North Carolina will play both of its neighbors in a 40-hour span this week, but senior guard Joel Berry said only one is the Tar Heels’ rival.
“Honestly there’s only one rivalry game with Duke,” Berry said. “I don’t count N.C. State as being a rivalry.”
The Tar Heels will face the Blue Devils at 8 p.m. Thursday in Chapel Hill and then turn around and play the Wolfpack at noon on Saturday in Raleigh.
UNC coach Roy Williams said recently there are some games “that you get more fired up for.” Both the Duke and State games would qualify but Williams, 67, has always gone out of his way to acknowledge the rivalry between State and Carolina.