Joel Berry II says Duke is North Carolina’s only rival, not NC State

NC State fans might not be happy about this. North Carolina senior point guard Joel Berry II, on the brink of a Thursday night matchup with Duke, suggested the Blue Devils are UNC’s only true rival.

NC State? That isn’t a rivalry to Berry.

“I don’t necessarily treat that as a rivalry,” Berry said of NC State. “When you talk about a rivalry, you always talk about Duke-North Carolina. That’s the biggest one. I love being a part of the Duke-Carolina rivalry, but NC State, I just don’t consider that being a rivalry — we just don’t like them. But it’s not a rivalry like Duke and North Carolina.”

NC State beat North Carolina last Saturday, in overtime, in Chapel Hill.

But maybe Berry has a point. UNC has beaten NC State in 27 of 31 games under Roy Williams. In the same period, the Tar Heels are 12-18 against Duke.

One thing is for sure: Both Duke and UNC badly need a win on Thursday. Carolina lost three straight before getting a guaranteed victory against Pitt. The Tar Heels are down to No. 21 in the polls right now. Duke has lost two of three and just fell to St. John’s, a team with exactly zero Big East wins.

Thursday night in Chapel Hill is going to be fun. NC State fans can let Berry know how they feel about his comments when the Heels come to Raleigh on Saturday.