GREENSBORO, N.C. — A married couple in Greensboro has turned their college basketball rivalry into a restaurant and sports bar called House Divided Bottles and Taps.
Kerwyn "KB" and Jen Matthew opened up House Divided five years ago. KB is a UNC Tar Heels fan, while Jen always roots for the Duke Blue Devils.
"(KB) always had a dream to open up a craft beer and wine shop, which is what we were originally (in our old location), said Jen. "He came to me with the idea and he was just like 'I don’t know any idea on a name, and I said that’s easy it's a sports bar right? House Divided. That’s what we are."
Even though the restaurant is based on their disagreements, Jen said it has actually helped bring them together.
"Before House Divided became about, we couldn’t watch the game together," Jen said. "I would stay at home and watch it and he would go out and watch it and then we’d talk about it later and one of us was mad. Now we’re kind of forced to watch it together so we kind of get used to having to go through the intense moments because it’s going to be intense."
Jen said her love for college basketball started by watching basketball with her father at a young age and then her love for Duke came from a very specific moment.
"In '92 when Grant Hill threw that pass to Christian Laettner at the buzzer, for them to go to continue on to win it all, it was like I was a fan for life," Jen said.
Both of them played basketball but KB became a Carolina fan later in life.
"I actually didn’t become a Carolina fan until Ed Cota went to school there," said KB. "I’m from New York so I didn’t move down here till '96 and once I moved down here to Greensboro and (saw) the big buzz with Duke (and) Carolina I was like 'Well I got to pick a team and Ed Cota was from Brooklyn, well I’ll go with Carolina since Ed Cora’s from Brooklyn' and I’ve been a Carolina fan ever since."
The couple is ready for a crazy night at House Divided. Their indoor seating is already booked up for Saturday night. Their outdoor seating is first-come, first-served.
"It’s getting more nerve-racking coming closer to the game because you don’t know what’s going to happen," said KB.
For Duke, this game is especially important as the Blue Devils want to go out on top for Coach K's final season.
"I do think they can pull it out," said Jen. "They have the manpower. If they stick to the game plan I think they can pull it out. I think they really want to do it for Coach K. and themselves."