What did Caleb Wilson have to say after his first-ever UNC-Duke game?
College basketball fans across the country spent months planning for Saturday night, which provided another chapter in the storied, UNC-Duke basketball rivalry.
The Tar Heels won in a thrilling last-second upset, 71-68, thanks to Seth Trimble’s 3-pointer with time nearly expiring. Fans rushed the court, cleared it shortly after and rushed again upon the final buzzer sounding.
If there’s one singular player who looked forward to Saturday’s matchup more than anyone else, search no further than North Carolina (19-4, 7-3 ACC) freshman superstar Caleb Wilson, who ended his first-ever Tobacco Road rivalry clash with a team-high 23 points.
Wilson made it no secret than he hates Duke (21-2, 10-1 ACC), as first declared before the UNC-TCU football game. Wilson declared, before the season began, that UNC will put belt to everybody. Earlier this week, Wilson revealed the Blue Devils offered him, then later stopped recruiting him.
After the Tar Heels’ historic comeback, Wilson re-highlighted his motivation coming in – and if he lived up to his word.
“I lived up to it, yeah,” Wilson said. “We still gotta play them again. You know, it was a great win, but it’s a long season. I’m glad we got the win and I feel like this is a great step in the right direction, for us as a team and me individually, but it’s always onto the next. Miami on Tuesday.”
Wilson was the main reason North Carolina stayed in Saturday’s game early, scoring 17 of his 23 points in the first half. Wilson will get a crack at helping UNC sweep Duke on March 7, when both archrivals rematch in Durham.
The Tar Heels face seven more opponents before facing the Blue Devils again, starting with Miami (FL) on Tuesday in Florida. You can bet Wilson – and his North Carolina teammates – will bring their A-game again.
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