Do not confuse that with a Hollywood movie script, that was actually the prelude to the Duke-North Carolina game from this past Saturday.  A game that was anticipated for weeks, yet quickly became overshadowed by the murder of North Carolina's Student Body President, Eve Carson, less than 3 days before the matchup.

Eve Carson was so loved of a figure on campus that all University activities were cancelled the Thursday before the Duke game for a campus to mourn.  Over 5,000 people attended a candlelight vigil at The Pit, a popular campus meeting place, I should know, I was there.  An overhead shot showed the mass of fire from thousands of candles, a light and warmth that a grieving campus would need for strength and understanding.

Roy Williams knew the magnitude of that Thursday night.  He also knew that some things were more important than basketball.  In looking at his players, he saw the emotion in their faces.  So in a move that many would consider rash, especially since the Duke game was less than 48 hours away, he cancelled practice and encouraged his players to attend the candlelight vigil.

Flash forward to Saturday night, only a few minutes before tipoff, a curious thing occurred.  Instead of the usually raucous crowd at Cameron Indoor Stadium there was complete silence.  The respective teams stood as motionless gladiators of the hardwood, facing each other at their foul lines.  For the next 60 seconds each player brought in their inner poise and focus, meditating on the battle ahead and a life cut short.  This moment was for Eve Carson.  The moment was fleeting but the sense of solidarity between these teams was timeless, transcending their bitter rivalry.  On a night that meant so much, this gesture meant the most.

The tipoff was almost anticlimactic considering all that had occurred up that point.  North Carolina came out of the gates with a newfound purpose and intensity, setting the tempo for the game.  North Carolina looked to blow Duke out of their own building, and they nearly did, in an attempt to exact a measure of revenge for Duke’s defeat of them back in Chapel Hill in February.  Duke looked completely stunned and flat, doing just enough to keep the score decently close, to a 42-31 margin at halftime.

After halftime Duke looked like a completely different team, finally energized like they should be for their Senior Night.  Their spread perimeter offense was clicking, and they were getting defensive stops, frustrating all-everything Tyler Hansbrough into arguably his worst game of the season with double and triple teams on every possession.  Finally, with 5 and a half minutes left in the game, Jon Scheyer rose above all for a timely putback to give Duke a 68-66 lead.  Finally, the Cameron Crazies could rise to the occasion, and do what they have so infamously done over the years, give Duke that 6^th man advantage that is the signature of Cameron Indoor Stadium, making it the hardest place to play in the nation.  Duke had the crowd and the momentum behind it, or so it seemed.

Moments later, time stood still as Wayne Ellington fluidly drove the left side of the lane for a layup to tie the score at 68.  From that point on, North Carolina seemed to be floating on air from a divine intervention of sorts, playing their best 5 minutes of basketball during the season.  Something extra just came from that team, something deep down inside that the players never knew they had. Yet, they brought it out for the climactic moments proving to the nation how dangerous this team can truly be, and why they are the best in the nation.

Duke was held scoreless in that last 5 and a half minute push, as North Carolina out rebounded, out blocked, and out maneuvered them the rest of the way, scoring the final 10 points.  All told, Duke was held to a season low for shooting, at 32.9%.  North Carolina’s unlikely most valuable player was Danny Green, who totaled 18 points, 8 rebounds, and an outstanding 7 blocks, all in a hectic 25 minutes of playing time.

North Carolina won in Cameron Indoor Stadium for the 3^rd year in a row, split the season series at one game apiece, and won the ACC Regular Season Title, all in one fell swoop.  When it is all said in done, the players or final score may not be remembered, but the visage of both sides bowed in a moment of silence will forever be etched in the memories of fans of both of these teams.  It was the night where differences were set aside to share a common outpouring of love and remembrance.  It was a night that meant more than basketball.

Technorati Tags: Tar Heels, North Carolina, Duke, ACC, Title, vigil, senior night, The Pit, Eve Carson, UNC, Tyler Hansbrough, Wayne Ellington, Danny Green, Eve Carson
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