Duke basketball freshman Jared McCain did not get a warm welcome in Chapel Hill.
There is no love lost between the Duke basketball program and the North Carolina Tar Heels but the Blue Devil freshmen are learning that the hard way.
The rivalry doesn’t even stop for players to complete their move-in process to college.
Duke’s four freshmen, Caleb Foster, Sean Stewart, Jared McCain, and TJ Power, appeared on the most recent episode of The Brotherhood Podcast and host Ryan Young asked each player which matchup they were looking forward to the most.
It didn’t take long for the newbies to answer.
“Duke vs. Carolina,” Foster, a native of Harrisbug, North Carolina, said before Young could even finish the question.
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“Like going to Carolina,” the point guard continued as the other three players agreed.
Duke swept the regular season series against North Carolina last year and have won its last two matchups in Chapel Hill against the Tar Heels.
Duke basketball freshman experiences wild side of rivalry
“It’s just crazy, this rivalry,” Jared McCain explained.
“I accidentally Ubered to a Target in Chapel Hill and I walk in there and I got booed.”
Talk about a tough start to one of your first official days of college, but it opened the eyes of the California native to how intense things are when these two teams play each other.
“So now I’m just ready. Really, I’m just locked in now just for that game,” McCain continued.
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“It’s going to be a great time at UNC.”
The freshmen also said that they attended a comedy show in Durham and the crowd was told that some members of the Duke basketball team were in attendance but responded with boos.
“We love that,” McCain said. “That fuels us,” Sean Stewart added.
Typically nothing more has to be said during the weeks of the Duke vs. North Carolina game but it’s always interesting to see how the newcomers to each team’s roster will adjust to the intensity of the rivalry.