Of course, it didn't exactly sit well with the Duke Blue Devils when ESPN analyst (and former Blue Devil himself) Jay Williams cheered on the Tar Heels ahead of the two rivals' matchup.
However, on yet another Saturday morning as College GameDay kicked off the action, Williams gained a little bit of respect back from the Blue Devils. When the show was talking about UNC star freshman Caleb Wilson's injury, Williams said the best thing Duke could hear.
"I'm worried about [North Carolina]... Caleb Wilson was... their DNA, he was their attitude," Williams said.
Wilson, of course, suffered a fractured hand as the Tar Heels lost to the Miami Hurricanes, just a few days after they had toppled the Blue Devils.
UNC is going to struggle without Caleb Wilson
Now, this isn't to say that Wilson is the only great player on North Carolina's roster. Seth Trimble and Henri Veesaar are stars in their own right.
However, the freshman forward (much like Duke's Cameron Boozer) leads Carolina in nearly every stat column available, including 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game.
Against the Blue Devils, Wilson racked up 23 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block. While Trimble may have hit the game winner, Wilson's performance was undeniably the dominant factor (alongside the lopsided foul calling).
"I'm worried about them ... Caleb Wilson was ... their DNA, he was their attitude."@RealJayWilliams is not sold on UNC without its star freshman 👀 pic.twitter.com/3XH4XVmTG7
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) February 14, 2026
Now, the Tar Heels are going to have to navigate the remainder of the regular season, and possibly the postseason, without Wilson in the starting lineup. Williams, rightfully, doesn't have a ton of faith in North Carolina and head coach Hubert Davis being able to do that.
Meanwhile, the Blue Devils and a consistently healthy Boozer are primed to run through the rest of their conference schedule and even have a top-4 matchup against the Michigan Wolverines to reassert their dominance.
For now, No. 4 Duke is set to take on the No. 20 Clemson Tigers at noon ET on Saturday, Feb. 14, with none other than Cooper Flagg in attendance.