There's arguably no greater rivalry in all of sports than North Carolina vs. Duke.
So, with college football ending and the state of NC being at the forefront of sports betting launches for 2024, we decided to poll our staff on their all-time most hated players in the North Carolina vs. Duke college basketball rivalry.
It's not surprising that most of the selections came from the Blue Devils' program.
The first meeting between the two is right around the corner (6:30 p.m. ET, February 3 on ESPN), so enjoy this piece!
Are you in North Carolina? With North Carolina sports betting coming online in 2024, you’ll be able to bet legally at major sportsbooks. Learn more.
JJ Redick (2002-2006)
By D.J. James
I think more than anything JJ Redick angered both fans of the Tar Heels and outsiders because of how good he was and also because he knew how good he was.
Redick was a stud in college and had a tendency to chirp opponents. Heck, so did all of the greats.
Redick shot over 40% from 3-point distance and hit over 91% of his free throws in a storied four-year career at Duke.
The Blue Devils never won a title while Redick was there, but they were a constant in the Sweet 16, at the very least, achieving as much as a Final Four appearance.
This guy broke the ACC all-time scoring record in a conference loaded with legends. That truly says something.
Yes, when you're rooting for the rival of one of the best players to ever grace a college basketball court, you're going to hate on that player. It's only fandom. But at the end of the day, UNC fans kind of have to tip their hat to the man who could hit a shot from anywhere on the floor.
Christian Laettner (1988-1992)
By Doug Ziefel
There's no player more hated in this rivalry — or possibly the history of college basketball — than Christian Laettner. Laettner was Duke's "Mr. Clutch" and is one of the most decorated collegiate players ever.
While much of the hate against him stemmed from his antics and attitude on the court, he also stuffed the stat sheet and was right in the middle of the peak of the Duke-North Carolina rivalry.
The Blue Devils made the Final Four in all four seasons Laettner played. They won back-to-back national titles in '91 and '92, which is also the season he was named ACC Player of the Year. Duke won by double digits in two of the schools' three meetings that year.
However, the Tar Heels were a formidable team at the time, as they were ranked inside the top 20 in nine of the 11 meetings during Laettner's career.
Surprisingly, the Tar Heels own bragging rights in the Laettner era, as they were 6-5 against Duke during his time there. But with Laettner and the Blue Devils having far more success in March Madness, he got the last laugh.
Grayson Allen (2014-2018)
By John Feltman
I’m not old enough to have lived through the Laettner era, but this was the first player that came to mind when this article was proposed to our staff.
I mean, all you need to look at is Grayson Allen’s preppy haircut and dumb smirk to hate this guy.
Besides his appearance and cocky attitude, Allen was easily the most hateable player on the court whenever these two teams matched up. Not only was Allen caught multiple times tripping players with his knee, but there were moments he’d get creative and use his rear end like he did against Garrison Brooks:
Let’s fire up the Grayson Allen Trip Replay Machine. pic.twitter.com/tMmQB0oAMg
— Andy Wittry (@AndyWittry) March 10, 2018
Some of these incidents are just laughably obvious, like this one against Notre Dame’s Temple Gibbs:
Grayson Allen trip or Temple Gibbs flop? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/2lTwKGkdX4
— Campus Insiders (@CampusInsiders) January 31, 2017
He may as well be a toddler at a Toys-R-Us when there are no more GI-Joe’s left on the shelf. Talk about an all-time villain that many Heel fans have used cut-outs of his face while playing darts.
Despite all of the hate, Allen had a solid career at Duke and has gone on to be a successful role player in the NBA. He may not have had the career of Redick or Laettner, but it’s hard to tell the story of this rivalry without mentioning Allen.
Did you know legal betting is coming to the Tar Heel State? North Carolina sports betting is coming online in 2024, so you’ll be able to bet wager legally at major sportsbooks in NC.
Caleb Love (2020-2023)
Unlike every other player on this list, either fanbase in this historic rivalry could make a conceivable case for their hatred of Caleb Love.
Clearly, Carolina fans will have at least a small soft spot in their hearts for Love. Amidst a tumultuous season, Love carried the torch for a team that managed to knock off Duke at Cameron Indoor in Coach K’s final home game.
Then, he hit one of the biggest shots in North Carolina basketball history in the Final Four. With the Tar Heels leading Duke in the national semifinal by one with 24 seconds remaining, Love used a ball-screen from Leaky Black to free himself for a 3 that would ultimately be the dagger for the Blue Devils and Coach K’s historic career.
His ability to catch fire in an instant is the exact attribute that makes him so hated by both Duke and North Carolina fans. When he was right, he could single-handedly win a game in the closing moments.
His emotionless expression seemed perfectly crafted to sink clutch free throws to close out Duke in the biggest moments, as if he was shooting alone at the end of a practice in October.
When he wasn't right, he would continue to chuck it until he believed he’d catch fire. That mentality severely hampered North Carolina in the second half of the National Championship against Kansas, and spiraled into the following season. The Heels surprisingly struggled throughout that next season.
His emotionless expression during those times was interpreted as a player who was selfish and content with losing by the Carolina faithful.
Love is now back on the upswing in his role with the Arizona Wildcats, who already managed to knock off Duke in Cameron again this year.
If Arizona happens to face Duke or North Carolina in postseason play again this year, Love may be able to add even more fuel to the fire of the hatred that burns among these rivals.
Greg Paulus (2005-2009)
For someone with no skin in the game in the Duke-UNC rivalry, it's remarkable how easily I took to hating Greg Paulus. In the long history of hatable Duke white point guards, Paulus stands out for a few reasons.
First, he really wasn’t that good. He never averaged more than 12 points or four assists per game. He never played in a game beyond the Sweet 16 either. His scoring, assists and minutes per game all peaked in his sophomore season.
By his senior year, he was a role player off the bench, as Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith emerged as better options for Coach K.
Maybe because of that fade into role player life, it felt like every college basketball analyst and commentator felt the need to heap praises on a player that really wasn’t making an impact anymore.
But lastly, his switch to football and one season as the starting quarterback at Syracuse remains one of the funniest and absurd things to happen in college sports this century.
Paulus’ five interceptions against South Florida still stands as a Big East record and, considering the Big East no longer plays football, should stand forever.
They can’t take that away from you, Greg.
Austin Rivers (2011-2012)
How has nobody talked about this yet?
Austin Rivers drains shot vs rival North Carolina with no time remaining (2012) pic.twitter.com/0jFNlvAfEL
— Retro Sports Moments (@HistroyInSports) July 16, 2015
Austin Rivers is a pretty hatable guy. The 10th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft has never quite panned out, hanging around in professional rotations mainly because he played for his dad.
The one-and-done Rivers only played UNC twice, but ignoring his impact is tough. He dropped 44 across two head-to-head matchups, scoring in bunches while looking like your typical Blue Devil player.
Yes, Duke went on to lose to Lehigh in the first round of the NCAA tournament that year, while UNC made the Elite Eight.
Still, that shot will live in infamy, and it’s hard for UNC fans not to be paralyzed in fear when they see the lanky Rivers getting ready to drive against them.
