Carolina Basketball... The Highs and Lows
- Apr 4, 2017
- 4 min read
In case you have been living under a rock this year…. UNC just won the 2017 NCAA National Championship. Wow does that feel good to type (I’m grinning like an idiot).
But, it wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies, let me tell ya. There have been high highs and low lows. I am going to point out a few of the defining moments of my experience with Carolina basketball this year.
1. The first time we played Duke and… *cringe* lost. I was at my house with a group of friends, and I am not going to lie, tears were shed. Carolina pulled the typical “let’s beat Duke the entire game until the last five minutes” trick, and I was losing hope for the team.
2. But… we #redeemed ourselves the next go around. I was watching the Duke vs. UNC game with friends at R&R Grill on Franklin Street, my stomach was full with buffet food (they had the best chicken tenders I’ve ever had), and the whole place was decked in Carolina blue. I vividly remember putting our layers of jackets on with one minute left in the game, ready to sprint down Franklin. We did so, and I was thinking “sheesh I am out of shape” as we bolted to the intersection by Top of the Hill. We hugged random strangers, screamed “Tar, HEEL!” until our voices were gone, took pictures on each other’s shoulders, and of course, jumped the fires. But- this was not the first thing I remember when thinking back to that glorious night. About 10 minutes into the mosh pit of people, a girl collapsed very close to me and my friend. People started screaming for help from the medics at the corner of the street, and in the blink of an eye, the friend who I was with- who literally JUST received her EMT certification- jumped on top of the girl, checked her pulse, and then resuscitated her. The medics arrived soon after, yelling “CLEAR THE WAY!” to the mass of people in that area. Everyone pushed back, making a path for the girl to be put on a stretcher and taken back to the ambulance. As soon as she was rolled away, everyone was silent for a split second, before someone near us started yelling again, and we all went back to celebrating. I will always think back to the night that we beat Duke and my best friend saved a life.
3. The final match against Duke ended with a major L. It was spring break, and I was on a cruise to the Bahamas with a bunch of UNC students. We begged the attendants on the cruise to play the game on one of the TVs on the boat, and we ended up being crammed into booths in one of the buffet dining halls. It wasn’t ideal, and it definitely didn't help our sea sickness, but we were hype nonetheless. We ended up losing- UNC was not having a good night. The worst part was that all day before the game, my group and I had been walking around the cruise ship in our UNC jerseys, acting cockier then Grayson Allen. There was a group of students from Duke on the cruise, and every time they walked by us, their smirks got bigger as our anger increased.
4. The final four game was one to remember. My friends and I lined up outside of Top of the Hill at 6 am… I repeat, 6 am… that day to wait in line for tickets to watch the game overlooking Franklin Street. We ended up snagging a perfect table in front of the main television, and the place was bursting with energy from all of the Carolina fans. When there was only a couple minutes left of the game, no one was sitting in their chairs anymore- we were all jumping, screaming, and grabbing each other’s arms due to nerves. The Heels pulled through and we immediately ran to look over the balcony at TOPO to watch the crowd of people swarm Franklin Street. We couldn’t wait any longer and sprinted down the steps (surprisingly- no casualties) to storm Franklin. It was a claustrophobic mess of sweaty bodies. And we couldn’t be happier.
5. Last, but not least…. The night we won the National Championship. I remember waking up that day with my stomach in a knot, nervous for what would happen in about 12 hours. I decided for the longest time whether or not to skip my 3:30 class that day in order to secure a spot at Carolina Ale House to watch the game. Who am I kidding- I skipped without hesitation. This was basically a national holiday. Class came second to Carolina basketball. We sat at our table in the Ale House for six hours before the game started. Our waiter went around screaming “TAR, HEEL!” with a UNC flag at the top of every hour, counting them down to tip-off. The anticipation and nervous energy was through the ceiling (or the roof?). One minute left in the game, and Joel Berry cemented the win. I did a toe-touch jump when we won, pulling my hamstring, and everyone was screaming in glory. I will never forget looking over and seeing my friend bawling her eyes out. Running down Franklin seemed like a dream, and after a long night of celebrating, it felt pretty good waking up a champion.
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