Bill Belichick Shares Wisdom For UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Before Showdown With Duke

North Carolina is set to host Duke Satuday in the most storied rivalry in college basketball - and Tar Heels football coach Bill Belichick has some advice for the men in light blue.

Side note: is anyone else still trying to wrap their head around the fact that it's Tar Heels coach Belichick and not Patriots coach? Or is that just me?

Anyway, Belichick appeared on the set of "College GameDay" with the ESPN crew to preview Saturday night's marquee matchup. Tip off between the unranked Tar Heels and the No. 2 ranked Blue Devils isn't for a few more hours, but fans are already in game mode in Chapel Hill.

When Belichick came on set, Rece Davis asked him how the Tar Heels should approach this matchup. While it is another rivalry game, North Carolina will have extra motivation to beat their rivals.  The two schools met in Raleigh on February 1st, and Cooper Flagg (who had 21 points) led the Blue Devils to an 87-70 victory.

"Just use that for motivation. Go out there and play it one play at a time, one possession at a time. That’s how you win, you just gotta string them together."

Straight, succinct, and to the point. Classic Belichick insight.

When Jay Bilas asked what Belichick would say in a pregame speech to the team, the football wizard again kept it very simple.

"It's one possession at a time, every one is critical. Take good care of the ball, rebound well, play good defense, hit your foul shots," Belichick said.

Wise words from a wise man.

While North Carolina basketball is having a bit of a rough go this season (they are 20-11, 13-6 in conference play), Belichick foresees that the Tar Heels will have a great season on the gridiron.

"We’re recruiting a lot of good players," the head coach said when asked about the football roster.

That’s pretty high praise from a guy who rarely dishes out compliments.

Tip off against the two basketball programs is Saturday at 6:30 p.m. from the Dean E. Smith Center. It should be a fun conclusion to the ACC regular season.