Ok I have to say that my life has been all college basketball for the past few days but I'm sure you figured that out from my last post. Well I’ve said it before but inspiration can be found in all kinds of unusual places and today I found some that I didn’t expect.
Today I’ve watched two games. At 1pm, I watched the UNC Tarheels defeat the Clemson Tigers in an overtime victory. It was Carolina’s second come from behind win in two days. As a diehard Tarheel fan, I was glued to the TV praying with the rest of the UNC faithful, just hoping that they could pull of a win. This team has definitely figured out a way to test my nerves over the past few days and I’m sure they will be do the same when they play for the AAC title tomorrow. A year ago you never would have thought that a chance for Carolina to win the conference would have been possible.
I started this blog by asking the question, can 365 days change your life. Well for the UNC Tarheels it most definitely can. In 2009, Roy Williams and the Heels stood above the rest as the undisputed #1 team in all of college basketball when they won the NCAA tournament. In 2010, when the brackets were released, the Tarheels found themselves absent from the field of 64. In 2011, a victory tomorrow could give Carolina a chance at one of the four number #1 seeds available in tourney.
As I sit here watching my second game of the day, I see another team rise from a year they would rather forget, to be on the brink of the year they will always remember. Penn State is playing Michigan State for a chance to play tomorrow for the Big Ten title. Two years ago, the Nittany Lions were on the tournament bubble and found themselves on the outside looking in but they weren’t going down yet. A victory in the NIT tournament, gave them the vindication that they needed that year and everyone expected them to be selected for a March Madness spot the next year. Last year, after a less than stellar season, Penn State wasn’t even a consideration for the NCAA Tournament. This year, PSU is once again sitting on the bubble and hoping that win today will get them into the big dance.
Can a year make a difference? Maybe hard work or finding the right pieces of the puzzle to succeed are all you need, but never underestimate determination and heart. Carolina will be dancing but where will they rank among the rest of the field while Penn State will sweat it out for the chance to get an invite for the first time in ten years. In the case of both of these teams, a year can make a difference but it will be tomorrow, Selection Sunday that will really solidify that fact.
"Champions keep playing until they get it right." - Billie Jean King
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