Congratulations from a UNC fan

[ClosetHurleyFan]

Hats off, your guys fought hard, played smart, took a few punches in the mouth from a heart driven opponent and came back tougher. That was one of the best national championship games in recent memory.

One question for all of you: how many of you were nearly s**tting in your pants when that last shot drew iron? I am not even a Duke fan and it took my breath away for a second...

What a great game between two classy teams.

[kong123]

Just wanted to congratulate your team on a winning the National Championship.

After a long off season with UNC winning the NCAA Championship and Harrison Barnes signing with UNC, we were on top of the world. I remember reading the doom and gloom posts right after HB signed and truly felt like UNC was on top to stay. Remember the question of whether or not Roy would win his 3rd before K won his 4th? Well, what a difference a year makes, huh? I remember saying to my friends at the beginning of the season, "the worst thing we have going against us is that our expectations are too high, this team cannot possibly live up to our lofty expectations." That is what was great about our 2005-2006 team, we had no expectations and so every success was met with great enthusiasm. I see this years Duke team the same way. I doubt anyone seriously considered this Duke team the best in the country at the beginning of the year. They never held the #1 spot in the nation at any point other than in the last poll of the season. How fulfilling is that?

I hope our young players play with the same poise and intelligence that this years Duke team played with. While Duke winning the title is good for the rivalry, ultimately it is still to painful to embrace it.

[pamtar]

Thanks for the kind words.

[4decadedukie]

One question for all of you: how many of you were nearly s**tting in your pants when that last shot drew iron? I am not even a Duke fan and it took my breath away for a second...

First, thanks for your gracious congratulatory thread.

Second (and this is solely my INDIVIDUAL reply to your question), I was extremely worried because the shot looked – and was – excellent from the moment it was launched; however, it was over so quickly, with time expired, I probably didn’t have a complete opportunity to become as scared as I should have been.

[MChambers]

Hats off, your guys fought hard, played smart, took a few punches in the mouth from a heart driven opponent and came back tougher. That was one of the best national championship games in recent memory.

One question for all of you: how many of you were nearly s**tting in your pants when that last shot drew iron? I am not even a Duke fan and it took my breath away for a second...

What a great game between two classy teams.

To answer your question, I had nothing left to s*** at that point.

[LSanders]

To answer your question, I had nothing left to s*** at that point.

Well said!!

[DukieInBrasil]

Thanks for the props coming from UNC fans, that's cool, and part of what makes the rivalry great. Even though we may hate the other team, it is obvious that both fan-bases respect the other.
2 things stick in my mind. First, it seems that Duke and UNC have a tradition of winning the NC the year after the other, odd. Second, despite UNC having a far-below-expectations seasons, some solace should be drawn from UNC's NIT run. The kids showed some resolve and desire to play better basketball than they showed for most of the year. Had UNC played during the ACC season the way they did in the NIT, they very well could have gotten a bid to the NCAAs.
Next year I think the rivalry will regain much of its former ferocity.

[baby-face dawkins]

Thank you for the congratulations, much appreciated! Much more classy then the scene over at the inside carolina board...

[Delaware]

First, thanks for your gracious congratulatory thread.

Second (and this is solely my INDIVIDUAL reply to your question), I was extremely worried because the shot looked – and was – excellent from the moment it was launched; however, it was over so quickly, with time expired, I probably didn’t have a complete opportunity to become as scared as I should have been.

I actually think this is the best part of K's decision for me personally... it did not give me another 2-5 seconds of angst while Butler would be trying to inbound the ball for a last second play. The miss was so stunning and the scramble, hard screen and shot was so quick, I didn't have as much time to have my heart stop!

[davekay1971]

First, thanks for your gracious congratulatory thread.

Second (and this is solely my INDIVIDUAL reply to your question), I was extremely worried because the shot looked – and was – excellent from the moment it was launched; however, it was over so quickly, with time expired, I probably didn’t have a complete opportunity to become as scared as I should have been.

Pretty much ditto on both points.

