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Kon Knueppel trolls Coby White over North Carolina NCAA Tournament loss to VCU

IMG_0985by: Griffin McVeigh03/20/26griffin_mcveigh

No matter how close or far removed from them, college basketball rivalries mean something. Nobody knows that better than the state of North Carolina, where Duke and UNC do not particularly like each other. Even when two former players are members of the Charlotte Hornets. Kon Knueppel and Coby White might be teammates but the Tobacco Road passion remains.

White put together quite a nice game for himself on Thursday night, scoring 27 points in a key win over the Orlando Magic. You can add three rebounds and five assists to the stat line as well.

But the moment White got off the court, Knueppel was in his ear. North Carolina had just lost to VCU in the NCAA Tournament and Knueppel was going to let the former Tar Heel know about it.

“As soon as I stepped out in the 4th quarter, Kon could not wait to tell me,” White said. “He was like, ‘Man, you had a great day… not such a great day for your Tar Heels, though.’ Right after a big win. It’s almost like he couldn’t wait to tell me.”

Knueppel got to see Duke advance despite a scare of their own. Jon Scheyer’s team entered as the No. 1 overall seed, looking to get back to the Final Four and even go one step further. Siena was the Round of 64 opponent, proving to be tougher than anyone expected. Duke went into the halftime locker room down double-digits, only to pull out a victory thanks to a great half. Not the best result and one where Knueppel likely let out a huge exhale.

The only thing better than your team winning is also watching your rival lose. Knueppel got to experience some schadenfreude and made sure White was well aware.

Saturday brings another game for Duke, facing TCU in the Round of 32. At the time of posting, no broadcast information has been determined. Considering Duke’s national pull and seeding, seeing them play in primetime is certainly an option. Knueppel might not be hoping for that, though.

The Hornets will also be in action Saturday night. A tilt against the Memphis Grizzlies takes place, scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET. Of course, Knueppel will be fully focused on his own game as Charlotte is fighting for a spot in the NBA play-in. However, watching Duke might be a close second — clearly still invested.