CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina forward Harrison Ingram met with the media Thursday at the Smith Center to discuss the Tar Heels’ loss at Georgia Tech, getting ready for Duke’s visit Saturday, what he anticipates about the rivalry, his sister attending Duke, and much more.
The No. 3 Tar Heels and No. 7 Blue Devils will tip at 6:30, and the game will air on ESPN.
Above is video of Ingram’s Q&A session, and below are some notes from what he had to say:
*The only visit Harrison Ingram took at UNC was for the overtime loss to the Blue Devils in 2020, the game when both teams wore blue uniforms with the logos on the jerseys.
“It was the one where I think Tre Jones hit a buzzer beater, something like that, to win. I was here for that one.”
*Stanford’s main rival is Cal in all sports. Ingram spoke some about that.
“I’m not quite sure the history behind it, but I just know they’re close to each other and hate each other.”
*Was it intense? That rivalry is known more for football and the band game, but what about for basketball?
“Actually, it was. The fan turnout obviously wasn’t as big there as it was at UNC, but the Cal game was always packed, whether it was at Stanford or at Cal. But I don’t think anything, any game in any sport can match the UNC (Duke) game.”
*Ingram was neutral watching UNC-Duke games growing up. He was more a Texas Longhorns fan, pro sports fan.
*Ingram’s sister, Lauren, is a volleyball player at Duke. She will be at the game Saturday, and he says she will wear a Carolina shirt. But he also said she teased him after losing to Georgia Tech.
*Five of UNC’s six road ACC games have been sellouts so far, and Pitt was almost a full house. That is very much a part of the experience playing basketball at UNC. Ingram was asked about that compared to Stanford.
“It’s amazing. It can’t be beat. The fans go out there an hour before a game. It’s almost packed, a lot of UNC fans are there. Every game I’ve been to, like at Boston College, we got there like an hour-and-a-half before the game we were shooting, and probably 300 UNC fans in there just cheering our names… Just seeing the commitment from the fans to travel and to show love is amazing.”
*The Heels suffered their first loss in 45 days this past Tuesday, so Ingram spoke about the excellent defense the team has played this season but didn’t against the Yellow Jackets.
*He spoke about how he can impact the Duke game, the energy needed for that game, who he might defend against the Blue Devils, the challenges of the Devils in general.
*In addition, he was asked about his uptick in rebounding, Elliot Cadeau, and more.
