Friday night the wrestling team will face its second conference opponent of the season. It will face the two-time defending ACC champions on the road.

It will face a team that has not lost to N.C. State since the teams’ January meeting in 2005.

So just knowing that, it makes sense that Friday’s match would be important to a Wolfpack team with conference championship aspirations.

But to make it even more interesting, the opponent is archrival North Carolina.

“The rivalry is great,” senior heavyweight and Cary native Jainor Palma said. “It generates a lot of excitement. To beat Carolina is just different than beating any other team.”

Since 1977, State (7-4, 1-0 ACC) and Carolina (3-5, 0-1 ACC) have combined to win every conference championship with the Heels holding a 16-13 advantage.

And head-to-head in dual matches Carolina leads the all-time series 36-29.

“Every year we’re right there with them,” junior 157-pounder Kody Hamrah said. “Just like every other time, it could go either way.”

So with the rivalry being so even and one or the other traditionally taking the ACC title, coach Carter Jordan said the dual match can carry a lot of weight for the winner.

“The importance of the dual match is that it sets up the seeding for the ACC Tournament,” Jordan said. “It’s more of a stepping stone that can put us in position to win the conference.”

But despite the obvious animosity that exists between those who have a connection to the two schools, Jordan said he has tried to downplay the rivalry when addressing his team.

In fact, he said he hasn’t even mentioned the word rivalry all week.

“I don’t need to remind them how big it is,” the third year coach said.

But what’s the advantage to diminishing the importance of a rivalry before a match? Wouldn’t it be a quality motivating tool?

According to Jordan — no.

“It’s very important to win that match because of the rivalry,” Jordan, who wrestled at State in the 80s, said. “However, one of the things I’ve tried to do with these guys is get them to treat this like any other match. If you make too much of the rivalry, your kids can go out there tight. And the coaching staff can have an affect on that.”

He said he had seen, in previous teams, the negative effects of overhyping the importance of a match against a team like North Carolina.

And as for redshirt sophomore 197-pounder Ryan Goodman, the coach’s tactics seem to have worked.

“I just look at [Carolina] as another team,” Goodman said. “You just got to [go] out there and wrestle hard against them. Every ACC match is important.”

Palma said he agreed with Jordan’s approach, but acknowledged the fact that no matter how much downplaying goes on, once the teams take the mat the difference in environment will be obvious.

He also added that for the freshmen it will be a new experience.

“They have an idea what it will be like,” Palma said. “But it will still surprise them.”

The match is set for 7 p.m. in Chapel Hill, and the Pack will also be in action Saturday at home against No. 22 Navy.