UNC had one of its top-10 buzzer beating games in a victory over Duke this past week, and I was so, so lucky to attend for my first UNC vs Duke game, and check off one of my life goals.
The game was thrilling. Duke lead the entire way with their top NBA draft pic, Cameron Boozer, up front. UNC had both Caleb Wilson and their tall man Henri Veesar beneath the rim. This was the 88th matchup where both teams were ranked. If you arent from the area, its just an incredible rivalry steeped in tradition here in North Carolina. They play twice a year, meaning I have watched around 50+ games between these two.
The day was spent listening to podcasts to help get HYPED for the game. Jay Bilas said in one pod, each team brings the best version of themselves to this game, and neither team would be as good as they are without the other team making them better. This year, for this matchup, Duke is looking like a top 4 team, and UNC is looking like a top 10 team, so the favor is slightly in Duke’s corner, but anything can happen.
I was invited to go with my lifelong friend, Charlie Hiser, and his parents, who are longtime UNC Ram’s club donors. You may be thinking, “But Luke, you just went a few weeks ago”, and you are right. But this was different- going as a Ram’s Club member is a different experience than going as a normal plebian. Here is one big difference: The parking.
Going as a normal fan meant using the general parking deck, a 0.8 mile walk, and 150 foot elevation difference. At this point in life, that walk is largely with a child on your shoulders, indicated by the line in red above.
As a guest of the Ram’s club, the parking was right next to the stadium, a largely flat walk, and complementary golf cart shuttles to get you inside quickly.
There was a quick burger and a beer, and as a very fortunate guest, we got to enter the stadium through the tunnel that the Duke team uses, passing by their locker room, and enter the stadium via the floor of the Roy Williams Court.
Regina showed me around the floor for a minute before getting to our seats. We almost wondered onto the set of College Gameday, but a kind but forceful lady named “Janice” yelled at us for our folly. We got to see Jay Bilas and some warmups up close before the game, which was really cool:
At halftime, there was a big moment to highlight how special “TV Magic” is when watching from home. On ESPN, the halftime show is great. In Real Life, this is what the announcers are up against:
UNC lost by a large margin the first half of the game. After halftime, UNC bigman Henri Veesar got some of his momentum back with a few rebounds, and UNC was off to the races. They chipped away at the lead. At 8 minutes left in the game, they were behind 8 minutes. “I Have seen bigger comebacks, but this might not go our way” I was bracing myself.
At 4 minutes left, they were around 4 points behind. And if you have seen the final minutes, the game was tied, Duke went in the paint for a shot, missed, and UNC got the ball with 11 seconds left and called timeout. They ran the ball to the corner, and Seth Trimble nailed a 3 with 0.4 seconds left to join a very small club of buzzer-beating ‘Heels over the Duke Blue Devils:
Remember how there were 0.4 seconds left? The refs did too- the clock stops when the ball passes the bottom of the net after a shot. Neither the players, coaches, and especially the student section understood there was time left on the clock, and chaos ensued:
If the court is not cleared and the players allowed to finish the game, the victory could be vacated. What you didn’t see on TV was this:
Against all odds, the court was cleared, and the final play by Duke was a long pass that wasn’t caught, passing the last 0.4 seconds, and opening the floodgates for a second rushing of the court
Of all the chances to see a DUKE vs UNC game, this was a pretty good one. Thanks SO MUCH Regina and Charlie for thinking of me.
The Daddy Daughter Dance
ALSO this weekend, and not to be forgotten, was the Daddy Daughter dance at Westover Church (not our home church, but an awesome church in the area). This is our 3rd year going, Mercy’s first year, and a tradition I really enjoy. Here is a shot of us 3 years ago, and again this year. Bear in mind in 2023 there was not ice on the ground, so the pictures were outside.
The dance was EPIC as always. The event capped at 800 invitations, and sold out again this year. Our pre-dance dinner at the restaurant our dates got to choose was Moe’s, and the chips with queso really prepped us for a night of dancing.
There are lots of ways to do this kind of event wrong, but Westover Church does an awesome job. It is a hit with the dads from around the neighborhood I see throughout the year and for good reason. The songs are great, the food makes the kids feel special, and Rosie loves seeing all of her friends there.
We danced HARD- for 2+ hours, and I don’t regret it. Mercy had a blast, and we made it pretty late, but not til closing time on the very-packed dance floor.
Loved it.
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