The No. 14 North Carolina Tar Heels earned a big 71-68 win over the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils on Saturday night. It was an amazing comeback victory, as the Tar Heels were down 12 points going into halftime. UNC fans were certainly excited about the victory, and New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was one of them.
Shortly after the game ended, Maye posted an image of the final score along with three fire emojis on his Instagram Story, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. Although the 23-year-old quarterback is preparing for the Super Bowl, he couldn't help but express his enthusiasm for North Carolina.
24 hours before the biggest game of his life, Drake Maye was posting about UNC’s big win pic.twitter.com/K0Z1jwmKNQ
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) February 8, 2026
Drake Maye attended the University of North Carolina for three years, where he played quarterback for the Tar Heels football program. He was the starter under center for two seasons before entering the 2023 NFL Draft. Maye recorded 8,018 passing yards, 63 touchdowns, and a 63.3% completion percentage in his three seasons with the Tar Heels.
As for the North Carolina basketball program, Saturday's win over Duke was massive. The victory keeps the Tar Heels firmly in the mix of the ACC Conference, as the team advanced to a 19-4 record. Additionally, they delivered the Blue Devils' second loss of the season, and their first against a conference opponent.
Eight games remain on the regular season schedule before the Conference Tournament begins. North Carolina will take on the Miami Hurricanes for their next matchup, which takes place on Tuesday, February 10. If the Tar Heels can earn the victory in that contest, then it would be the sixth-straight win for the program.
