AJ: Justified Jubilation

CHAPEL HILL – Nobody cut down any nets and no banners will find their way to the crowded rafters at the Smith Center as a result of North Carolina’s 85-79 win over N.C. State on Tuesday night. But don’t tell the Tar Heels this victory didn’t mean the world to them.

Their jubilant celebration when the final second ticked off the clock was a joyous exclamation mark on their triumph. And it came on a night so much went right for a change.

First among a bevy of positives for the Heels is the fact that they won.

For the last month, Roy Williams has walked into postgame press conferences wearing the look of a drained man who’d rather be anywhere else, something he basically articulated on a few occasions.

“I’m getting tired of talking with you guys like this,” he said, or something close to it, in South Bend, Winston-Salem, Tallahassee and even at home.

So, what about this night, and what about finally having a different message for a team that ended a seven-game losing streak?

“You know, without getting emotional, it’s tough when you try really hard and focus and try to give everything you have even though the coaching staff, we say that ‘you can give more,’” the Hall of Famer said. “But, it’s tough on the guys.”

Williams then reflected sharing something he told the program’s head of media relations.

“I told Steve (Kirschner), I was really happy for them,” Williams said. “Yeah, I’m really happy for myself and all that kind of junk, too, but I was really happy for them.”

Who wouldn’t be?

Maybe those who prefer red or have a heart of stone, but that’s about it.

If you have a soul, it’s impossible to not feel for a group of kids that have essentially found every way imaginable to lose games this season while navigating through a parade of injuries that pretty much derailed the campaign well before Christmas.

But to their credit, they haven’t gone under. The Tar Heels (11-17, 4-13 ACC) still have some fight in them, as was apparent here on this night.

They fell behind 10-0 but rallied to lead at the half. They allowed a 15-3 run early in the second half and instead of wilting, as has been the case too many times when opponents’ runs in the second half have squashed them, the Heels responded with one of their own – 22-4 – that combined efficiency on offense, excellence on defense and grit on the glass.

Yet, the Heels still weren’t safe. A Wolfpack push was sure to come. Everybody in the building knew it, and undoubtedly the Tar Heels did, too.

And there it was: The Pack turned an 11-point Carolina lead into a 75-72 game with 2:12 remaining. State, like Clemson, Duke, Notre Dame and some others before them, had the Heels right where it wanted them.

But free throws – made free throws – by junior Garrison Brooks sealed the deal.

Brooks, a 56.5 percent shooter from the charity stripe coming in, and owner of 15 consecutive misses in this very building not long ago, calmly sank six straight over the final 41 seconds. Game. Set. Match.

This time, everything went the Heels’ way.

“We’re happy for a change,” Brooks said. “It’s good, I’m excited we really got a win against our rival, I think that’s key for us. Just for building confidence, I think we can really build off this and keep going.”

Building off performances have been a slow process revealing little reward for this team, and maybe this will eventually be just a blip on the radar. Who knows?

Regardless, the Tar Heels got a win Tuesday night. It doesn’t rival so many this fabled program has notched over the last six decades, but on this night it was three OTs versus Wilt The Stilt, MJ’s shot, The Donald’s stroke, May Day under The Arch, the rout in Motown, and the Redemption Tour all wrapped up into one.

At least it was for these kids. And that’s okay, they deserved it.