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60km
37miles

UNC

Duke

NC State

Wake Forest

   

Locations of the four universities in North Carolina.

North Carolina Tar Heels

Duke Blue Devils

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Tobacco Road is a term used in college sports, mainly basketball, for the four rival universities of North Carolina (also known locally as the "Big Four") that play in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).^[1] The term refers to the area's history as a major tobacco producer. The Tobacco Road teams represent the following universities:

• North Carolina Tar Heels (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill)
• Duke Blue Devils (Duke University in Durham)
• NC State Wolfpack (North Carolina State University in Raleigh)
• Wake Forest Demon Deacons (Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem)

North Carolina, Duke, and NC State lie in the Research Triangle and are separated by no more than 25 miles (40 km). Before moving to Winston-Salem in 1956, Wake Forest University was located in the town of Wake Forest within the Triangle region, to the northeast of Raleigh. The schools are historical and present powerhouses among college sports, especially basketball. The universities' proximity and membership in the ACC, coupled with their reputation for academic prestige and as hubs for research and innovation, has created a natural rivalry among students, fans, and alumni.