If you’re a UNC basketball player, there’s no better feeling than suiting up against your greatest archrival – Duke.
The same thing can be said for the Blue Devils, who undoubtedly circle both Tar Heel matchups on the calendar.
This rivalry has been around since the early 1900s, meaning there is no shortage of big moments or dramatic players. Trash talk is imminent during rivalry week: Guys seemingly always guarantee little wins or call the other school its little brother.
One recent trash talk example didn’t necessarily work out for one Duke player. Jared McCain, the star Blue Devil guard who has gained national attention for wearing painted fingernails, said his plan all season was to sweep UNC.
Jared McCain been ready since October when they were booing him in Target 🔥#GTHC pic.twitter.com/RHx5bJg5jx
— Zion O. (@DukeNBA) February 1, 2024
When an opposing player talks about how excited he to beat North Carolina – and it doesn’t work out – there’s a little extra sense of gratification in Tar Heel Nation. McCain isn’t anywhere close to the true villain status of Kyle Filipowski, but it still feels nice knowing his plan didn’t work out.
The Tar Heels’ plan was to beat Duke on Saturday night in Cameroon Indoor Stadium, which worked to a T. Not only was it a massive rivalry victory (84-79) that clinched a regular-season sweep – just a year after getting swept, but it also clinched UNC’s first outright regular-season ACC title since 2016.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.