Heels go THUD!!!

Who would have thought it?

Certainly, even the most vengeful-minded Kansas Jayhawk fan would have never dreamed that it would have unfolded as it did.

In this column last Thursday, I made the mention that I hoped the UNC Tar Heels would not fall on their faces as they did in their last Final Four appearance in San Antonio 10 years ago.

Apparently, I thoroughly jinxed them.

“Unacceptable” is too mild a term to describe how UNC played for what amounted to at least 26 minutes of Saturday’s NCAA semi-final basketball game in the AlamoDome.

The Tar Heels had worked too long and too hard to get the national semi-finals, but the impressive Jayhawk team blasted away against a surprisingly passive UNC team early and often.
It really appeared like the Tar Heels were on the outside looking in as the Jayhawks kept finding easy paths to the basket and had no trouble beating the Heels on the boards and to the floor.
This was a team (with all its talent, speed,
strength and depth) that very much appeared to be on the outside looking in.

Only after it fell behind by 28 points did UNC actually start taking good shots and playing adequate defense. In typical Tar Heel fashion, UNC managed to battle back to within four points late in the game, but the Kansas team answered the charge and rolled on to its to 86-68 victory.

There have been many tremendous UNC basketball victories that will never be forgotten.
Saturday’s loss was one that will be painfully remembered.