March 16, 2008
CHARLOTTE - There's nothing blasé about a second straight ACC championship for North Carolina's Quentin Thomas.
The Tar Heel senior, who advanced from an unsure player to a valuable team member during his career, didn't try to suppress his smile Sunday after Carolina beat Clemson 86-81 in the championship game in Charlotte Bobcats Arena.
"Coming in, my freshman year, everything was just overwhelming for me," Thomas said. "I was like a kid in a candy store, but all the candy wasn't looking good to me at the time because I was scared of everything.
"I've matured over the years and I've been blessed to be a part of great teams throughout my four years and it's a good feeling to win this."
On the other end of the emotional spectrum, Clemson's Sam Perry expressed frustration over the Tigers' third close loss to the Tar Heels this season.
"Maybe the stars were not aligned, I don't know," he said. "My whole spirit was just down and I was heartbroken because it hurts to keep losing to somebody.
"And to lose to somebody three times in one season, it hurts because you normally don't get this many chances. To get another crack at them in the tournament on this stage and to be right there again, it's like the same old story."
Such is the roller coaster ride of a championship game. Here are some snippets of the way things went Sunday afternoon.
- "Tiger Rag" and "I'm a Tar Heel Born" ring through the arena as the pep bands play at the same time, looking to rally their supporters. That comes to a halt momentarily and the fans rise as one with an ovation after a stirring rendition of the National Anthem.
If the teams are tired in their third game in three days, they don't show it early. In a span of 28 seconds, UNC's Tyler Hansbrough makes a steal and converts a lay-up, Clemson's K.C. Rivers answers with a lay-up and the Tar Heels' Wayne Ellington follows with yet another lay-up. By the time of the first timeout, at the 14:59 mark, UNC leads 10-8 and fans are already getting hoarse.
- Next comes a barrage of 3-pointers. Carolina's Wayne Ellington opens the surge with his textbook form jumper. Clemson's Terence Oglesby quiets the UNC crowd by matching it. The Tar Heels miss a three, then Oglesby hits from deep again. Danny Green's 3-pointer then ties the game at 16. Four 3-pointers in 1:12 leave everyone limp.
- The coaches have different sideline styles when they're not sitting, which is most of the time. Carolina's Roy Williams squats, usually on his haunches but sometimes on one knee. From either position, he can wave his arm to motion his team to push the ball up the court, the tempo he prefers.
Clemson's Oliver Purnell stands, hands on hips, then shouts instructions through cupped hands. During dead balls, point guard Cliff Hammonds looks to Purnell for offensive and defensive instructions. They're in such tune that the message gets through with gestures that most people don't even see.
- At the 4:36 mark, Hansbrough goes after a loose ball next to the Tar Heels bench and almost wipes out Williams and assistant coach Joe Holladay before his fall is cushioned. Williams gathers himself with a big smile and Holladay laughs. The UNC crowd gives Hansbrough an ovation.
- UNC opens a 72-59 lead in the second half and Clemson's players look grim. Or maybe it's determination on their faces. Calling on some of the magic they used in a 20-point comeback against Maryland, they slice the lead to 72-67 and it's a game again, much to the delight of the Tiger faithful.
- The tension begins to show. Williams clasps his hands behind his head, then on top of his head. Purnell barks sharply at a player who commits a foul in the open court. Even the officials aren't immune. Jamie Luckie chews gum furiously during a timeout before handing the ball to Hansbrough for a free throw.
- As the game winds down, the crowd seems to hold its collective breath. When UNC's Ty Lawson hits two free throws with 25 seconds left to push the lead to 84-77, the reaction from the fans is almost an outpouring of relief. When Thomas fouls out with 2.2 seconds left, the Tar Heel crowd calls "Quuuuuuuuu" as he heads to the bench. Moments later, the horn sounds and it's over.
Today there is no celebratory dance as Hansbrough did after hitting the shot to beat Virginia Tech in the semifinals. There is no exuberant ripping off of a jersey as Clemson's Perry did after the Tigers knocked off Duke in the other semifinal. The exhausted teams quickly queue up in the handshake line. Clemson heads off to its locker room while the Tar Heels stay to collect their hardware and strands of net.
In the aftermath, the Tar Heels are more subdued than they were after the 2007 championship. Their focus is more long-range, on the NCAA Tournament.
"This was one of our goals before the season," Hansbrough said, "but obviously we want to accomplish other things. We're not going to sit back and dwell on this too long."
Green said his team is nowhere near satisfied.
"This is a great accomplishment but we want more," he said. "If you're satisfied, that's a sign that your forward movement is going to stop. We want to keep moving forward. We want more rings, we want more wins, we want more championships."
The Tigers, who played in their first ACC championship game in 46 years, tried to ease their pain with the knowledge that they, too, have more games to play.
"We came in here to win the game and we didn't get the job done," said senior guard Cliff Hammonds. "We're very disappointed we didn't come through with one of our major goals, but we know we have another opportunity to win another championship. We're not going to hold our heads down because we have another shot at playing."
Trevor Booker said disappointment ran through him when the horn sounded. But he echoed Hammonds' theme.
"We've got to go back to work," he said. "We've still got more games to come, so that made me feel a little better."
So ended the ACC version of "The Agony and the Ecstasy."
