UNC VS. DUKE BASKETBALL
Friday night my son Tom invited me over to his house to watch UNC Chapel Hill play Duke in basketball in the ACC tournament. Chapel Hill University and Duke University are only 8 miles apart and their basketball rivalry is fierce. Not only had Duke already beaten UNC twice this year but UNC is on the bubble over whether they will be invited to the national college basketball contest called March Madness. Duke was already a #1 seed. UNC had to win.
Tom set up his little altar of UNC paraphernalia under the large television screen. We sat down with great anticipation. I had a gin and tonic in my hand and Tom a beer. At first the game was close and Tom’s hopes were high, but then UNC fell apart and after a 15-0 run by Duke by the end of the first half. UNC was being crushed. Our evening together was ruined. Tom even shifted at half time to see how other tournaments were going.
Somberly we returned to the game expecting UNC to lose by at least 30 points. But they showed signs of life and even caught up a little bit, not enough to give us any hope. But then they caught up a little more, but we knew they were licked. But then they caught up a little more and then a little more and suddenly Tom had hope. He insisted we wear the UNC caps from the display to bring UNC luck, and as they crept closer Tom’s excitement grew and grew. Finally, with four seconds left UNC were one point behind, but a tall UNC player got fouled while shooting. He had two shots coming, each worth a point. If he made them UNC would win. He wasn’t a good foul ball shooter and missed the first. If he made the second the score would be tied and the game, in which UNC now had the clear momentum, would go into overtime. He made the shot.
BUT a UNC player had put his toe over the line behind which the players were lined up, the shot didn’t count. Duke won the game through a mistake.
But our adrenaline was running so high by this point and we were so excited that it was almost as if UNC had won. Our gloom was gone. We had had a marvelous evening.
BILLYBABA’S WANDERING 