Here is a rhetorical question for all Carolina fans.

If your basketball team was not going to win the ACC Tournament, would you rather lose to Virginia Tech in the semifinals or to Duke in the championship game?

Personally, I’ll take the ugly loss to the Hokies Friday night in Brooklyn for several reasons in no particular order.

One, another horrid shooting performance that we saw periodically during an otherwise promising season should further remind us that Hubert Davis is in his first year and has pieced together a winning, if inconsistent, 24-victory team that could still make some noise in the NCAA tournament.

UNC’s five starters (Brady Manek, RJ Davis, Leaky Black, Caleb Love, and Armando Bacot) sit court-side during the men’s basketball game against Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament Semifinals in Brooklyn on March 11, 2022. (Photo via Todd Melet.)

Also, why lessen how great we felt last Saturday night after the Tar Heels pulled off an upset win at Duke to secure their NCAA bid that is being debated by alumni and fans as the greatest victory in Blue Blood rivalry history and maybe UNC’s of all time?

Any amount a second loss of the season to the Blue Devils would have diminished that feat would have been too much. North Carolina stole the national headlines by stunning the Dukies in what was supposed to be the coronation of Coach K. Clearly, it is a night that will never be forgotten by either side.

I figured Duke’s latest one-and-doners would get to the ACC title game and likely win the tournament but, please, not over Carolina. And the odds of beating an angry, embarrassed, deeper and very talented opponent for the second time in seven days were slim.

In newspapers and on websites across the country, the story was not only Duke’s defeat but that the festivities surrounding Krzyzewski’s last game in Cameron Indoor were from over the top to completely devoid of humility and grace. From USA Today on down, it was THE story of the weekend!

“Now that it’s out of the way, can we agree to never again do something as silly?” USA Today columnist Dan Wolken wrote.

“Not because the great Mike Krzyzewski didn’t deserve pomp and circumstance in his farewell to the arena he made into college basketball’s premier venue. Not because of the insane, five-figure ticket prices that were paid to get into the building to mix with former Duke players and celebrities. And not because it was decidedly awkward to watch Krzyzewski and his Duke players re-emerge from the locker room after the 94-81 loss to North Carolina so that he could give a speech he was in no mood to give.

“… it felt oddly out of place to watch not just a game, but an entire television event built around the mythology of one 75-year-old man. It was the last gap of a system that is antiquated, unnecessary and obsessed with turning coaches into God-like figures.”

Frankly, it was striking how media outlets on every side of impartiality panned the proceedings, plus those among the millions who tuned in for the most-watched college basketball game in three years thanks mostly to the pre- and post- overkill from the ESPN family of networks.

Many wondered about parading a hundred former players wearing white pullovers with a big “K’ logo on the chest that was right out of the Stepford Wives. Most coaches who have achieved such everlasting success would have invited his players to “come as you are” and showered THEM with praise and responsibility for Duke’s dynasty and stopped short of allowing the regal regard.

All the upsets in various conference tournaments shine a light on how important they actually are for most teams. Sure, winning a championship and cutting down the nets is a cherished moment, but those with the most to gain seem to play the best. Auburn lost to No. 8 seeded Texas A&M in the SEC; Baylor fell to unranked Oklahoma on the Big 12. Both the Tigers and Bears maintained their top-seeded status in the Dance going into Sunday’s selection show.

The Tar Heels’ third ACC seed accentuated their lack of depth. Their defensive effort against Virginia Thursday night was exemplary but having to chase around Virginia Tech’s inside-outside attack 24 hours later left them gassed. Playing three straight nights for this team won’t cut it. At least in the NCAA tournament, there is a full day between games in each round.

The Hokies were as hot as the Heels coming in and deserve an NCAA invite with their late-season surge of 12-2 heading into to championship game against Duke. Had UNC beaten Virginia Tech, the basic five-man lineup and short bench rotation might have been blown out considering how much Duke was looking for revenge.

After seeing how poorly Heels played out of the gate in the first half, how many of us began thinking this might be a “good loss” when the Hokies opened the second with an 11-0 run that stretched their lead out to 17 points?

This clearly isn’t the Virginia Tech team Carolina had beaten twice in the regular season. Mike Young’s club has become what was expected, excellent outside shooters with small-but-mobile “big men” who are tough to cover all over the floor. And it is a team that prides itself on playing harder than the opponent.

Before the game, and after their narrow escape against Miami, noted (kidding) Blue Devils spokesman Paolo Banchero came out with the scoop of the weekend. He said they were all rooting for Carolina because Duke wanted to get even with the Tar Heels after what occurred on King Coach K’s court. Duh!

Already an NIL millionaire who has barely unpacked his bags in Durham before heading for the NBA, what does the Seattle product truly know about this rivalry? An immense talent who will be in the top three NBA draft picks this summer, Banchero has played two games against the Tar Heels and declared himself the team avenger!

Never got the chance. His last memory of playing the Tar Heels – as will his head coach’s – is a loss that couldn’t happen but did.

 

Photo via Todd Melet.

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