#2 North Carolina vs. #1 Duke - Basketball - February 1998

UNC takes on the #1 Blue Devils in the Dean Dome in a 1998 classic -- one of the best performances ever by the Heels at home.

[@Iambigjones]

My favorite Carolina team. Period. You had Jamison, Carter, Haywood, Williams, and Cota. Carter and Jamison were dominant and everyone of them could've played in the league, I swear people forget just how cold Ed Cota was!!

[@MrPesante2008]

Hell yeah!

[@Averagestoner]

You can say the same about this years class. I LOVE CAROLINA SPORTS. But you don't get enough notoriety until you win the Whole thing

[@NotaBigFanofUrs]

Cota Floata

[@e84fresh]

I was surprised when Cota didn’t make it to the NBA... It’s crazy how with all that talent they got put out of the tournament by Utah

[@TarHeelsKenny]

Ed Cota was easily top 2 best PG's in Carolina history.

[@shockattack2]

This is the game that made me fall in love in college basketball, and the Heels. I was five years old when I watched it, and ever since then I have loved Carolina.

[@Michael65429]

I had a similar experience when I was 6 years old watching my first Carolina game on the Jefferson Pilot network. Now its 65 years later and I'm still a Tar Heel through and through. But the Doherty years 😮. Oh man, glad Roy came back ...

[@bigdaddycmoney]

Jamison and Carter....one of the best combos in college basketball history.

[@TarHeelsKenny]

That crowd was hyped the entire game. I remember this vividly.

[@dhinton1]

When it's Duke/North Carolina ..... rankings aren't needed to hype the crowd.

[@thetraveler9]

Me too. It's one of my strongest memories of my early years. I was 13 at this time . 98 I believe

[@rdakin87]

i cant believe this team didnt win a championship. they have got to be the greatest team ever to not win one. what legends they have on this team.

[@Riles3152]

91 UNLV

[@mindelo23]

I remember this game when I was 18. I ran home to go watch it and everyone was hyped af and both teams did not disappoint. The 90s was the golden era of basketball.

[@thetraveler9]

It was the golden era of college basketball

[@jusprazem1]

I was 18 as well. A guy was coming to my house to give drawing lessons but got lost and was unable to come. I would have missed the game if he had come 😊

[@caddison4]

If Dean Smith came back for one more year and coached this team, the national championship would have been UNC's. The best team UNC ever had to not win a national championship.

[@PoloMan404]

Facts Bill Guthridge inherited a Ferrari but wasn’t truly able to handle its power

[@JasonCoe-lp4fm]

Just think if stackhouse and Wallace was on that team😮😬

[@Etanimulc]

He was one of the greatest point guards of all time. He knew how to give the ball to guys where they would score efficiently. He knew how to feed the ball to the big guys in the half court offense. He was great at controlling the tempo of the game, and maybe the best at distributing the ball. His handle (shakes) was one of the best as well. He had great passes, no looks, fake behind the back, fake behind the back dribble to himself, etc.....

[@SB-uf4yw]

Man. That front court was beyond amazing!

[@thetraveler9]

Damn that Carolina team was so fun to watch especially with Ed cota at pg

[@stormchasingmikey]

Vince's best game as a Tarheel. I was there and will never forget it. The house rocked!

[@samserf1506]

personally the best unc duke game I've ever witnessed first hand

[@latinamaids]

unc that year was unstoppable. this game was one of the finest displays i've ever seen by a college team. In general, there haven't been many good college teams since 05 (unc and illinois)

[@fpic]

I would love to see Carolina recruit guys like this again!

[@reggiedexing6350]

They have. Watch out 2020s class!

[@savydayz5835]

@@reggiedexing6350 I hope so those nineties teams are going to be hard to top 93,94_95 ,98 and and even though they won it in 05,09 then again in 2017 their best teams were when they had Stackhouse,and Wallace and Jamison and Carter by far

[@jeffboy13]

@@savydayz5835 their best team was 84. Kenny Smith, Jordan, Sam Perkins, Brad Daughtery

[@jordanthurman5184]

@@jeffboy13 And don’t forget about Joe Wolf, coming off the bench to backup Brad

[@e84fresh]

Ed Cota had handles. I was surprised he didn’t make it to the NBA. Even though I thought he bulked up a little too much his last year at North Carolina... Antwan Jamison was virtually unstoppable in college.

[@jeremywade6986]

Ed Cota was a great passer/playmaker but for some reason his shot failed him at the Collegiate level. I think that played a large role in him going undrafted. It's a shame really...

[@djayb2259]

I think you're right, Cota packed on a few pounds his jr and sr year and that affected him more so than his shooting regarding the NBA because when you look at the his 3pt% wasn't bad.

[@geraldn51]

Left hand shooting right?

