Another day, another case of life imitating art from the legendary animated series The Simpsons.
The long-running show has predicted so many things that have come true over the years — from presidential inauguration moments to Game of Thrones scenes — people have almost come to expect certain moments to come true more than be surprised by them.
This time, The Simpsons nailed the exact day NC State and Duke would be playing in the NCAA tournament. It happened in Episode 1 of Season 27, which aired in 2015. Homer Simpson was wearing a Duke shirt while holding an NC State pennant in his hand as Marge gave him credit for his good behavior during the tournament. What makes this scene especially eerie is the date that flashes at the bottom of the screen: March 31.
Nine years later, that’s the exact day Duke and NC State are set to play in the Elite Eight.
The Simpsons predicted NC State vs Duke on March 31st 🤯
(h/t @RCorySmith) pic.twitter.com/bsv3ouuOna
— Overtime (@overtime) March 31, 2024
The scene is now taking on a life of its own. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper even recreated it.
The Simpsons knew in 2015 and the Governor is prepared for their Elite Eight matchup today pic.twitter.com/QxTQ4Igmyn
— Joe Giglio (@giglio_OG) March 31, 2024
Of course, nothing from the scene suggests Duke and NC State would be playing each other. So, the prediction wasn’t 100% precise. Homer might have just been a big ACC fan. But it’s still a fun one considering how late in March the teams were predicted to be playing. Duke is usually a good pick to make a deep run, but before 2024, NC State hadn’t played in the Elite Eight since 1986 — nearly 30 years before that episode aired.
Even the Wolfpack’s latest (real) tournament run has come as a surprise 11-seed, in just their third tourney appearance since that Simpsons episode aired.
