UNC Basketball: The 5 most hated rivals in UNC history

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 25: Theo Pinson #1 of the North Carolina Tar Heels gets hit in the face by Thomas Bryant #31 of the Indiana Hoosiers during the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament East Regional at Wells Fargo Center on March 25, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

Indiana Hoosiers

This is an interesting “hated” rival, as it stems mostly from the history between the two programs and having played each other in big-time atmospheres.

The Hoosiers are one of two teams that UNC has a losing record against when playing an opponent at least 10 times. The Tar Heels are currently losing the series by a tally of 9-6.

Playing in the NCAA Tournament three times, the Hoosiers have won two of the matchups, including the 1981 National Championship. It was the cool-headed Dean Smith against the fiery Bob Knight, and I’m not sure many of the Carolina fans liked seeing that polar opposite personality on the sidelines.

After not playing for three seasons, the two teams saw each other twice during the 2017 season, splitting the head-to-head, with the Tar Heels getting the best of them in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 matchup.

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