Between the ACC Tournament and March Madness, it’s a fever dream as many people in the office, hospital and even classrooms drop what they’re doing to stream basketball wherever they are. While basketball fans across the Triangle were excited when March arrived, by the end of the month all three fan bases were distraught.
Advertisement
UNC was the first team to feel that anguish.
North Carolina blew a 19-point second-half lead and fell to VCU in overtime, undone by a late scoring drought, missed free throws and a flurry of turnovers. The Tar Heels, playing without Caleb Wilson, led 70-56 with just over seven minutes remaining and appeared to be in complete control, dominating VCU in transition, attacking the rim and posting an 18-1 assist-to-turnover ratio through the first 29 minutes.
Then it fell apart.
VCU went on a 12-0 run and tied the game at 75-75 on Terrance Hill’s layup with 11 seconds left, then rode that surge into overtime, where Hill hit a step-back 3-pointer with 15 seconds left to put the Rams ahead for good. On the next drive, Henri Veesaar missed two free throws that could have tied the score and then failed on a clean play, sending UNC home.
Advertisement
Over the final 7:45 of regulation, North Carolina went 0 of 9 from the field and 4 of 9 from the line, committed seven turnovers in the second half and overtime and did not record any assists in the final 16 minutes. The loss ultimately led UNC to fire Hubert Davis, who had a decent tenure at his alma mater. However, after two straight seasons of early departures and a decline following Davis’ run to the 2022 national title game, a change was necessary.
Davis’ firing was a seismic move, as the Tar Heels will now look for a coach with no prior UNC affiliation for the first time since 1952, when the school hired Frank McGuire, the predecessor of Dean Smith, who led UNC to its first national title in 1957. However, the Tar Heels might have come out a little better as time went on.
Stabbed in the back
Now let’s go to the state of North Carolina. The Wolfpack lost to Texas 68-66 on a last-second shot in the First Four and failed to make the field of 64. However, that wasn’t what made March miserable for NC State fans.
Advertisement
After promising before the season that there would be a “red reckoning” and claiming that “this is going to be the worst team we have at NC State, right here” following the loss to Texas, head coach Will Wade abruptly left for LSU, the school that originally fired him for violating NCAA rules. Even worse for the Wolfpack, he resigned via email to athletic director Boo Corrigan.
Oh.
Duke capped it off with an epic collapse
Like UNC, Duke dominated UConn for most of the game and built a 19-point lead with five minutes left in the first half. However, after maintaining a manageable lead for most of the second half, Duke saw UConn cut the margin to just two points.
Advertisement
Although the Blue Devils still led and continued to make timely shots, the Huskies continued to rally. But it wasn’t enough. With 10 seconds left on the clock and Duke leading 72-70, all the Blue Devils had to do was grab the ball and force UConn to foul.
Instead, UConn’s full-court press outplayed them. Cayden Boozer committed a costly turnover when Braylon Mullins leaned over and stole his pass, then kicked it to Alex Karaban, who quickly returned it to Mullins. Mullins stopped from 35 feet near the midcourt logo and hit the winning 3-pointer, sending the Huskies to the Final Four.
This is the second year in a row that Duke’s season has ended in heartbreak. The Blue Devils lost in the Final Four to Houston after leading by 14 in the second half and by six with 1:14 left.
In a state that lives and breathes college basketball, March was supposed to be a celebration. Rather, it became a shared nightmare for the Triangle. UNC collapsed and fired its coach, NC State was stunned and abandoned, and Duke saw another deep run slip away in the final seconds. Three blue blood programs, three different paths, a familiar feeling: heartbreak.
Advertisement
follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our Facebook page to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Tar Heels, Duke and NC State suffer heartbreak in March