Yes, the Tar Heels redeemed themselves, whatever that really means.
Google “redemption,” or look up the word in Webster, and you get more definitions than you need or want. I like “to recover,” “deliver from sin,” “make amends” or “restore to favor.” My Biblical favorite, to “answer life’s questions.” We need some of those.
Whatever the dad-gum word means, it has to apply somewhere to this Carolina Basketball team that missed 47 shots, 23 three-pointers and 11 free throws, got outrebounded by Gonzaga, had its leading scorer miss everything from outside and was the recipient of some serious bad breaks. And still won, 71-65.
The Tar Heels somehow recovered from their worst shooting game in an NCAA tournament victory after they broke the same 50-year-old record two days before. If you think any of the struggles of the last four years delivered UNC from sin, may the NCAA henchmen let Carolina off with time served. The Heels certainly made amends and restored favor after breaking all of their, and our, collective hearts from losing the gut-wrencher a year ago. The answer to one of life’s most important questions is when all else fails, play some dang defense (which they did throughout the tournament).
Many of the millions of people who watched the foul-fest in the desert still want to know how the team in white won when, generally, the victor puts the ball in the basket with some consistency. It won when a guy who couldn’t throw it in the ocean for the last month made two of the biggest buckets. His name is Hicks, and don’t you dare ask me what the Book of Isaiah says.
Gonzaga is a very good team that lost only one game because its plays in the WCAC instead of the ACC. An average shooting night for Carolina would have resulted in a 10-15 point victory. Play the Zags 10 times, and the Tar Heels win at least 7.
So something or someone was watching over them Monday night, but it sure as heck wasn’t the whistle-happy refs, who completely lost control of the game and never got it back. I particularly liked the Gonzaga air ball wrongly ruled as tipped by Carolina and went back to the Zags, who then made a three-pointer, followed by another that was so off line it banked in.
Call it redemption or whatever you want. I’ll call it a 6th NCAA banner in the rafters, someway redeemed by these sons of Roy.
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