University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Something Absent In Terp Win
January 10, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 10, 2002
By Adam Lucas
TarHeelBlue.com
It used to seem that there was nothing more painful than watching opposing fans storm the court after a win over North Carolina.
It turns out that there's something substantially more painful than that--watching opposing fans not storm the court after a win over North Carolina.
There's a reason that Tar Heel games on ESPN Classic so often wind up with opposing fans storming the court. The Heels have been the benchmark for the Atlantic Coast Conference for 35 years, and a win over Carolina has always been a cause for celebration.
That's not the case this year, as the Heels dropped to 5-7 with a 112-79 loss in College Park that was greeted with a collective yawn by the normally-boisterous Terp fans.
For the sake of history, let's take a brief (no worries there) rundown of the things that went well Wednesday night: on their first offensive possession, the Tar Heels executed perfectly, finding Jason Capel at the free-throw line for an easy jumper.
And, well, let's see, that about does it.
"What can I say?" Matt Doherty said after the game. "It's a very difficult experience."
The bottom line is that it was an ugly, hideous, painful loss. It's entirely off the charts for a significant chunk of the Tar Heel fan base, much of which wasn't alive the last time Carolina missed the NCAA Tournament.
Some of the most trying UNC struggles in recent ACC history, like a four-game losing streak in 2000, losing two of three in 1998, or dropping three straight in 1996, were comparatively narrow losses when breaks just didn't go the right way.
No amount of breaks would have helped against the Terps. They were everywhere, closing in on Carolina guards, jumping out of bounds to save loose balls, and soaring through the air for easy baskets. There have been games like this in the past, when the other team does everything right, but usually the Heels have enough talent to hang in long enough to only lose by 10 or 12 points.
There is help on the way, but there's no point in talking about next year. This year is this year, and there are going to be additional, even more painful, lumps yet to come before March.
"This league doesn't care," Doherty said. "We've got another tough one Saturday against Virginia."
What's yet to be determined is how the collective Tar Heel nation will handle this season. Students seated near the UNC bench have started a tradition of always giving the team a rousing ovation as they leave the court, win or lose. When we look back on this season and laugh--or at least wince--five years from now, it would be much better to remember a fan base that applauded the team's effort rather than a fan base that booed a player, like what happened at a certain school down 15-501 a few years ago.
It's much easier to write about that than it is to actually do. It's easier to leave the game early or even to not come at all. The sniping will begin shortly, if it hasn't already, and Doherty is an easy target simply because he has the unfortunate fault of not being Dean Smith.
After each loss, the head coach talks about remaining positive and encouraging, and that's likely to wear thin soon among fans who aren't patient enough to make a clear-eyed assessment of the 2001-02 team. Of course, those are the same people who were anointing Doherty the light blue savior last year at this time.
Last week, Doherty said that his wife, Kelley, had allowed him to use the real steak knives again after taking them away during a rough early start. It's a safe bet that the plastic tableware makes another appearance this week.
Many an ESPN broadcast from Cole Field House has ended with zany students bouncing up and down on mid-court, a throbbing mass of humanity pounding the hardwood. Wednesday night's ESPN broadcast from Cole Field House ended...well, it just ended. And that was one of the saddest things a pair of Tar Heel eyes could ever hope to see.
Adam Lucas is the co-publisher of Basketball America. He is a lifelong observer of UNC sports and can be reached at JAdamLucas@aol.com.
