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Duke fans undeterred by Carolina presence

Duke took the court just after 9 p.m. to the sound of booing and screaming. Duke is facing Binghamton in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

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GREENSBORO, N.C. — University of North Carolina fans returned to the Greensboro Coliseum Thursday night to root against rival Duke University.
UNC defeated Radford Thursday afternoon.

Duke took the court just after 9 p.m. to the sound of booing and screaming. Duke is facing Binghamton in the first round of the NCAA tournament.



“There’s always a chance they might lose, so that’s always a positive,” UNC Joe Pagano said.

Despite some vocal Carolina fans, Duke fans also packed the coliseum to cheer for their team.

“We’ll cheer for our team and they can stay quiet while we beat the other team,” Duke fan Chris Farrell said.

Longtime Duke fan Jason Smith has lived in Binghamton, N.Y. all of his life. He represented both teams by wearing each team’s color on his face.

Binghamton shirts were becoming popular at the coliseum as game-time approached.

“There are no Binghamton t-shirts left because North Carolina fans have bought them all. Seriously, they’re sold out,” Binghamton fan Gerry Epstein said, pointing to an empty spot on the sales rack.

“A Duke loss is almost better than a Carolina win,” Carolina fan Randy Borkenstein said.

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