Spring Break
UNC fans, there's no crying in college basketball
Brett Fischer
Issue date: 1/25/08 Section: Sports
I'm sure the rest of the ACC and most of college basketball nation were ecstatic when a mediocre 12-7 Maryland team upset a then-undefeated UNC team 82-80 in Chapel Hill Jan. 19.
As exciting as the game was and despite the impact it may have had across the country, I don't think the real story is about how a weaker team upset the No. 1 team in the country. I think the real story took place shortly after Tyler Hansbrough missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer, failing to keep his team's undefeated season alive.
If you are a UNC fan, obviously it's a difficult loss to grasp. Your team was 18-0 and the No. 1 team in the country. Yet you lost at home to a team that was only 1-2 in the ACC and is tied with Virginia Tech for the second most non-conference losses. There are a lot of emotions you may be experiencing like any normal fan would. You may be upset, befuddled, frustrated, shocked, insecure or perhaps a combination of these.
Yet, when looking at the variety of UNC fans on television, there was something quite out of the ordinary. This was something that I probably wouldn't see in a conference tournament game and I definitely wouldn't see in a regular season game - until now.
Despite just one loss, there were several fans with liquid falling from their eyes. I was taken aback, seeing that I couldn't understand what exactly was happening. And that's when it hit me.
These UNC fans were crying, but how? Why?
If it were in the ACC Tournament and the Tar Heels were on the verge of not making the big dance, then maybe that's understandable. If it were the first round of the NCAA Tournament and they were upset by Florida Gulf Coast, I could see fans crying.
But one regular season game against Maryland? Are you kidding?
As exciting as the game was and despite the impact it may have had across the country, I don't think the real story is about how a weaker team upset the No. 1 team in the country. I think the real story took place shortly after Tyler Hansbrough missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer, failing to keep his team's undefeated season alive.
If you are a UNC fan, obviously it's a difficult loss to grasp. Your team was 18-0 and the No. 1 team in the country. Yet you lost at home to a team that was only 1-2 in the ACC and is tied with Virginia Tech for the second most non-conference losses. There are a lot of emotions you may be experiencing like any normal fan would. You may be upset, befuddled, frustrated, shocked, insecure or perhaps a combination of these.
Yet, when looking at the variety of UNC fans on television, there was something quite out of the ordinary. This was something that I probably wouldn't see in a conference tournament game and I definitely wouldn't see in a regular season game - until now.
Despite just one loss, there were several fans with liquid falling from their eyes. I was taken aback, seeing that I couldn't understand what exactly was happening. And that's when it hit me.
These UNC fans were crying, but how? Why?
If it were in the ACC Tournament and the Tar Heels were on the verge of not making the big dance, then maybe that's understandable. If it were the first round of the NCAA Tournament and they were upset by Florida Gulf Coast, I could see fans crying.
But one regular season game against Maryland? Are you kidding?
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 5
tony
posted 1/25/08 @ 7:26 AM EST
this article has to have been written by a duke fan. it seems to me that this was written to shade the fact that dukies cry after every loss. hell they cry during the game. (Continued…)
Matt
posted 1/25/08 @ 5:14 PM EST
To the dumbass sports department at The Triangle:
Why is this in Drexel's student paper? The national media covered this enough.
Here's a revolutionary concept. (Continued…)
Mike
posted 1/26/08 @ 12:05 PM EST
Tony....you are a jackass. You were probably one of the little whiny ass fans crying when UNC lost. Face it...Carolina fans are all cry babies and they can't imagine that there boy Hansbrough is not perfect. (Continued…)
Steve
posted 1/27/08 @ 11:19 AM EST
I think Matt and Tony need to calm down. This is a great article and a true observation about UNC fans. It's very entertaining to read and I wish more college papers would have interesting pieces such as this. (Continued…)
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