The Duke Blue Devils have spent decades as college hoops' resident villain, and the program did nothing to change that reputation on Saturday.
The No. 1 Blue Devils hosted the No. 11 Virginia Cavaliers and rolled to a convincing 77-51 victory, led by 19 points from Isaiah Evans and 18 points from Cameron Boozer. Virginia struggled significantly in the closing stretch, shooting just 2-of-14 from the field in the final 10 minutes.
That final run gave Duke fans plenty to talk about, and everyone else a reason to be annoyed. Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy was one of those people. Speaking on FS1's “Wake Up Barstool,” he skipped the game analysis and went straight for the fans.
He said, “They are insufferable. They don't lose often, but when they do they are insufferable. Duke ... you are an insufferable jerk if you like Duke. There's nothing redeemable about the Duke Blue Devils."
Now, this is part of a long-standing "Duke vs. Everyone" narrative in college basketball. People often root against Duke because of its sustained success (five national titles) and the high-energy, sometimes polarizing behavior of its student section, the Cameron Crazies.
That mix of winning and showmanship usually rubs neutral fans the wrong way, and Portnoy just gave a blunt name to how most non-Duke fans feel.
Duke travels to Raleigh, to face the NC State Wolfpack at 7 p.m. Monday on ESPN and the ESPN app with a chance to clinch the outright ACC regular-season title. They then close the regular season at home against the rival UNC Tar Heels on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Ending the season against UNC is bound to push the tension between both fan bases to a new level, especially considering UNC pulled out a surprising 71-68 victory in Chapel Hill on Feb. 7.