Lawrence Taylor: 'I'm looking for Carolina to kick some ass' against Duke

ESPN brought College GameDay to Chapel Hill ahead of Duke at North Carolina, and the energy was through the roof. They kicked it into high gear with the special guests on Saturday, with head football coach Bill Belichick and former Tar Heels star and NFL legend Lawrence Taylor joining the show.

The New York Giants legend and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee delivered a one-liner for the ages when it comes to tonight’s game. Quite simply, he’s looking for North Carolina to stomp Duke out inside the Dean. E Smith Center in their final regular season matchup of the season.

“You can’t ask for a better basketball game. I’m looking for Carolina to kick some ass,” Taylor proclaimed, regarding what he’s expecting Saturday. That certainly got the crowd going, as they entered a frenzy afterwards.

Former Blue Devils stars Jay Williams and Jay Bilas aren’t shy about defending their school, but they didn’t want any of the smoke with Taylor: “As much as I want to talk trash back, I’m not going to,” Williams responded. Smart move from the ESPN analyst.

Of course, Belichick got a kick out of the whole experience. Taylor is one of his favorite players of all time, as the North Carolina leader was the Giants defensive coordinator when the star linebacker was wreaking havoc on the league. Reunited in Chapel Hill ahead of one of the most exciting games in all of college basketball had to have been a good feeling.

As for the game we’ll see on the court, North Carolina is on fire, winning its last six games and looking to end the regular season schedule with its biggest victory yet. The Tar Heels’ last loss was a 20-point drubbing at the hands of Clemson, and they’ve certainly changed the narrative around their season since then.

Meanwhile, Duke has been one of the more consistent teams in all of college basketball all season long. Behind the incredible play of Cooper Flagg, the Blue Devils are currently ranked No. 2 in the entire nation, and they’ve only lost three games all year.

Earlier this season in Durham, the Blue Devils sent the Tar Heels home with a 17-point loss. Kon Knueppel led the way with 22 points. North Carolina will need to be much better to get the job done on Saturday evening.

All bets are off when these two teams face off, and the latest chapter in their rivalry will be written. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, and Lawrence Taylor will be watching closely with Bill Belichick.