucks," has more than 4,500 members. Others mock former guard J.J. Redick and coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Mara Schultz, the head line monitor at Krzyzewskiville, the area where Duke students camp out before games, believes the negativity directed toward Duke is due to the team's success.
"I think we have a tradition of being very good and being very competitive in both the ACC and NCAA tournaments," Schultz said. "I think that a lot of people view us as competition, and, I don't know, I guess you don't like the people who win."
In addition to Duke's winning record, fans often complain the Blue Devils' games are on national television constantly. Of the team's 31 regular season games this year, 30 are on national television, including 20 on one of the ESPN networks. The numerous appearances on ESPN have led many people to refer to one of the station's leading college basketball announcers, Dick Vitale, as "Dookie V." Vitale will be broadcasting tonight's game.
"ESPN is pretty much the Duke sports network," said junior government and politics major Jonathan Michaels, president of the Student Terrapin Club.
Tonight, the Terps renew their rivalry with the Blue Devils, and as the nation tunes in, red and blue won't just describe the team's jersey colors. They will also represent the country's love-hate relationship toward Duke.
Senior staff writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this story. Contact reporter Michael Gluskin at gluskindbk@gmail.com.
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