For Tar Heel nation, the night of Sunday, March 27, was a celebration like it was 2009 all over again. The University of North Carolina Tar Heels are the 2016 East Regional champions and are embarking on the trip to Houston, Texas, for their fourth Final Four appearance under head coach Roy Williams. It has been an unusually long drought of success for a blue-blood basketball program like UNC and the evening of April 6, 2009, seems like an eternity ago. The 2009 Tar Heels completed their journey of season-long dominance with a 17-point victory over the Michigan State Spartans at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. Many college basketball fans wondered if the Heels would ever put together a team of that type of overwhelming talent ever again. A team that featured National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough, and Bob Cousey Award (Nation's Best Point Guard) winner Ty Lawson, among others. The last time North Carolina had a season of tremendous success like this, 2016 seniors Marcus Paige, Brice Johnson, and Joel James were sophomores in high school. For a national powerhouse program that has participated in an NCAA Division I record 19 Final Fours, it has been a long time, but well worth the wait.
Last season the Tar Heel's 2015 season came to an abrupt conclusion as they were knocked off by the top-seeded, Frank Kaminsky led Wisconsin Badgers in the Sweet 16 round at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Despite a disappointing season by UNC's annual high standards, the following 2016 season maintained a very positive outlook. In spite of a surprisingly early departure for the NBA Draft by junior guard JP Tokoto, the Heels would return all-conference, rising seniors Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson, rising juniors Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks, and the very promising 2018 sophomore class of Justin Jackson, Joel Berry II, and Theo Pinson. Later on in early October of 2015 when the pre-season rankings were released to the public, North Carolina was the overwhelming #1 ranked team in the majority of polls. It was clear the expectations in Chapel Hill and throughout the collegiate basketball nation were about as high as ever, but the million dollar question was, would Roy William's 2015-16 squad live up to them?
In the beginning portion of the season, the Tar Heels were handed two early season road losses to the un-ranked Northern Iowa Panthers and Texas Longhorns. The Heels were already looking at two games in the loss column and it was only December 12. Following the conclusion of the Texas loss, it left many critics scratching their heads at the expectations of this team. However, UNC would evidently not lose any confidence from the two early upsets and go on to win 12 consecutive games, including a strong 8-0 start in Atlantic Coast Conference play with a 19-2 overall record. The Tar Heels continue to climb up the Top 25 rankings, but like many great teams, there are always a few mid-season bumps in the road. Roy William's squad was on a roll and cruising through their schedule until they dropped back-to-back ACC road contests to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Louisville Cardinals. The confidence levels of Tar Heel nation took another critical hit in the outcome of the 241st edition of the famous Duke-North Carolina rivalry. The Heels maintained a nice lead throughout the contest and essentially dominated the Blue Devils. However, a late second-half collapse by UNC propelled Duke to a shocking one-point win that left the sold-out crowd in Chapel Hill in stunned silence as they witnessed their lead chip away until the bitter end. This game left many question marks as to whether this UNC team remained a championship contender. It was only another hurdle of adversity for this team to overcome in order to achieve their ultimate goal, a seventh national title.
A few weeks later, the Tar Heels would face their arch rival Duke once again. This time inside one of the biggest home court advantages in college sports, Cameron Indoor Stadium, a place where this team has struggled a lot in recent years. UNC would not only avenge a heart-breaking loss from their first meeting of 2016 with Duke, but also clinch the program's 30th ACC Regular Season championship. It was a very rewarding feeling for Roy William's team, but specifically for the senior class of Marcus Paige, Brice Johnson and Joel James who had never beaten Duke once in Cameron Indoor until the night of March 5, 2016. This game would raise the Tar Heel's confidence at its highest point during the course of the season and power them to their 18th ACC Tournament title. It is the first time the Heels had earned this honor since the 2008 season when they defeated the Clemson Tigers in Charlotte, North Carolina. The tournament championship would earn UNC the second overall #1 seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament. The Heels continued to play like the best and most complete team in the country. Throughout the first four rounds of the tourney, the Heels fired on all cylinders and beat all four of their opponents in the East Region (Florida Gulf Coast, Providence, Indiana, Notre Dame) by double digits on the way to a long awaited and highly-anticipated Final Four appearance.
Tar Heel fans of the current and past generations, along with students and alumni of the university have dreamed of another championship season in Chapel Hill and it is now only two games away from becoming a reality. When their beloved Heels take the court at Reliant Stadium in downtown Houston against the Syracuse Orange on Saturday night, all of the tough memories in recent seasons of being so painfully close will go away. The 2011-12 season was one specific example of a year that continues to haunt UNC fans to this day. Roy Williams put together a team featuring future NBA first round draft picks in John Henson, Harrison Barnes, Kendall Marshall, Tyler Zeller, and Reggie Bullock. The Tar Heels had very high expectations entering that season and with good reason. The fifth ranked Heels earned a #1 seed in the Midwest region despite falling to Florida State in the ACC Tournament championship. UNC steamrolled through its first two games of the NCAA Tournament and looked every bit like a national championship team. However, Tar Heel fans were stunned in hearing the horrible news of star point guard and Bob Cousey Award winner Kendall Marshall breaking his wrist in the second round game against the Creighton Blue Jays after an 87-73 victory to advance UNC to the Sweet 16. The crucial injury to Marshall ultimately derailed the chances of a national championship and a team that many thought would be cutting down the nets at the Super Dome in New Orleans, eventually fell to the Kansas Jayhawks in the Elite Eight round in St. Louis. The loss to Kansas left many fans in a state of utter grief at the thought of a season that could have been. Tar Heel fans around the world waited patiently for a team similar to the 2011-12 squad and prayed that one day in the near future, Roy Williams would put together a championship caliber team once again. Those prayers have been answered.
Tar Heel Nation, the wait is finally over. It has been a very long seven years. A long seven years of underachievement, heartbreak, disappointment and a tarnished reputation due to the ongoing NCAA investigation of academic fraud at UNC-Chapel Hill. A scandal that has taken a significant toll on the entire athletic program, including basketball. UNC was once a collegiate basketball program that nearly every blue-chip recruit foamed at the mouth over. Nowadays, many top recruits disregard the program and look elsewhere due to its harsh allegations. Roy Williams has taken a lot of heat over the last few seasons, but this weekend, none of the outside distractions will matter. If the Heels claim their seventh national title this Monday night and hang another banner from the rafters of the iconic Dean Smith Center, all of the pain and heartache will only be a distant memory. Franklin Street will be shut down due to the traditional massive crowd of students fans rushing the town of Chapel Hill after a huge win, confetti will fall, the annual One Shining Moment video montage will be playing on everyone's television screens, and the 2016 Tar Heels will be raising the championship trophy while smiling from ear-to-ear reflecting on their amazing journey. Roy Williams absolutely deserves that one shining moment along with this entire team and university. Williams says this is one of his favorite teams that he has ever coached. The tight-knit bond and team chemistry that this squad shares has been evident all season from the very beginning. No matter the outcome of this weekend, the future is brighter than ever for Carolina basketball and the spirit of the late, great Dean Smith will be looking down from the heavens with a big smile across his face.
