Lucas: Good Tidings

By Adam Lucas

THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS ARENA—The University of North Carolina basketball team probably has no idea what a difference they just made in thousands of Christmases across the state and the country.

Carolina's 76-74 win over UCLA shouldn't completely change the hearts and minds of Tar Heel fans around the globe. But those final few minutes at Madison Square Garden took what felt like a Wet Bandit kind of Saturday and turned it into a candy cane forest and a Carolina comeback win.

If Carolina's late-game trap and Seth Trimble's defense doesn't force a critical Bruin turnover…

If Ian Jackson doesn't put up 24 points in his backyard in his first game ever at Madison Square Garden…

If Jalen Washington doesn't rip down an offensive rebound and score with 92 seconds remaining…

If the Tar Heels don't put together a solid team effort on the defensive glass in the final four minutes, eliminating the offensive rebounds that plagued them earlier in the week against Florida…

Then lunch and dinner tables around the Carolina world would be much angrier over the next few days. And everyone associated with the Tar Heels would feel like a cotton-headed ninny-muggins.

"We've been in this situation and we understand the importance of small details," Hubert Davis told Jones Angell on the Tar Heel Sports Network."We got the one stop that we needed against Kansas, Michigan State and Florida…The little things made big things happen. It's boxing out. It's getting deflections. It's talking on defense and diving on loose balls. It's timing and execution on the offensive end."

It was not always pretty. There were moments of extreme frustration. It will likely not be one of those that you go back and watch again and again.

But it was the one thing that Carolina absolutely had to have on this Saturday afternoon: a win. And just a reminder: every time the Tar Heels get a stop, an angel gets his wings.

"We fought," Jackson said on the THSN. "That showed some of the toughness we are looking to build…We chipped away, we didn't try to make the home run play, and we rebounded and got stops down the stretch."

And here is the perfect snapshot of the difference in wins and losses: after losses, postgame interviews are somber affairs conducted barely above a whisper in a solemn room.

Today, as Jackson was finishing, assistant coach Pat Sullivan walked in to listen to the final couple of minutes. The Bogota, N.J., native, who speaks Jackson's rapid-fire New York language, could barely contain himself while the microphone was on. As soon as it clicked off, he grabbed Jackson by the shoulder.

"Hey," Sullivan said in that sharp New York accent. "Were you talking about defense in that interview? Ian Jackson? Talking about defense?"

The both broke into laughter. Jackson, a natural scorer, has never had to play much defense, or even notice what took place on that end of the court. Now he was singling it out as a key factor in a win.

"That's growth, baby!" Sullivan said, and bounded out of the room.

It shouldn't make this much difference. We are all adults who know better than to let the actions of college basketball players determine our moods, especially during the holidays when there are plenty of other activities on which to focus.

But if RJ Davis doesn't clutch up and hit those last three free throws, or the Tar Heels don't find a way to get Tyler Bilodeau into foul trouble and limit him to two points and zero field goals over the final 12:50, or the Heels don't limit their second half turnovers, we're all locking ourselves in a dark room, eating junk and watching rubbish.

How good a win was this? Even New York City traffic feels good. As the bus tried to creep along 8^thAve. outside Madison Square Garden, several Carolina fans stopped in the crosswalk to cheer for the Heels (it's hard to camouflage a black bus wrapped in trademark Jordan elephant print, a fresh new wrap that just debuted this week). It slowed the progress just a little. But it was fine.

So enjoy your Christmas, Tar Heels. Think about the potential of Ian Jackson or the still growing Drake Powell or even just how darn good those blue throwback jerseys look. Because the right team eked out a two-point win, we're all going to have the hap-hap-happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tapdanced with Danny Kaye.

"I just want to sit with my wife and kids and not think about basketball for a couple days," Davis said. "I want to have unhurried time with them and then get locked in for Campbell after Christmas."

One of those kids is Elijah, a member of this year's Carolina team who was walking out of the Garden with a big smile on his face and the feeling of every Tar Heel in his heart.

If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around.

"Santa," Elijah said, "is definitely coming this year."

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University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

RJ Davis

Ian Jackson

Drake Powell

Seth Trimble

Jalen Washington

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