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A Duke/UNC rematch in the Final Four has Elizabeth City buzzing

Residents like many around North Carolina are just as excited about the archrivals matchup from New Orleans, Louisiana on Saturday night.

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — Folks in Elizabeth City are just as jacked up as anyone around North Carolina for Saturday night's first ever NCAA Final Four matchup from New Orleans as the Tar Heels take on archrival Duke. Places like Andy's Pancake and Steakhouse are a buzz about the game itself. "Duke wants some revenge for losing to them the last time", says customer Clayton Mobley. His allegiance to the Blue Devils goes back to the 1960's. Meanwhile fellow customer Ronnie Wynn has a son who went to Carolina. "It's going to be a good game".

The game starts at 8:49pm after the Villanova/Kansas showdown. Conversations ventured back to the kitchen where Joseph Stokley, who's a cook at the restaurant, says he bleeds Carolina blue. "I've been doing it for too long", he says. "Got bean bags, flags, shirts, pants. I've always been UNC." Stokley feels this game (258th overall) will be one for the ages. "One of us is going home".

At nearby Muddy Waters Coffeehouse, Victoria Arvogast comes from a family of Tar Heel fans while her friends are of the Blue Devil variety. "This is a huge opportunity for both teams to show them what they got."

With this being the first meeting in the Final Four between the two programs, it's not the first time both have been to the semifinals in the same year. The last time that happened was in 1991 in Indianapolis. North Carolina lost to Kansas 79-73 coached by the legendary Dean Smith as current UNC head coach, Hubert Davis dropped 25 points in the loss. The Blue Devils narrowly won over then undefeated Nevada-Las Vegas 79-77. Duke would go on to beat the Jayhawks two nights later for the first of their five NCAA tournament titles. 

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