It wasn't the best of days for Duke, as the Blue Devils survived a near-historic upset at the hands of Siena in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
But Duke did in fact survive, something that cannot be said about its Tobacco Road rivals in Chapel Hill.
If Duke fans were feeling a bit dispirited by their team's effort in the Round of 64, North Carolina gave them an emotional uplift with a hilarious choke-job against 11-seeded VCU for the Tar Heels' second consecutive loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
North Carolina blew a 19-point second-half lead, and VCU stormed back to win the game in overtime, stunning the UNC faithful, much to the delight of Duke fans everywhere.
That includes Kon Knueppel, who couldn't wait to share the news with his teammate, former UNC guard Coby White, following the Hornets' win over the Magic on Thursday night. White had a big game off the bench, scoring 27 points in Charlotte's blowout, but Knueppel brought him back down to earth with a hilarious exchange near the end of the game:
"As soon as I stepped out in the 4th quarter, Kon could not wait to tell me. He was like, 'Man, you had a great day... not such a great day for your Heels though," White said.
🎙️ Coby White: "As soon as I stepped out in the 4th quarter, Kon (Knueppel) could not wait to tell me. He was like, 'Man, you had a great day... not such a great day for your Tar Heels, though." 😂 pic.twitter.com/8rwSIhMdCp
— r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) March 20, 2026
Kon Knueppel trolled Coby White over North Carolina's disastrous collapse vs. VCU
Regardless of what happens for Duke the rest of the NCAA Tournament, this will be the fourth consecutive March Madness that the Blue Devils have advanced further than the Tar Heels. It's the second straight year Hubert Davis and UNC have been bounced in the first round of the dance, and after leading Carolina to the National Title game in his first season on the bench, he's only gotten them out of the first weekend once in the four years since.
Knueppel only spent one season in Durham before making the leap to the NBA and getting drafted 4th overall by the Charlotte Hornets. He's the front-runner for the NBA's Rookie of the Year award over his college teammate Cooper Flagg, and while he's having a dream first season as a pro, he still very clearly bleeds Duke blue.
Knueppel went 3-0 during his career against North Carolina on the court, sweeping them in the regular season and then leading the Blue Devils past the Tar Heels in last year's ACC Tournament.
You might as well up that tally to 4-0 after his hilarious troll of Coby White.