The trash talk was flowing fast and furious at last year’s McDonald’s All-American Game.
Surrounded by three future North Carolina Tar Heels, Kyrie Irving grabbed the microphone and put things in perspective.
“First and foremost, UNC is in the NIT,” the Duke-bound Irving told DraftExpress.com as Harrison Barnes, Kendall Marshall and Reggie Bullock sat next to him.
“And second of all, we are in the Final Four. We are in the Final four. We are in the Final Four.”
Nearly a year later, North Carolina and Duke will meet for the first time this season when they square off Wednesday night in Cameron Indoor Arena (9 p.m., ESPN), but Irving won’t get the chance to back up his smack talk.
The former St. Patrick star has been out since Dec. 4 with a right big toe injury. He had the hard cast removed Friday in favor of a walking boot, but Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski recently said he didn’t expect Irving to play again this season.
“It would be nice to have played against him because that was something we always talked about in high school, being able to play against each other,” Barnes said Tuesday. “But I just wish him the best and I just hope his foot gets healed as quickly as possible.”
Irving and Barnes remain very close, even as one picked Duke and the other arch-rival North Carolina (via Skype) last spring.
The trash talk picked up in earnest in Columbus, Ohio at the McDonald’s Game. After Irving made his opening salvo, Barnes pointed out that North Carolina coach Roy Williams had already won two NCAA titles in a five-year span, while Krzyzewski had at that point won three total titles during his 30-plus-year career at Duke.
“Coach Williams is almost gonna pass Coach K, if you think about it,” Barnes told Irving. “So how does that make you feel?”
“I don’t really pay attention to that,” Irving said. “I’m more of a future guy.”
His comment was prescient.
Coach K won his fourth title a few days later when Duke beat Butler in the NCAA title game in Indianapolis.
Asked about the trash talk Tuesday, Barnes smiled and said, “Yeah, that was before we were allowed to do media training, so I can’t speak on behalf of anyone who said those comments. I think we conduct ourselves in a much better light right now.’
A couple of weeks after the McDonald’s game, Barnes and Irving reunited at Madison Square Garden and were named Co-MVPs of the Jordan Brand All-American Game.
Afterward, as a crowd of reporters gathered for their press conference, Irving said: “It’s like a bittersweet ending. I’m happy to win MVP but also I’m sad that I’m going to be leaving him. I call him my big brother. He’s going to North Carolina and I’m going to be at Duke.
“Our friendship is going to continue. In terms of on the court, it’s all business.”
Unfortunately for both Barnes and Irving — and for college basketball fans at large — the friendly rivalry will lack half the magic on Wednesday.
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