The Replay: What a week to be a Tar Heel in the Triangle; Canes rebound, Cunane invited
What a week to be a Tar Heel.
After a season during which people questioned everything from the team’s toughness to Hubert Davis’ fit as a head coach, a season during which there was doubt of an NCAA tournament appearance, for UNC basketball to fall just shy of a national championship is nothing short of impressive.
The only thing missing, of course, was a win in that final game. Alas, exceeding expectations of everyone (except maybe themselves) will have to do. Here’s what happened:
The Heels squandered a 16-point lead and found themselves on the wrong end of the largest comeback in NCAA championship game history, losing to the Jayhawks, 72-69.
After the game, though, dispute some long faces, the overarching feeling emanating from the UNC locker room was pride.
“I said before that I can’t remember a time in my life where, I should be disappointed, but I’m just filled with so much pride,” coach Hubert Davis said afterward.
UNC built a 15-point halftime lead, a deficit from which no team in NCAA tournament final history had come back.
Until Monday.
It was a deflating end to an improbable run to the title game for the Tar Heels. Davis was only the third coach in NCAA history to reach the title game in his first season. He was attempting to become the first to win it all in his first full season.
UNC just couldn’t muster enough offense in the second half.
That didn’t stop the masses from turning out for the team’s return home Tuesday. Greeted by a heroes’ welcome, the Heels held their heads high upon stepping foot back on campus in Chapel Hill.
Cunane invited
N.C. State Wolfpack women’s basketball star Elissa Cunane was one of 12 prospects invited to attend the 2022 WNBA Draft on Monday, April 11, in New York this week.
The event will be televised nationally on ESPN beginning at 7 p.m.
A native of Summerfield, Cunane wrapped up one of the most decorated four-year careers in N.C. State women’s basketball history. A nine-time All-American, four-time ACC champion and two-time ACC Tournament MVP, she was most recently named a consensus All-American by the AP, USBWA and WBCA following the 2021-22 season.
On her career, Cunane averaged 14.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 54.0 percent shooting.
Hurricanes rebound
This is not the time of year NHL hockey teams want to find themselves with any sort of inconsistency creeping into their game, which is why the past few weeks have been troubling for some Canes fans. The team is playing at about .500 over the past 20 games, and had lost two in a row prior to Thursday night.
But, a strong third period helped the Canes snap their slump. Sebastian Aho and Jordan Staal scored twice each as the home team rallied from a goal down in the third to pull out a 5-3 win at PNC Arena.
Baseball’s back, baby
The Durham Bulls returned to live action this past week and look to be picking up where they left off last season. The best team at the AAA level a year ago, the Bulls lost Game 1 of the 2022 campaign, but rebounded nicely after that to start the season on a positive note.
The offense is rolling so far. Nine players have at least one hit in the first week of the season, and five players collected four or more hits over the teams’ first three games.
First-baseman Jim Haley is among those raking early. He was 4-for-8 with two home runs, four RBI and three runs scored in the first three.
