"One Shining Moment!"

No feints, sleight of hand, or ingratiatingly smarmy intro. Let’s keep this short and sweet. Most people who read this page know me, and anyone who knows me would confidently bet the bank that I would double back to close the loop on the fanfare that is the NCAA Tournament, AKA March Madness. Two weeks ago I inquired, “Are You Mad Yet?” Two nights ago, the Tourney concluded with the result most prognosticators projected before the season began, with pre-season favorite, the University of North Carolina winning.

So what happened in between? Well, as you may recall, there were sixty-five teams slated to play sixty-four games. Morehead State University defeated Alabama State University to advance as the sixty-fourth seed. For starters, after the play-in game set the field of sixty-four, President Obama, in a display of all-around profundity, placed his prescience on full display by introducing Baracketology to the world, March 18th, the day before the Tourney kicked off. The President completed his bracket during a live TV feed with ESPN Analyst, Andy Katz.

Like so many of the experts, the President picked North Carolina to win the Tournament. And like so many of the experts, he struggled during the middle rounds of the event. But the Baracketologist-in-Chief rallied in the end. While he picked only one of the four finalists correctly, it just so happened he picked the one that mattered, the winner, North Carolina. As was widely reported yesterday, President Obama finished in the top 20% of ESPN’s five million plus brackets. He also place in the top 15% of New York Times’ brackets.

Two weeks ago I opined it would be unlikely to see all four top seeds advance. Sure enough, only half made it to Detroit, Connecticut, and North Carolina; Louisville, and Pittsburgh falling along the way. Last Saturday, Michigan State eliminated UCONN, while UNC beat Villanova. That set the stage for a much ballyhooed rematch between home-standing Michigan State and North Carolina, Pre-Season #1.

Talking heads of all stripes played up the cosmic convergence represented by the Spartans’ finding their mojo, just in time to play in a sold out Ford Field, where up to 55-60,000 of the 72,922 patrons would be fans of the home team. They would be taking on North Carolina, a talented group of interlopers, reputed to be suspect on defense.

Never mind that back on December 3rd, the Tar Heels read the Spartans the Riot Act, winning in the same building, 98-63 (yes, by 35 points). MSU, it was noted played without a key player, and had two other players at less than full strength. Moreover, Michigan State, one of the four #2 seeds, had already beaten two #1 seeds, Louisville, the top seed in the entire Tournament, and UCONN, which boasted the top post defender in college basketball, Hasheem Thabeet, and a team that had never lost when advancing to the Final Four.

So what happened? What happened was the Tar Heels pushed back the pressure, and lived up to the hype. In fact, they may have exceeded expectations, given the circumstances. The Heels throttled the Spartans from the opening minutes, never allowing the crowd to become a factor. They led 55-34 at half time; a record number of points scored, and a record margin. After 17-7, the Spartans never reduced the margin to single digits, trailed by as many as twenty-three, and lost by seventeen, 89-72. It could have been more. At some point, the Tar Heels started playing against the clock, not the Spartans.

By prevailing, UNC won its 5th NCAA Championship, tying Indiana University for third on the all-time list, and trailing Kentucky (7), and UCLA (11). Carolina, of course, had its own feel good story. While MSU was repping the economically downtrodden State of Michigan, hoping to inject an infusion of hope, good cheer, though a display of basketball excellence, Carolina returned four players who thought for a time about leaving school early for the allure and riches of the NBA, following last season. Once all four returned to school, with a futile visit to the Final Four last as potent motivation, the team coalesced around the goal of winning it all this year.

After starting 0-2 in conference play, and experiencing sporadic injuries throughout the year, there were many questions about their viability to win a Championship. In the end, they answered all the questions in a resolute and resounding manner. Through the six Tournament games required to win the Title, they won each by double digits, with a twelve point win against #2 seed Oklahoma their closest game. Coaches and players came together to weave a consolidated virtuoso performance in the Tourney; assuring themselves, but also the Tar Heel Nation of, “One Shining Moment!”

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/. A new post is published each Wednesday.

For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keMBascrkm0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjZ0uaNMkwk&NR=1

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/sports/08bracket.html?_r=1

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=3992869

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gN7otVeVvIBX7l-birvDHZQjN2MQ

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4048556&categoryid=2459792

http://www.detnews.com/article/20090407/OPINION03/904070386/1004/sports

http://www.detnews.com/article/20090407/SPORTS0202/904070338/1004/Dominant+first+half+powers+Tar+Heels

http://www.freep.com/article/20090407/SPORTS07/90407089/1048/sports/Tar+Heels+whoop+it+up+back+in+Chapel+Hill

http://www.dailytarheel.com/sports/m-basketball-tar-heels-dominate-msu-to-win-2nd-title-in-five-years-1.1646286

http://www.dailytarheel.com/multimedia/slideshows/slideshow-franklin-street-mayhem-1.1646160

http://www.greenandwhite.com/article/20090407/MARCHMANIA/904070333/1026/GW0201

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/2009-04-06-michiganstate-northcarolina_N.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/sports/ncaabasketball/08rhoden.html?_r=1&ref=sports

http://www.nypost.com/seven/04072009/sports/college/heel_raising_win_163290.htm

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/2009/04/06/2009-04-06_unc_tar_heels_rout_michigan_state_to_win-2.html

http://www.greenandwhite.com/article/20090407/MARCHMANIA/904070333/1026/GW0201

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/07/carolina-in-cruise-control/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/07/AR2009040700013.html

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-ncaa-championship7-2009apr07,0,2577928.story

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/college_hoops/story/649938.html

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/kevin_siers/