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One of Coby White's Teammates Couldn’t Resist Teasing Him About UNC’s Tournament Loss

Poor Coby had to hear it about his Tar Heels despite a big game with the Hornets.
Schuyler Callihan|
Mar 19, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Coby White (3) stands on the court during the third quarter against the Orlando Magic at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Westerholt-Imagn Images
Mar 19, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Coby White (3) stands on the court during the third quarter against the Orlando Magic at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Westerholt-Imagn Images | Brian Westerholt-Imagn Images

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Charlotte Hornets

March Madness is always full of drama, and when a blue blood loses in the first round, it causes a big stir on social media.

Unfortunately for new Charlotte Hornets guard Coby White, he couldn't run from the fact that his alma mater, North Carolina, lost its first-round matchup against No. 11 seed VCU in overtime, after leading by as many as 19.

One of his two Duke teammates, Kon Knueppel, made sure to rub it in shortly after the Hornets took down the Orlando Magic behind a 27-point night from White.

"As soon as I stepped out in the 4th quarter, Kon (Knueppel) could not wait to tell me," White said in a postgame interview on FanDuel Sports Network. "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."

Earlier in the day, Knueppel's Blue Devils nearly lost to No. 16 seed Siena, which would have easily gone down as one of the most stunning upsets in the history of the NCAA Tournament. It would have been just the third time ever that a No. 16 seed won, joining UMBC, which was the first to do it in 2018 against Virginia, and Fairleigh Dickinson, which beat Purdue in 2023.

At halftime, Duke trailed the Siena Saints by 11, and even deep into the second half, it looked very much like a possibility that the unthinkable could happen. Could you have imagined how different the Hornets' locker room would have been on Thursday night if North Carolina had held on to win and Siena somehow got to the finish line and broke everyone's bracket?

Coby can't be too upset, though. During his time as a Tar Heel, he went 2-1 against Duke, with his only loss being by one point in the ACC semifinals. As for Knueppel, he was a perfect 3-0 against the Tar Heels a year ago, putting up a total of 56 points. Duke plays No. 9 seed TCU tonight at 5 p.m., so if the Frogs can pull off the upset, White will be able to get some payback and inform Knueppel of the defeat following their game tonight against the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Hornets and Grizzlies will tip off at 7 p.m. ET.

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Schuyler Callihan
SCHUYLER CALLIHAN

Schuyler Callihan is the publisher of West Virginia On SI and has been a trusted source covering the Mountaineers since 2016. He is the host of Between The Eers, The Walk Thru Game Day Show, and In the Gun Podcast. The Wheeling, WV native moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2020 to cover the Charlotte Hornets and Carolina Panthers.

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