North Carolina may have gotten the better of Duke last month in Chapel Hill, but the Blue Devils bested the Tar Heels in a head-to-head recruiting battle for 5-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr., who was once considered a UNC lean but ultimately chose Duke in late December.
Rippey will be in attendance on Saturday night in his future home at Cameron Indoor as Duke looks to get revenge on North Carolina for its only loss in ACC play. The Blue Devils will be heavily favored to do so - whether or not Caleb Wilson plays - and Rippey will relish getting to see it, while jonesing for his own opportunity to take down the Tar Heels next season.
In a recent podcast appearance, Rippey detailed the vitriol he received from North Carolina fans after announcing his commitment to Duke:
"Things didn't work out with the [UNC] recruiting process, and I had a lot of DMs from UNC fans talking about, 'Stay on that side,'" Rippey explained during his recent appearance on the Club 520 Podcast. "So, definitely a little bit more motivation for the game next year, for sure..."
Deron Rippey Jr. has extra motivation to lead Duke past North Carolina next season
There's no love lost in the rivalry between Duke and North Carolina. Recruits from both sides of the rivalry have plenty of stories of fans saying rude and crude things to them after committing to one or the other, because they are typically recruiting the same prospects year after year.
Rippey once called North Carolina his "dream" school, but he clearly wised up once Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils turned up the heat. Duke has wildly outperformed North Carolina on the recruiting trail in recent seasons and is turning out pros at a rate no program can match.
Rippey is likely to be the next in a line of one-and-done players to come through Durham. After he notches a couple of wins against North Carolina, of course.