Last Saturday gave us one of the greatest games between longtime rivals Duke and North Carolina.
North Carolina edged Duke 71–68 after Seth Timble buried the decisive shot in the final seconds on Feb. 7, igniting a full-on court storm from the home crowd. The drama wasn’t lost on anyone — the energy inside the arena was electric, and the spectacle translated just as vividly through the broadcast to fans watching from home.
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ESPN reported the broadcast drew an average audience of 3.5 million viewers and reached a high of 4.8 million. The viewership marked a 53% increase from the schools’ first meeting in 2025 and ranked as the most-watched men’s college basketball game in the past four years.
It was the fifth game this season in which the Tar Heels drew more than 1 million viewers, as North Carolina’s games against Kansas (1.37 million), Michigan State (6.5 million), Kentucky (1.45 million) and Ohio State (1.5 million) all reached that mark.
North Carolina’s game against Michigan State in the Fort Myers Classic on Thanksgiving Day was the most-watched game ever broadcast on Fox Sports 1. The Tar Heels lost 74-58.
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Duke and North Carolina will meet again in the regular-season finale March 7 at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Blue Devils-Tar Heels basketball sets ESPN record
