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The ‘ifs’ and ‘thens’ of the cruelest month

Posted on April 2, 2009 by Staff

By Frank Heath
Sports Columnist

“Another March. More madness. Another game North Carolina expects to win. “ – Steve Kelley, Seattle Times

“Not to be overshadowed, however, Carolina uncorked a dominant performance of its own, showing a clear postseason focus and a comfort level that seems hard to disrupt.” – Dan Wiederer, Fayetteville Observer

“I love teeing it up, but it would bother me like crazy if someone else was out there recruiting and I wasn’t. It would bother me a great deal if somebody was watching tape and I wasn’t.” – Roy Williams, on what got him into the Basketball Hall of Fame

“That’s what it’s going to take to get us through next weekend. We’ve got to be the best defensive team out there. They’re going to hand that trophy to the best defensive team. There’s no question about that, and there’s no question we have a chance to be that team.” – UNC senior Marcus Ginyard, the injured small forward who has practiced with the Blue Team to help the Tar Heels prepare for the Final Four.

“The toe may be getting worse. The Tar Heels are getting better.” – John Branch/ New York Times

The North Carolina basketball team has played very well this post-season, a fact that should not come as a surprise given the 2009 Tar Heels’ blend of experience, talent, depth and leadership.

But April can be the cruelest month for a college basketball team, as many Tar Heels squads before this one have learned. Most recently, of course, UNC lost last year against Kansas in an NCAA semifinal game that, had it been played 99 times again, could not have come and gone as poorly as it did that once.

Before Kansas, it was Florida in 2000, Utah in 1998, Arizona in ‘97, Arkansas in ‘95. And Kansas again in 1991. All were season-finishing, NCAA semifinal losses that many a Carolina fan has lost sleep over; all were outcomes that arrived as somewhat of an unpleasant surprise, accompanied by the solemn wish for a do-over. Which, of course, is the one thing you cannot ever have.

It’s not always easy being a fan of college basketball at the highest level, where one, and only one, goal is truly important. Your team can play four great games in the tournament — if you’re lucky enough to get there — then if in the fifth game you’re only pretty good, well, that may be enough to spoil the entire batch. Who remembers Memphis, LSU or Pitt this week?

For these lucky Tar Heels — still in the game with the final weekend at hand — the quotes, the scribes, the indicators, even tea leaves and “the toe” all seem to motion vaguely toward a possible storybook scenario in ‘09.

It would be an ending in which Tyler, Danny, Bobby, Ty, Wayne, Deon & co. rise above the frustrations of the past two seasons’ final-game crash-and-burns. In this ending, the adversity of injuries to Lawson, Hansbrough, Marcus Ginyard and Tyler Zeller, and the pressure of trying to succeed while living under a magnifying glass in their final, best chance at perfection – all these things would burn away.

If the matchups are favorable and if the defensive rotations hold, and the foul trouble remains at bay; if the screens and the cuts are well-timed on offense; if the box-outs are solid and the rebounds aren’t all funny bounces; and if the Tar Heels make the easy plays and take the easy shots — and if the ones that roll around on the rim do fall for UNC. If the Tar Heels’ patience and hustle and focus, and the poise to make intelligent decisions under pressure remain; and if the other team of five isn’t just flat-out better or more inspired during a particular hour of a particular day that just happens to arrive this coming Saturday or Monday.

If. Then.

Might be time to hide the light blue house paint.

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