IMC Hawks Blog

Tag: UNC

  • Goodbye Duke, Hello UNC

    On Monday’s blog post “ The Devil Wears Royal Blue” Allison Day, Jessica Berinson, Megan Canny, Melissa Gagliardi, Scott Burgess explained the brand of the Duke Blue Devils and how their success led them to dominate the basketball court and winning last years NCAA championship. However, last nights game (March 24) was rather surprising for the number one team.  The top seeded Blue Devils were defeated 93-77 by fifth-seeded Arizona.

    The Arizona Wild Cats head into the Elite Eight for the first time since 2005. They face the third seeded Connecticut Huskies on saturday night.

    Interestingly enough the state of North Carolina doesn’t have to give up quite yet. The UNC Tar-heels (Duke’s rivalry) are still in the running for championship. As I write this post, UNC #6 leads the end of the first half 40-15 against Marquette.

    The brands of both NC teams are hard to miss and so is their rivalry; get Duke and UNC fans in the same room, there will be a problem. Both teams have combined 9 national championships.

    The Brand of UNC

    Where does the nickname of “tar-heels” come from? North Carolina in the eighteenth century was a producer of tar and pitch. The nickname dates back to the American Civil War and American Revolution along with the mascot of a live Dorset ram.

    The colors of UNC, known as Carolina Blue and white, were designed in the late nineteenth century. Years before, the colors were chosen by the Dialectic (blue) and Philanthropic Societies (white), the oldest student organization in the university.

    Also, UNC has the ability to routinely bring on top high school players, and then send them off to the NBA. Some of the biggest players went to UNC, including the Michael Jordan, Vince Carter, Jerry Stackhouse, Antwan Jamison, and Rasheed Wallace (to name a few).

    -Micaela Fouhy, Lindsey Baggett, Drew Mayer, Will Cosden, Brianna Golden

  • The Devil Wears Royal Blue

    The Duke Blue Devils came home wearing championship rings at last year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Led by Coach Krzyzewski, also known as “Coach K”, the team dominated the court with the power of players Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler.  Duke’s basketball program is ranked number four of all time with its amount of wins, has won four NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournaments (second of any ACC team), and has been in 15 Final Fours. This past year, Duke has been branded as the number one and championship team, but what will their brand be now?

    So far, Duke has been undefeated in the 2011 NCAA tournament, reaching the sweet sixteen round and keeping its successful brand image. Coach K has been helping this brand and even creating his own after earning his 900th win yesterday, March 20.  Duke has a positive and strong image supported by Coach K’s reputation for fair play, clean programs, and outstanding leadership, not to mention his top-notch recruits.  Coach K has been the head coach at Duke for 31 seasons.

    Duke’s brand transcends off the court with their wild assortment of fans, also branded as the Cameron Crazies.  These students and other spectators dress from head to toe in royal blue and white, even painting their bodies, to show their support and devotion for their favorite team.  The amount of school spirit Duke brings to their University fosters social capital among students and the Duke fan community.

    These fans have supported Duke all the way to the Sweet 16 round, who is scheduled to play Arizona this Thursday, March 24. Also making it to this round is their hometown rival, the UNC Tar Heels.  This age-old rivalry has strengthened the brand loyalty of both Duke and UNC. This game attracts millions of viewers each time the two schools compete and is one of the most entertaining and thrilling games of the season to watch. They have not yet faced each other in this year’s NCAA tournament, but in order to reach the Championship game they will have to.  Will Duke and Coach K maintain their champion status or will they be “Tar-heeled”? What do you think?

    Allison Day, Jessica Berinson, Megan Canny, Melissa Gagliardi, Scott Burgess