University of North Carolina Athletics
Great Expectations
February 10, 2014 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers
by Robbi Pickeral, GoHeels.com
CHAPEL HILL -- Nate Britt was a high school junior, sitting on the baseline at the Smith Center next to fellow commits Isaiah Hicks and Marcus Paige, when he watched freshman Austin Rivers stunningly bury a game-winning 3-pointer to seal Duke's comeback over North Carolina in 2012.
It's a memory that fuels the point guard, especially now that he's a freshman for the Tar Heels.
"To be there for a moment like that, especially in this rivalry, it sticks with you—it's something I'll never forget,'' he said. "... And yes, it does make you want to beat them even more."
Britt, along with classmates Hicks and Kennedy Meeks, will get their first shot at the Blue Devils on Wednesday night. And frankly, they can't wait.
Sure, it's a chance to help UNC try to extend its five-game winning streak, top a ranked foe and continue its bounce-back from an 0-3 ACC start. But it's also Carolina-Duke—a traditional showdown all three rookies said they've had circled on their mental calendars since they chose to play for the Tar Heels.
Now that it's almost here: release the butterflies; cue the tingles.
"This is the one you can't wait for,'' said Meeks, who is averaging 7.4 points and 16.2 minutes.
"This is the one you sort of dream about,'' said Hicks, who is averaging 7.7 minutes.
Especially when this is the one you grew up watching.
Meeks, who hails Charlotte, can't remember the first Duke-Carolina game he viewed on TV, "it was just something we always watched, we always had that game on."
Britt, from Upper Marlboro, Md., became more attuned to the rivalry the older he got; and he tuned in even more often as other Washington, D.C.-area players that he knows well—such as current Blue Devils Quinn Cook, Josh Hairston and Tyler Thornton—became a part of it.
Hicks, who grew up in Oxford, N.C., said this was simply a match-up he always looked forward to cheering. And now, more.
"This is the game, no matter how much you play-you just want to contribute,'' he said. "You just want to help. You just want to win."
And history shows that freshmen can have a big impact on the outcome.
Remember 1998, when Duke's Elton Brand was coming off an injury but scored 16 points to rally his team to victory? Or in 2005, when Carolina freshman Marvin Williams had one of the most memorable clutch plays in the series—putting back a missed free throw and converting the 3-point play with 17 seconds left to get the win?
There was Tyler Hansbrough's memorable freshman performance in 2006, when he scored 27 to beat the Devils on Duke's senior night.
And then, of course, there was the Rivers shot.
"I was hurt,'' Britt said, remembering when that three fell through. "I think I was hurt just as much as the team. ... It just changed the whole mood of the stadium, you could feel it."
The feeling now, though: anticipation.
Meeks, who has started the Tar Heels' last five games, will look to help penetrate a Duke front line that features another freshman, leading scorer Jabari Parker. Britt, UNC's defensive player of the game four times this season, will come off the bench and attempt to help control the Blue Devils' backcourt. Hicks can add depth when needed.
"It's probably one of the best feelings, knowing you're going to a part of this game,'' Hicks said. "You already know about the school history, the rivalry—to be a part of it, it's exciting. I just want to do it."
