North Carolina freshman Caleb Wilson's recent trash talk has made a couple of other instances of his... pride... resurface ahead of the Tar Heels' game against the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils.
What felt like ages ago but was really just a handful of months ago, Wilson voiced his opinion about the other basketball teams in the state of North Carolina: Duke, the NC State Wolfpack, and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
"I don't like Duke, I don't like NC State, I don't like Wake Forest," Wilson said. "This year we're putting belt on everybody, I'm talking real belt, sparkle, and bedazzle."
Simply put, it had fans as mad as possible, and he hadn't even stepped foot onto a basketball court yet. More recently, Wilson shared his belief that the Tar Heels were the better program, adding a little more fuel to the fire.
Now, the Blue Devils have their first chance at exacting revenge over his (undeniably ignorant) comments about his in-state rivals.
Duke can finally silence Caleb Wilson's ego
Wilson was the No. 8 prospect in the class of 2025 and the No. 5 power forward in the recruiting cycle, so he has his reasons for being proud of where he is. However, let's not forget who Duke has in its corner.
Cameron Boozer, the Blue Devils' star freshman, was the No. 1 power forward and the No. 1 overall prospect in the class, yet the smack talk coming from his direction has been minimal to none ahead of Duke and Carolina's first meeting of the regular season.
The stats alone can speak for Boozer, with the young Blue Devil outpacing the Tar Heels' freshman in nearly every stat column, but the head-to-head matchup between the pair certainly won't hurt Duke's argument for having the better freshman.
It was President Theodore Roosevelt who said to "speak softly and carry a big stick," but it's Cameron Boozer who is living by that motto right now.
Also read: How to watch ESPN's College GameDay ahead of Duke's rivalry game against UNC
No. 4 Duke and No. 14 North Carolina are scheduled to tip off at 6:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Feb. 7, and it's a perfect opportunity for the Blue Devils to make Wilson eat his words.