My heart was in my throat the moment Hayward got that rebound and began heading upcourt. I agreed with the strategy of getting the clock going since they had no timeouts, and figured a halfcourt heave was about the best they were going to get. When he launched it I was still thinking "halfcourt shot, it's gotta miss", and it wasn't really till it hit backboard then iron that I realized how close it was. Then CBS kept showing the replays and I said to my wife, "I wish they'd stop showing that replay, because every time I watch it, it looks like that damn shot's going to go in!"

Hell of a game, hell of a shot. I'm euphoric that it missed.

[whereinthehellami]

Next year's games between UNC and Duke will be really competetive. i think both teams will play drastically different than the teams this year. So it should be fun, intense, and exciting.

Duke
Irving 6-0 FR
Smith 6-3 SR
Singler/Dawkins
Mason 6-10 SO
Miles 6-10 JR

Curry 6-0 SO
Felix 6-6 SO
Kelly 6-10 SO

UNC
Drew 6-2 JR
Bullocks 6-6 FR
Barnes 6-8 FR
Henson 6-10 SO
Davis/Zeller

Strickland 6-3 SO
Graves 6-6 SR
Wear 6-10 SO
Marshall 6-3 FR

I only included guys that I think will average 10+ MPG or more.

[bulldog44]

Hats off, your guys fought hard, played smart, took a few punches in the mouth from a heart driven opponent and came back tougher. That was one of the best national championship games in recent memory.

One question for all of you: how many of you were nearly s**tting in your pants when that last shot drew iron? I am not even a Duke fan and it took my breath away for a second...

What a great game between two classy teams.

Thank you, what a great post and yes I admit I could have used a pair of Depends during the end. I will now be rooting for Butler, as long as they ain't playing Duke. Great classy post.

[Aziggazoomba]

My congrats to your team/program/etc. (though naturally it pains me to do so).

It was a really enjoyable game and you guys definitely deserved the win. I also have to concede that the kids on this team seem like a really admirable and likeable bunch. Kudos all around.

Thanks for keeping the ACC (and Tobacco Road) in its rightful place at the top of the heap.

Go Heels.

[hurleyfor3]

Thanks for keeping the ACC (and Tobacco Road) in its rightful place at the top of the heap.

ACC teams have won five of the last ten titles. I don't think there has been another 10-year run in the post-Wooden era in which any conference has won more than three.

Thanks, folks. We all take for granted that UNC will be back.

[slower]

Now THAT'S the way to keep it classy, Tarheel fans.

And I'm sure that pretty much all of us on the board expect you to be back to the "old" UNC next year.

[alteran]

Nothing ruins my post-NC buzz like you guys coming over here and being all classy and stuff.

To answer the question of what was going on in our heads, yes, the pants were soiled. As Hayward launched the shot just past halfcourt I silently congratulated Coach K on the missed foul strategy. A tenth of a second later I thought "holy cow that shot looks good."

Crazy night.

[coldriver10]

When he launched it I was still thinking "halfcourt shot, it's gotta miss", and it wasn't really till it hit backboard then iron that I realized how close it was. Then CBS kept showing the replays and I said to my wife, "I wish they'd stop showing that replay, because every time I watch it, it looks like that damn shot's going to go in!"

Hell of a game, hell of a shot. I'm euphoric that it missed.

I had the exact same reaction. For a lot of the game, I just had a bad feeling, that we were going to lose. Then when I see him taking a half-court shot I finally thought to myself "there's no way that goes in." I had no idea how close it was until I saw replays. Wow, what a game.

Thanks for the classy words, UNC fans.

[dukestheheat]

Has The Wheat (I add in the article to his name because of his elevated status within the DBR flock...) published here since our win?

dth.

[allenmurray]

Has The Wheat (I add in the article to his name because of his elevated status within the DBR flock...) published here since our win?

dth.

This place has been safe for those with gluten sensitivity for weeks.

[SMO]

This place has been safe for those with gluten sensitivity for weeks.

I considered making a string of "Wheat's greatest hits (misses)" but going through his posts to select the biggest misses was too daunting.