Keeping It Heel
Fansided

North Carolina Basketball: 10 players the rivals loved to hate the most

By Joey Loose

Jan 21, 2023; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Former North Carolina Tar Heels great Tyler Hansbrough presents forward Armando Bacot (5) with the game ball after the game. Bacot became the all-time Tar Heels rebounding leader during the game breaking Hansbrough’s record. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2023; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Former North Carolina Tar Heels great Tyler Hansbrough presents forward Armando Bacot (5) with the game ball after the game. Bacot became the all-time Tar Heels rebounding leader during the game breaking Hansbrough’s record. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aug 4, 2009; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heel former players Antwan Jamison (33) and Jerry Stackhouse (42) and Raymond Felton (2) react on the bench during the Professional Alumni game at the Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 4, 2009; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heel former players Antwan Jamison (33) and Jerry Stackhouse (42) and Raymond Felton (2) react on the bench during the Professional Alumni game at the Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

6. Jerry Stackhouse

Part of the reason those 90’s Tar Heels were so good was the bevy of talent on the roster, with Jerry Stackhouse arriving in Chapel Hill at the same time as Wallace. Stackhouse was another elite-level prospect, one of the best high school players from the state of North Carolina in recent years. He’d eventually earn First Team All-American honors in leading the Tar Heels to the Final Four.

Stackhouse was a relentless and talented player and it’s no surprise he earned the hatred of Duke and other fans. He averaged 19.2 points and 8.2 rebounds a game in his sophomore season, his final year with Carolina. One of the highlights of his college career is a monster dunk against the Blue Devils in that double-overtime classic in 1995. He had 25 points in the game and was another Tar Heel who never lost to Duke in his collegiate career.

He had a number of solid performances, including a double-double against Kentucky to send the Tar Heels to the Final Four. He’s been the head coach at Vanderbilt since 2019 and his vigor for his rivals has not let up, making public comments last year after his alma mater knocked Duke out of the Final Four.

Stackhouse has a very fiery personality and was an impressive basketball player, spending 18 years in the NBA after leaving Chapel Hill. It’s no wonder Duke fans loved to hate him.

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