Five-Star Duke Basketball Prize to Attend Home Game Versus UNC

Future Duke basketball floor general Deron Rippey Jr. and his family hope to see the Blue Devils avenge the February loss at UNC.

Oct 15, 2021; Durham, NC, USA; A general view of the court prior to Countdown to Craziness at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

On Wednesday afternoon, Deron Rippey Sr. confirmed to Duke Blue Devils On SI that his son, Blair Academy (N.J.) five-star point guard and 2026 Duke basketball recruiting treasure Deron Rippey Jr. (Ron Ron), will be on hand when the top-ranked Blue Devils (28-2, 16-1 ACC) host the No. 17 UNC Tar Heels (24-6, 12-5 ACC) in Cameron Indoor Stadium at 6:30 p.m. ET Saturday (ESPN).

The elder Rippey added that the rest of their family will also be there to cheer on the high-powered Blue Devils.

Following Duke's beatdown of NC State in Raleigh to record its seventh straight win, I asked Jon Scheyer how much of a turning point the loss at UNC was for his squad.⬇️ pic.twitter.com/OknvxBeG02

— Matt Giles (@MattGilesBD) March 3, 2026

"No better feeling than to be in the house of Cameron Crazies watching the biggest rivalry in college basketball," Deron Rippey Sr. noted.

Deron Rippey Jr. is a turbocharged backcourt whiz with next-level acceleration and stacking up at No. 10 overall, No. 1 among point guards, and No. 1 in New Jersey on the 247Sports 2026 Composite. He committed to the Blue Devils in late December despite UNC at one time wearing the "dream school" tag in his recruitment.

"Things didn't work out with the [UNC] recruiting process, and I had a lot of DMs from UNC fans talking about, 'Stay on that side,'" the 6-foot-2 Rippey, who didn't hide the fact that he had tears of deep appreciation in early February after being named a McDonald's All American, explained during his recent appearance on the Club 520 Podcast.

"So, definitely a little bit more motivation for the game next year, for sure..."

Potential for More Duke Basketball Signees in Cameron on Saturday

Duke Blue Devils On SI has yet to learn if any other members of the 2026 Duke basketball recruiting haul will be in attendance for the Tobacco Road battle. But it wouldn't be a surprise if a few more show up behind the Blue Devils' bench, as commits have often been in Durham for the program's regular season finale in years past.

Feb 14, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer directs his team during the second half against the Clemson Tigers at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

Rippey is one of three five-star talents in what will be Jon Scheyer's fifth collection of freshmen as head coach. The other two are Heritage High School (Texas) small forward Bryson Howard and St. Mary's Catholic High School (Ariz.) power forward Cameron Williams.

Duke's heralded group of expected newcomers next season also includes a four-star prospect in IMG Academy (Fla.) center Maxime Meyer.

Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more Duke basketball news.

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