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NEW ORLEANS – Tears poured down the faces of North Carolina’s players again Monday night, only this time there was no joy in the moment.
These were tears of sadness, something the Tar Heels hadn’t experienced in some time.
They cried a week ago after beating St. Peter’s to earn a trip to a record 21st Final Four, and they cried Saturday night after ending Mike Krzyzewski’s career with a win over arch rival Duke in the biggest game the fabled enemies have ever played versus each other.
And they cried Monday night after falling to Kansas, 72-69, here at the Superdome, and the tears were well earned.
So was the pain. And that’s what this team’s night and crazy season is all about.
Losses hurt when they matter. Losses hurt when winning is expected. And losses hurt when they signal the end of something. All of that applies to this UNC team.
There was a time not too long ago when it appeared none of this would occur. Carolina lost games this season, quite a few, actually, for a UNC team. Now ten to be exact.
The blowouts hurt, some because of the embarrassment and some because these kids and their coaches are competitors. Though, that was debated by many over the first three months of the campaign, and at times appearances validated the merit of such a discussion.
But we now know anyone who sided with the notion that Armando Bacot, Caleb Love, RJ Davis, Brady Manek, Leaky Black, Puff Johnson and company aren’t competitors were dead wrong. Anyone who still wonders about that completely missed the boat on the last six weeks of the season, and certainly this night.
The Iron Five became the Walking Wounded on Monday night, but there they were with 4.3 seconds left and a chance to send the game into overtime. That’s where we should freeze the frame for a moment:
There was no reason on planet earth the Tar Heels should have been in that situation. They led by 15 at the half, but Kansas hit them in a manner that sparked memories of Baylor in Fort Worth, and the lead evaporated in about eight minutes.
It looked like the Jayhawks were going to run away and hide. But they didn’t.
The limping, wincing Tar Heels kept clawing, as prideful wounded warriors will. They found ways to get the ball into the basket, found ways to wrestle rebounds away from the Jayhawks, and found ways to get a few stops.
It almost seemed like a patch-work effort, perhaps because maybe it was. Carolina looked gassed, but the Heels didn’t drift over to the side of the road with an empty tank. Had they wilted and lost by a dozen points, the joy their run gave many wouldn’t have been diminished one bit. But this is where the true tears were earned.
The Tar Heels fought back tying the game at 65-65 on two Manek free throws, and then took the lead when Manek put back a missed runner off the glass by Love with 1:41 remaining.
Carolina still had a chance.
Their tired and weary legs and bodies couldn’t keep Kansas’ David McCormack from scoring twice over the final 81 seconds to end the Heels’ magical run.
Love, who missed a three-point attempt as time ran out, pulled his jersey over his face and the front of his head, clearly bawling as he slowly walked toward the bench.
Bacot sobbed on the bench, in part because of the immense physical pain in his bum ankle, but also because of the oh-so-close missed opportunity, letting out an exhale because it was over. He really wanted to raise a banner.
Manek knelt down letting it flow as his rookie head coach, but life veteran, consoled him like the mentor and leader he is.
RJ Davis couldn’t pick his head up and was offered warm thoughts by a Kansas assistant coach.
Dontrez Styles, Johnson, Black, Kerwin Walton, most of the Tar Heels cried because they hurt. They nearly won a national championship after a season of negativity, inconsistency, and fear from the fan base that the school made a mistake hiring Hubert Davis to replace Roy Williams.
The kids were along for a ride few will ever fully understand, and yet there they were as one of the last two teams standing. They lost and they cried, and the tears were a valid reflection of what their push meant to everyone with an interest in the program, but mostly to the guys in that room.
They cried because we’ve learned in recent weeks it’s okay for Carolina basketball coaches and players to cry. Only this time the tears were painful.
In the coming weeks, however, they will morph into joy, because this team gave so many a helluva ride.
