A Record Year

Now that it has been about a week since the March Madness National Championship game, it feels time to post a blog about how eventful, impactful, and memorable Carolina Basketball has made my senior year.

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With the season starting with some unprecedented losses, many assumed this would be a “building year” for Carolina basketball. With doubt on every corner, the Iron 5 that consisted of RJ Davis, Brady Manek, Caleb Love, Armando Bacot, and Leaky Black played for each other, their team, the Tar Heel fans, and most importantly, for all those who said they couldn’t. No one chose Carolina to make it as far as they did, but their drive, dedication, teamwork, and just the right amount of luck allowed the North Carolina Tar Heels to make it to the NCAA Championship game.

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Through this run, the Iron 5 was able to take down the No.1 seed and reigning champions, Baylor, to achieve milestones and records as individual players. Armando Bacot ended the season with 31 double-doubles, which tied Navy’s David Robinson for the all-time NCAA single-season record as well as finished with 511 rebounds, the fourth most in ACC history and the most since 1956. Brady Manek played a vital role in getting to the Final Four. He received the Riley Wallace Award, which is presented annually to the top transfer in Division 1 college basketball, hit 2000 career points during the season, and helped lead the team and Carolina Basketball to a total of 130 NCAA tournament wins and nine consecutive decades in the Final Four.

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The icing on the cake for Tar Heel fans was when this team took the UNC-Duke rivalry by storm in the Final Four for the first time, beating them, and ending both their run in the NCAA tournament and Coach K’s career. Coach K’s Farewell Tour ending with two losses to Carolina, especially in their first matchup in tournament history, couldn’t have been a better way for the Tar Heels to say a proper goodbye. This great run, all led by first-year coach Hubert Davis, made Carolina worth talking about, and in the words of starter Armanda Bacot, “this won’t be the last y’all will see this program here.”

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While UNC did not win the National Championship, they made it further than anyone could have dreamed and fought through doubt, insecurities, injuries, and pressures till the very end. And for that…thank you Carolina Basketball. Thank you for reigniting the fire of Tar Heel pride on campus, through the streets of Chapel Hill, and across the country. Thank you for giving us a core memory of our four years at Carolina and to feel the exhilaration as we run to Franklin Street, not once but twice this season. The Iron 5 has made history and will be a story to tell for years to come.

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So here’s to being a Tar Heel…born, bred, dead!

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Advice of the day: Show PRIDE in the things you love, the things you do, and what make you…you!

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Thanks for reading 🙂