So sometime after January I had a Butterfinger milkshake at Sutton’s and all of a sudden I notice it tastes funny. I get a little sleepy, and I put my head on the counter. Next thing I know, I’m in my bed, I can’t find my wallet and the leaves on the trees are the size of ceiling fans.
So…what’d I miss?
Oh. That. Well, that looks, uh…pretty important. Everyone looks really, really happy about UNC winning its fifth NCAA Championship and sixth national title. Everyone except the shadowy face of Deon Thompson, who looks like a mummy intent on tasting Roy Williams’ brains. Or maybe he wants to, you know, hold the trophy. You can never be sure of these things.
What can I say, really, about this team that hasn’t already been said by everyone else? How a team as good as this year’s Heels can be considered inconsistent is insane, but after the Michigan State game in December the expectations were higher than I have ever seen at Carolina, save the 1997-98 team. Fortunately, Ty Lawson is a better defender than Ed Cota, and there was no Utah standing in the way this time.
As dangerous as it may be to take any basketball game for granted, every Heels fan, from August on, felt that only six games mattered this past season. Once the NCAA Tournament started, it started to look like the team felt much the same way. They turned on a switch and consistently showed a level of focus that they had for maybe 35% to 40% of the regular season. This year’s Heels are one of the few teams in basketball that can really afford to do that, as Roy’s recruiting has torn the rest of the ACC to shreds.
The regular season, as successful as it was, bore no resemblance to the Heels’ dominant postseason performance. Ultimately, the latter is what will be remembered.
On that note, Tar Heel Mania will soon return to regular football and baseball posting.
