Quite a game!

While Katie was here, the Tarheels took on Baylor University in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The game started ten minutes after noon, and Katie was working on her Pysanky, and since I was sitting nearby and listening on the radio (on my cell phone, using an app called Tune-In). ) she listened in. She soon got really drawn in - as did Ellen. UNC was a #8 seed in the East region. Baylor was the #1 seed and were last year's national champions - all the odds were in fsvor of their winning the game. But UNC took charge and by the half, were 13 points ahead. Ten minutes into the 2nd half, they had stretched that to a 25-point lead! Incredible! Literally - it was very hard to believe what we were hearing! But with only ten minutes left in the game, a Tarheels victory seemed assured. But then the seemingly impossible happened. The Tarheels' best player that day, Brady Manek, who had shot repeated 3-point baskets, and made about 26 points singlehandedly, made a "Flagrant 2" foul against a Baylor player (his elbow hit the other player's cheek - we don't know if is was intentional or not - and he was ejected from the game. Suddenly, they had lost their best player. A minute later, another key player, Caleb Love, fouled out with 5 fouls. Two players had to come off the bench. Baylor stepped up their pressure and began to whittle down the Tarheel lead until, with seconds left in the game, it was Tarheels 80 - Baylor 77. Baylor made a two-point basket, and got a free throw which made it 80-80, and the game ended. Overtime! Oh NO! Baylor had all the momentum. The arena was packed with their fans - they were playing in Fort Worth, Texas, just an hour from their home campus. They had all their starting players on the court. UNC was down two top players, they were exhausted and demoralized. But at the begiining of overtime, one of those Tarheel players off the bench made a 3-point basket - his second one of the entire season. They went on to dominate; Baylor made only one shot out of 10 attempts. UNC won 93 - 86! Incredible! Baylor had made a 25-point comeback (one of the largest in NCAA history) and could not convert that into a victory. This was a game for the ages! The sort of game that gets talked about for years - even decades. UNC will go into the "Sweet Sixteen" and will play UCLA next Thursday. We'll be listening, maybe even watching.