When I’m giving a tour, someone in the group always asks, “do you have to be a basketball fan to come to Carolina?”
And to that I always say, “no, but being here will absolutely make you a basketball fan.”
As a student, when you cheer on your team, you’re really rooting for your school. I knew nothing about basketball before coming to UNC, despite one of my best friends playing for most of her life. I still don’t know that much, but I know that I love Carolina blue, and when those boys play, they’re playing for a place that I love.
So, let’s dive right in to the seven best things about basketball season.
7. Wearing Carolina blue and having an immediate connection with strangers
We are incredibly fortunate to have an awesome alumni network at UNC. It doesn’t matter where you are. If you’re wearing Carolina blue, and watching a game, you’ll make at least one friend. Maybe they went to school at UNC. Or maybe they didn’t, but their mom or brother did. Either way, they get it. They fully accept your screams and “Luuuuuuke” chants while everyone else in the restaurant gives you a weird look.
- “Jump Around” becomes the hype anthem
Anyone who knows Carolina basketball knows that every game starts with “Jump Around.” It’s a blast from the past. When I tell people this is THE hype song for Carolina basketball, they’re skeptical. But it’s ours. I’m sure House of Pain didn’t think that in the year 2019 there would be an entire collegiate community still blasting their song at least once a week, and then sporadically for the rest of their lives to relive the memories.
- Roy Williams
Enough said.
- Seeing the impossible, become possible
If you’ve followed Carolina Basketball, you know sometimes it can all come down to a single shot. You watch an entire game where the Heels hold the lead, then suddenly in the last 5 minutes they’re down by 10. When that happens, extraordinary things seem to follow. Never forget when UNC played Kentucky in the Final Four. With less than a second left, we were given one of the most extraordinary moments in Carolina Basketball.
- Knowing the feeling of winning a National Championship
Basketball season is great for a lot of reasons. Maybe one of the best is getting to reminisce about where you were the night we won the 2017 National Championship. How you tore out of whatever restaurant or house you were watching the game at, and sprinted towards Franklin. The hundreds of pictures and videos you took that night. And the tears shed getting to see that win after experiencing that heartbreaking loss the year before.
- The Duke v. UNC rivalry
It truly is one of the best in college basketball. Having cousins who are die hard Duke fans makes this time even more tumultuous. There’s a lot riding on these games. And by a lot, I mean bragging rights. If you didn’t win the last matchup, your trash talk is automatically dismissed. Despite how nerve wracking these games always seem to be, the win is so, so sweet. One of the most exhilarating feelings in the world is your lungs burning as you rush Franklin Street to celebrate the win.
- Having memories that will last a lifetime
Basketball season is definitely better when you have someone to share it with. That’s the beauty of college basketball. You and your friends get to spend endless hours watching games in the library, out at restaurants, or screaming from the comfort of your own home. It’s a built in activity that everyone agrees on, and everyone will make time for. You forge an unbreakable bond of friendship over screaming, crying, and cheering for the Heels.
As always, it’s a good day to be a Tar Heel.
Madison Forsey 