[@beatbotzmusic9530]

Ed Cota was 20 going 21 in his freshman year...making him 25 years old going into the draft...I always thought that could’ve been a key factor 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@jeterw75]

Cota was a great and true point guard in Brooklyn and at UNC. The NBA missed out on a real one.

[@TetsuyaIT]

I came across this video by searching for "Jordan" and "North Carolina". I now have one more reason to love and play basketball. I never, ever, seen anything like this in my life. Sport at its best: young players who love their team, an unjbelieveable crowd and what a game it was. It's just my opinion, I'm 35 but this looks much better than the NBA. Respect from Italy and sorry for my english.

[@kongstrong1938]

Now thats how you play basketball. This more entertaining than the NBA finals.

[@solomonyasharahlajudah3734]

I'm 43 now but was 21 then. I remember getting pumped up and next day went to court and went in after seeing that game🤾

[@scottworley1479]

I met Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, Ed cota and a couple other guys at the mall in greensboro NC that year. They were playing in the first round of the tournament in greensboro.

[@aeallen72]

How the HELL did we not win it all that year. GO HEELS!!!!

[@MrPesante2008]

I know right. UTAH pretty much killed us with 3 point shooting that year!

[@tarheelpride2003]

Allahmein Crews I disagree man remember shammond williams had a horrible shooting night against utah he was like 3 for 18 or something like that

[@MrPesante2008]

Yeah James, but the where making all their 3's too.

[@broaddusmarines]

Anthony Allen bad coaching.

[@johncooper2265]

Bad shooting by Shammond aside, the main reason UNC lost was because the Utah bigs were allowed to beat up on Jamison and UNC kept thinking that the officials would finally start calling the game correctly. They never did, and once UNC figured out that Utah had a free pass to commit murder in the paint, both Jamison and N'Diaye were frustrated to the point of being completely ineffective. Gut did an especially bad job of coaching this night as UNC should've countered with Heywood and Okulaja seeking some scalps from the Utah bigs to let them (& the REFS know) that UNC was onto what was being allowed by the Utah Bigs and that there would be hell to pay for playing dirty on Jamison. But Gut was a day late and a dollar short on figuring any of this out on his own. Basically, Carter single handedly kept UNC in the game. Sadly, IF he'd gotten any help from .... ANYONE... (including Gut working on the refs), UNC still would've won as Utah was a vastly inferior team. The ONLY edge the Utes held over UNC was that Rick Majerus was a really good BIG GAME Head Coach and that Guthridge was NOT (as he was riding high on the sheer talent that Dean left for him). Even more sad.... NO WAY would Jamison (and UNC's bigs) as well as Shammond had two godawful games in a row had they gotten to face off against UK.

[@adereiojones9889]

One of my favorite games...Still mad @ Vince Carter for missing that dunk off the Backboard!!

[@heelsfanatic]

man this brings back memories i was 10 years old watching this game and now I am 20 in college. Wow time flies

[@stephenkinq7549]

at 40ish years of age ... V.C still getting it done.

[@TheEwolf22]

Best heels team to not win it all.

[@MrPesante2008]

I agree, that 95 squad with Jerry Stackhouse, jeff Mcinnis, Rashid Wallace, Calebrell and Donald Willliams was mean too. They made it to final 4 and lost to Arkansas.

[@Averagestoner]

+Allahmein Crews yea it's hard to choose, both of those teams produced great pros

[@broaddusmarines]

Eric Law 1987

[@anthonyhenderson4661]

Eric Law yes it is bruh

[@bricedixon113]

Agreed. The 94 and 84 teams were pretty good too.

[@greene363]

90s and 2000s had stacked duke and NC teams

[@blackricktheruler]

This was UNC's most dominate performance against dook,and maybe ever.Vince and Jamison were just unstoppable that night.

[@Ironman888888]

Freakin dunk fest son. I remember this game so vividly. Was drinking with friends in a buddies basement and completely lost it on the Cota to Carter off the backboard jam that never was. However I thought he made it and literally went crazy. Spilled my beer and knocked over a lamp. Good times.

[@rdakin87]

damn what a team. its a shame they never won a chipper. cota, carter, jamison, williams. i would give anything to go back and watch those guys play. what a dream team!!

[@koroseman1]

Don't really understand how UNC didn't win the title that year... they were by far the best team in the country... probably one of Carolina's best teams ever

[@toddlaber2325]

great commentary by tim brant and billy packer thanks for putting up the raycom jp sports feed gufcruisers go heels!

[@TranceEuropeExpress]

That was the height of the rivalry right there. Duke won the second game later that year I believe, in a 2OT thriller. Then, if I'm not mistaken again, UNC beat them in the ACC Championship. Duke had a killer squad the next year but failed to capitalize on it with a championship.

