From the field to the court, the Blue Devils provided fans and media members alike with plenty of memorable moments. With 2014 coming to a close, The Chronicle is taking look back on the year's biggest stories. Coming in at No. 4 on our list: the winter storm that postponed the year's first Duke-North Carolina basketball game by a week.
As the afternoon of Feb. 12 wore on, conditions in Durham and Chapel Hill continued to deteriorate, until college basketball's signature rivalry was faced with a Tobacco Roadblock.
The first installment of the Duke-North Carolina rivalry in 2014 was postponed due to Winter Storm Pax, which blew into the Triangle and dumped six inches of snow on the area, stopping classes, traffic and, ultimately, the basketball game originally scheduled for that night. The game was pushed back to Thursday, Feb. 20, the middle game of a three-game, five-day stretch for the Blue Devils.
Duke's bus struggled to get to Durham to pick up the team, and Duke athletics officials estimated that the usually-routine trip to the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill would have taken between two to four hours due to the wintry conditions. After consultation with the ACC and the game officials, the schools made the announcement to cancel the game.
When milder weather prevailed the next week, the Blue Devils suffered a 74-66 loss, watching another late lead slip away. Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood teamed up for 33 points in their introduction to the rivalry, but Tar Heel point guard Marcus Paige dominated after halftime and led North Carolina to a court-storming win.
Parker and Duke would exact revenge March 8 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, as the Chicago native poured in 30 points in a 93-81 win.
READ on the postponement and Winter Storm Pax:
Duke-North Carolina game postponed
Travel conditions culprit in Duke basketball postponement
Mike Krzyzewski reacts to Duke-UNC postponement
Duke prepares for UNC like a home game; leaving earlier 'not a feasible option'
Second-half drought leads to Duke basketball's demise against UNC
Previously in The Chronicle's Top 10:
10. Shaun Wilson runs past Kansas, into record books
9. Ka'lia Johnson notches seventh triple-double in program history
8. Duke men's soccer upsets No. 1 North Carolina
7. Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood declare for 2014 NBA Draft
6. Duke basketball takes down then-No. 2 Wisconsin
5. Duke basketball's freshman class living up to expectations
Check back in with us on The Blue Zone tomorrow to see what moment we have at No. 3 on our list
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