A Tar Heel and Dookie: a romance of rivalry

For many couples, Valentine’s Day means corny cards, romantic dinners and lots of chocolate. For Stephanie DeFazio and Joe Hendricks, it meant the UNC-Duke basketball game was quickly approaching.

DeFazio, a senior biology major from Long Island, and Hendricks, a first-year student at Duke’s School of Law from Easley, South Carolina, began dating in September. Tonight’s game is the biggest event in their rivalry relationship so far.

Unsurprisingly, they disagree on who will win tonight.

“UNC is going to win, for sure,” DeFazio said.

“I think Duke could do it,” Hendricks said. “This would probably be the highlight of their season, so I think they’ll be extra motivated.”

Hendricks attended Clemson University as an undergraduate, but being in the ACC made him very aware of the rivalry. He said he became a fan as soon as he arrived at Duke.

“When you see all the fans around campus, you can’t help but get into it,” he said. “The basketball headquarters are also next to the law school, so seeing Coach K. drive to work every few weeks is pretty cool.”

Despite Hendricks’ allegiance to the Blue Devils, DeFazio said she’s taken him to UNC basketball games.

“I even made him wear a UNC shirt. But we’ve established that I would never wear a Duke shirt,” she said.

DeFazio’s friends are less accepting of Hendricks’s Duke ties as she is. Elisabeth Clymer, a UNC senior from Burke, Virginia, said she makes sure to capitalize on opportunities to poke fun at Duke when Hendricks is around.

“One time he showed up to go out on Franklin Street in a Duke shirt,” Clymer said. “I had to make some comments about that one. I just make sure to keep him on his toes.”

DeFazio doesn’t face the same resistance from Hendricks’s friends.

Hendricks’s law school classmate David Yasinovsky graduated from UNC in 2014. He said he had an immediate bond with DeFazio.

“It’s nice to be able to make fun of Joe sometimes,” Yasinovsky said. “Stephanie and I definitely have a lot of common ground.”

Although tonight is DeFazio and Hendricks’ first experience with the rivalry, they’ve experienced competition between their alma maters before.

“I had to restrain myself when Clemson beat UNC for the ACC football championship,” Hendricks said. “That was tough.”

While Hendricks may always be loyal to the Tigers, this could be the game that makes him just as loyal a fan to Duke.

“I don’t know if I hate UNC yet,” he said. “Hate is a strong word. But I know if we lose, I know I’m going to hear about it. So maybe I preemptively hate UNC.”

DeFazio said she got tickets for the game through the student lottery, while Hendricks said he’ll be watching it at a bar in Durham.

And if DeFazio’s game predication comes true? She said she doesn’t know if she’ll be able to curb her enthusiasm for Hendricks’s sake.

“I will celebrate to my heart’s content, but I’ll try not to rub it in his face too much. But I might not be able to help myself.”

arts@dailytarheel.com