[@thetraveler9]

These 1998-2001 duke teams had the best recruiting rankings at the time and were talked about as mythical teams. .Duke 98-200 was epic on recruiting scale. Beautiful clashes unc and duke had back then during the golden age of college basketball.

[@geraldfoushee]

Freshman Brandan Wright scored 19 points while Tyler Hansbrough added 16 to lead the fifth-ranked Tar Heels past No. 16 Duke 79-73, earning their second straight win in Cameron Indoor Stadium and handing the Blue Devils their first three-game losing streak in nearly eight years. being a tarheel sure is SWEET yeah BABY!

[@dagameplayer]

That was my favorite UNC squad

[@rubblegamesgaming1190]

I love new York City point guard's cota should have been in the NBA for a long time

[@maosaytounge49]

Also, just to point out- there were a couple soon-to-be-NBA-stars on this Carolina team (Carter and Jamison). Haywood also went on later to the pros.

[@revpgesqredux]

Jamison jump so quick. Carter fly so high. unbelievable

[@3madeamps]

Most entertaing UNC team ever!

[@booblover779]

I was at this game, when Haywood had that put back dunk, that was the loudest I have ever heard the deandome get.

[@urbanotype5776]

Franklin St was lit that night!

[@bobbywilson7568]

I swear this was the one team that should have one a ship!!!!

[@elegySH]

Jamison and Carter went OFF in this game.

[@CHRISKERNY]

OMG if that dunk went in it would be Carter's second best dunk of all time, the house would of came down

[@busch028]

backwardsman20 I always refer to this dunk (well, missed dunk) and people have no idea what I am talking about. When I saw that play in real life I almost fell off my chair.

[@djayb2259]

@@busch028 You were at that game? Nice. I remember thinking what the hell is Cota doing and Carter just went up too high and tonged it.

[@rambomoore381]

The best UNC team of all time! They would have beat Utah 19/20 times... just wasn't their day... they got ice cold. If NCAA was best of 5 or best of 7 series, the Heels 100% champs in 1998.... probably 1995 as well!

[@cbhamm5676]

I would put this starting lineup against any starting lineup in history. Size, speed and most important...SMART.

[@rashb]

The funny thing about that Ed Cota alley oop off the backboard was that it actually was the right play, it's just that it's such an advanced play because Ed Cota was a phenomenal passer. I think Vince was shocked it came.

[@chadcook3709]

Best game I’ve ever been to. First and only time I’ve stormed a court

[@Theoriginalcg]

Major difference is that many times Carter, Williams and Cota would have to play 35+ minutes per contest. They were without a doubt one of the most talented collections in college basketball history, but they only went about six or seven deep.

[@heelsfanatic]

Also i still think this was the best team I ever watched at carolina yet they didn't win the championship only because jamison and carter left early, then the year when they left joe forte came in. Just think abut how dominant they woulda been. That would have been a guaranteed title. The explosiveness on that team was just so unreal.

[@e84fresh]

It’s crazy how with all the talent they had Utah put them out of the tournament

[@GennosukeOD]

Carolina fans shouldn't rush the court after any game. Doesn't matter who they're playing. It should just be business as usual. Besides, overall they own Duke.

[@nujrz4lyfe]

I remember this game so vividly..Cota tortured WoJo in this game..I loved it

[@maosaytounge49]

could never forget this game.

[@rustyjones7397]

BAD ASS TEAM!

[@hotttarheeldude]

favorite unc team they should have won it all

[@troaarrr19]

I still cant believe this UNC team did not win it all in '98.

[@agFinder2]

Carolina basketball is a million times better than the NBA. Glad you're a fan - I've been one for 45 years :).

[@cniemail]

Incredible, incredible game. I've never seen so many dunks in a single game! Way to show the Blue Devils who's REALLY #1. Go heels!

[@dubc42]

One of the nest basketball games ever played!!

[@maskedavenger2621]

Cota is my favorite point Gaurd in UNC history.

[@djayb2259]

Cota was my all time fave too. Shoulda went pro after his jr year.

[@rodrickthompson2799]

Back when Duke/ UNC was a great to watch

[@CHRISKERNY]

These dudes played like men! Not like todays gaame

[@dhop1229]

Baddest squad.. Nothing but raw Dunkers!!!! My my my

[@bubbanater07]

I wish this game was on DVD

[@Greg4fun]

UNC's talent that year was uncanny.. how we lost to Utah in the Final 4 I'll never know *sigh*

[@hassanesdaile3671]

I still can’t NC didn’t win Title. This squad was crazy.. Remember this game like it was yesterday..

