Armstrong: Duke and UNC are going to wear what?!

I'm not one to second-guess Nike, as it has done fairly well for itself in the athletic apparel business, but they can't be serious this time.

Shortly after 3 p.m. Thursday, Nike sent out this tweeted press release:

"Separated by a short drive along Tobacco Road, the biannual matchup between the basketball teams of Duke University and the University of North Carolina (UNC) is one of the fiercest rivalries in sport. The two programs first faced off January 24, 1920. For their initial regular-season matchup of the 2019-20 season, Duke and UNC will wear special uniforms that harken back to that first game."

This is where the record scratches ... because ... what? I mean look at these things.

Fit for the intramural champs? Sure thing.

For the annual manager's game the night before the rivalry? Absolutely.

For the actual Duke at North Carolina game on Saturday? How??

More from the release:

"The body is covered in the programs' respective tones of heathered blue. The front of the jerseys are characterized by the program logo and are absent of numbers, mirroring the teams' 1920 look. On the inside bottom hem of the jerseys are the Roman numerals MCMXX-MMXX, which translates to 1920-2020. A gold jock tag and gold ELITE tag on the neck signifies a special distinction: programs that have won at least one national championship as a Nike school."

OK. But still - did you look at them?

Needless to say, the uniform reveal is being met with some skepticism.

Or even more viscerally:

The UNC news conference Thursday had already wrapped up before these were released, so we didn't get a chance to gather some player reaction, but you can bet it'll be a popular question Friday when Duke meets the media.