"I’m not ready for this" - Paolo Banchero reacts to ex-Duke star Jeremy Roach battling Blue Devils with Baylor

Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero lamented seeing former Duke Blue Devils star Jeremy Roach go against his old team with a Baylor jersey on. Roach is playing his senior season with the Bears, but it all could come to an end against his old squad.

Banchero took to X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday to express his sadness about seeing Roach wearing a different jersey.

"J Roach lining up opposite of Duke i’m not ready for this man 😣," the former No. 1 overall pick tweeted.

Jeremy Roach played for Duke from 2020 through 2024, tallying 130 games, averaging 11.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Roach entered the transfer portal once the 2023-24 season ended. He received interest from Arkansas, Kentucky and Villanova, among other programs, but decided to commit to Baylor.

During an interview with The Field of 68, Roach explained the reasons behind this decision.

"Personally, I wanted to stay," Roach said as transcribed via CBS Sports. "But stuff didn't meet up, and it was just my time to go. ... I did my four years, sacrificed a whole lot, and I made the most of it. It was no hard feelings or anything like that. It was all cool."

"It was kind of like a mutual thing," he continued. "[Coach Jon Scheyer] already knew what was kind of expected."

Paolo Banchero played alongside Roach in the 2021-22 season. During that span, he stepped on the court 39 times, averaging 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

This season, Roach is averaging 10.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg and 2.6 apg in 28 games.

Paolo Banchero also showed love to Cooper Flagg

Before Banchero lamented Jeremy Roach's departure, the Orlando Magic star hailed Cooper Flagg, Duke's premier star who is also expected to become the next No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft.

On March 13, Banchero detailed what makes Flagg such a special talent.

"I think Cooper is ridiculous," Banchero said.

"One thing that just stood out was his motor and all the things he's able to do out there on the court. Without the ball in his hands. He's running the floor, he's boxing out every time. He's on the glass, he's playing defense. He's in the lanes. You add to his offensive game, now he's a complete player."

With UConn being eliminated from the NCAA tournament on Sunday, Duke's chances to win it all have increased. We now have to see if Roach and his Bears can pull off an upset against the top-seeded team.

Duke is up 70-51 at the time of the publication of this article.