Long Time Coming

Fans who wore red on Saturday had a full day to yell for the Wolfpack as ESPN Game Day was in town and a couple of thousand fans waited most of the night as if Walmart had 50 inch TV's on sale for 99 Dollars.  They were line up at day light to be one of the first to get a seat behind the podium where the ESPN reporters would start talking at 10am.

Some with out  shirts in the 25 degree weather while others with clever signs bemoaning  how terrible it must be to root for Carolina or for that matter even attend the University down the road.  One sign read  that Carolina's courses were so easy even a Caveman could pass at Carolina.   Even one brought in a sign saying that the Notre Dame football star Manti Te'o  girl friend was like attending classes in Chapel Hill, fake.

It is all part of the  rivalry of Tobacco Road Basketball.  What right did State fans have talking about their neighbors and they hadn't even beaten the Tar Heel in six years?  This was just the Carolina game.  Two weeks ago State fans were just as fired up with Duke in the house.  They haven't beaten them much lately either.

What makes a rivalry is the desire to win just one, the next one.  It doesn't matter that Roy has beaten State 19 out of the last 20 times.  Let's win the next one and all of that is forgotten.  The other end of the spectrum is the team that wins all the time.  They forget what it is like to lose to a rival.  You can bet when State heads to both Duke and Carolina later in the season both will be ready to start new streaks because the most important game is the next game.

What we all forget sometimes is the next game for Carolina is Boston College and for State Virginia.  N C State is on the verge of being a quality basketball program this year but the next game after beating Carolina or Duke they are like 1-14 in the next game. It's time to step up.  Carolina is now 13-7 and if they don't watch it just might not make the NCAA Tournament this year. Duke had a nice win over Maryland Saturday but you can just see that they are not a powerhouse with out Kelly.

I hope you didn't go to the fridge or bathroom during one of the early commercials during the telecast.  Roy Williams and Mark Gottfried did a commercial acting like runners getting ready for a road race.  Both were stretching and getting ready but when the race started neither lasted more than 100 yards before they dropped out  complaining of injury.  It was hilarious.  I was so wrapped up in watching the two of them that I don't even remember what the commercial was advertising.

Even in heated rivalries there is a common thread between us all.   We love each other except on game day  Today I love my Carolina friends but I sure do feel a lot better inside than normal.