[@Averagestoner]

Dook has always produced guards, every now and then you'll get a forward. On the contrary Carolina produces amazing forwards and centers. Look at who's in this game, for Dook: Battier, Brand, Maggette, Avery and Landon, Now look at Carolina: V. Carter, Antwan Jamison, Haywood and Williams. My point is you can root and be a die hard fan for either school, BUT the point is, North Carolina as a STATE produces A+ class PRO players. PEROID

[@agFinder2]

Your English is fine if you're praising about the Tar Heels :). I'm a 52 y.o. from N. Carolina. Dean Smith's 1st season @ UNC was the year I was born. Like many people, I remember where I was when I heard the news he retired. UNC b.ball has been awesome for so long, and that's what makes it better than NBA. Most games you'll see legends - Jordan, Worthy, etc. - in the stands. There's nothing like UNC basketball :). Search here for "UNC comes back to win vs Duke"

[@SFFOOL76]

@LewisP86 I always thought of the possibilities the year before if Stackhouse, Wallace and McInnis all stayed for their senior year in 1996-97 team. (I'm fully aware that this was the era when players started leaving early to the pro's)

[@Robert-nb6cc]

Coach K face after the Jamison dunk😂😂 Cant believe we didnt win it all that year or 95 with Wallace and Stackhouse

[@MountaineerMadness08]

damn, that team was talented

[@travisstanley6512]

carolina v. duke at its finest

[@scottycameron14]

that vc dunk at 4:54 would have been nasty

[@joshuahollar9880]

How did we not when a championship

[@Justfor2day10]

This is what UNC lacked this year, passion and heart!

[@dariusfountain683]

Shut up 🤡

[@doreme2100]

A beat down for the ages!

[@d.minicksr.1597]

I wish Cota and Carter could've played with Stackhouse and Wallace

[@Kiraly30]

Can't believe this Carolina team didn't when a National Championship.

[@mburrell23]

Ed Cota's crossover at 3:10 was naaaaaaaaassssstty!!!

[@kylewatson4900]

How the fuck did we lose to Utah in the Tourney with this squad?? smh

[@chrisuncleahmad789]

I sometimes wonder what if Vince didn't come out early and stay at UNC another uear or two

[@bigm5203]

Man this is great, That was the squad!!! Just like 05, they should have won it that year for sure, but if you notice great UNC teams have a formula, amazing point guard, Cota, Felton, Lawson, Great Big man Jamison, May, Hansbrough, good second big guy, silky three point shooter, Wiliiams, McCants, Ellington, and Great bench, and Vince Carter is unmatched in emotion and AIR! I love the Heels, and love it when we beat duke!!!

[@andrewcheadle1753]

Pretty sure Roy Williams was at this game court side because his son was a senior at unc this season and it was senior night.

[@colyhope236]

Carolina tore up Duke in the paint in that game.

[@sickofguysnamedtodd2293]

Elton Brand was hurt and didn’t play, that certainly was a huge advantage for Carolina

[@marcellehardingsr.511]

Cota was definitely one of the best and I'm a Duke fan by heart. I used to hate Carolina but I loved ed cota

[@wartimemodels]

I was there. Epic.

[@DjCauseDesign]

Cota!!🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@pesante5]

Dayum I miss this squad!

[@marcellehardingsr.511]

This Duke squad was unstoppable

[@kinkeezie]

This UNC team was sick

[@purposepassionandlovetv863]

Ed Cota was a monster!

[@AndrewGerst]

AMAZING!!!

[@UnrealOcean]

Ed Coda's handle was sik!!!

[@taron316]

I remember this team vividly. The only thing they didn't have was depth. Because they played such a high-flying game, they were susceptible to foul trouble and especially charges. They were certainly one of the best teams to never win a title though.

[@jrock2310]

im a huge unc fan and still have this game on tape. BUT! duke did not have elton brand who was injured. so we cant say we got the best of duke that day.

[@agFinder2]

It's Dook. More specifically, beating Dook, oh I mean 'crushing' Dook. Never gets better than that.

[@deangelobrown2884]

It was a good try by cota to get the crowd into it. I just like shooting a three with the momentum the ball hit the rim first, I think that's what threw Carter's dunk attempt off

[@jdb89142]

Totally agree for people from other countries that are not familiar with college basketball it is WAY better than the NBA, Crowds are more into it, players play with more heart! Its just better purest form of the game! GO HEELS!!!

[@jgbmw5]

This was the last even-yeared win for UNC over Duke at home... crazy stat

[@scottworley1479]

Love it!

[@gillokonkwo791]

These team should have been national champs. Still can't believe Utah without van horn beat them

[@djayb2259]

You are correct, this team should've won two titles, but both Final Fours Shammond Williams was broke. Utah did have Andre Miller and Michael Doliak, both pros, Miller played 17 years in NBA.

[@gillokonkwo791]

DJay B22 I know I remember