Duke fans are having a laugh at North Carolina’s expense after the Tar Heels came up short in landing a five-star power forward.

Duke Fans Mock UNC After Tar Heels Miss Out on Five-Star Power Forward

It was another rough moment for North Carolina basketball on the recruiting trail, and Duke fans are enjoying every second of it. The Tar Heels had their eyes set on five-star power forward Toni Bryant, but when the decision came down, UNC didn’t just lose — they lost big. Bryant committed to the Missouri Tigers, an SEC program not traditionally known for poaching elite talent away from blue-blood programs.

For Duke fans, the irony couldn’t be sweeter. While the Tar Heels put serious effort into landing Bryant, Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils didn’t even extend an offer. That hasn’t stopped Duke’s faithful from laughing at their rivals’ expense, especially since UNC appeared to be in a strong position after hosting Bryant on an official visit earlier this month.

Bryant, who held 25 Division I offers, was pursued heavily by programs like Kansas and NC State in addition to UNC. But in the end, the five-star forward opted for Missouri, leaving North Carolina empty-handed and fueling more talk about whether the Tar Heels are losing their recruiting edge under head coach Hubert Davis.

For the Blue Devils, this latest twist only adds fuel to the rivalry’s fire. Duke has consistently landed top-ranked recruiting classes since Scheyer took over, and missing out on Bryant doesn’t sting them — instead, it’s a win in the court of public opinion. The storyline fits neatly into a familiar pattern: while Duke keeps reloading, UNC continues to experience more turbulence on the trail.

Fans on social media wasted no time poking fun, with many pointing out the added embarrassment of losing a priority target to a program outside the traditional college basketball powerhouses. To make matters worse, Bryant’s decision came shortly after UNC had hyped its recruiting push, giving Duke fans even more material to work with.

In the world of Duke-UNC, where every minor victory and defeat gets magnified, this recruiting miss feels like another scoreboard moment for the Blue Devils. While the rivalry will ultimately play out on the court, the battle for bragging rights is fought year-round — and right now, Duke fans are more than happy to celebrate the Tar Heels’ misfortune.