After the tour was over, we began to look for UNC shirts to buy. They were still around $30, more than I wanted to spend for a shirt when I knew they would be on sale the next day. We took the long walk to the Alamo Dome through the hoards of Royal blue. Perhaps the teams could have changed it up? It was hard to tell Memphis from Kansas both during and before the game. Once inside, we made our way back to the tiny corner in section 306. To my expectations, the once Carolina blue sections of the lower level were filled with Kansas blue. It would have been nice for them to give us a chance to buy their tickets for face value before leaving town, but oh well. The pregame was loud, intense, and unlike anything I have ever seen. In our front was a Kansas couple giddy with excitement. Beside them, a father-son Memphis pair. Behind us were two old Kansas men. And behind them was a very, very annoying Kansas girl with a shrilly voice. You could have shot me dead when she screamed.

To spark a little excitement in our section, the UNC students decided to root for Memphis. The Kansas couple had little to say, the Memphis family gave us high fives, the old guy mumbled curses under his breath, and the girl let it get to her and got worked up emotionally. The UNC guys had fun giving her a hard time during the game. It was hard to get into the game during the first half. I was so apathetic towards the outcome that I was just sitting in anticipation of the last two minutes. During halftime they honored Patrick Ewing, Dicky V, and several other basketball starts into the College Basketball Hall of Fame. Finally, the second half started. The Tigers began to pull away, and by the 10 minute mark it looked as if they had it in their pockets. Kansas would have spurts, making use of their notorious alley-oop backdoor screen, but the Tigers always found a way to put out the fire before they got hot. By the 4 minute mark, there was no doubt that Memphis had it in the bag. With a 10 point lead, Kansas began to foul.

Throughout the season, Memphis has been clawed about their poor freethrow shooting, being that it is barely above 50 percent. They have shown in all the previous games that they could hit these shots, but we began to see something familiar in the stands. All the Memphis fans brushed off the first miss. The second, they began to get worried. The third, we knew what was going to happen. Memphis missed 5 free throws consecutively, giving Kansas hope by trailing on three points. Then, with seconds winding down, Chambers pump fakes, fades to his left, and drains a 3 pointer with 2 seconds left on the clock. The Kansas fans went nuts. It was deafening, and impressive at the same time. The only time I have heard something rival this noise was after the Marvin Williams put back against Duke in 2005 at the Dean Dome. The Memphis fans dropped back to their feet, they knew their Achilles heel had been severed.

Kansas came out in overtime like a poacher out to slay the big cats. Memphis looked tired and flat footed. The once raucous crowd had dulled to a slight murmur. They were feeling more pain at that moment then I was during the first half of the UNC game. The Kansas fans rose in anticipation as Memphis began to foul. Down by three points with 45 seconds left in overtime, Memphis fouled in hope of a miss. I did not agree with this call, and felt they should have played out the shot clock and hope for a defensive stop. However, both the free throws went down. Kansas, now up by five, stopped Memphis on their last possession, and the game was there. The buzzer sounded, Kansas fans cried of joy. Memphis fans hung their heads in shame. Free throws: the simple yet most integral part of the game. All Memphis had to do down the line was sink one more free throw to seal a national title. Confetti began to rain from the dome roof, and the Kansas teams were draped in Adidas apparel and hats. The UNC students stood their, more in awe than jealousy. Yes we had made a trip to see our Heels, but it was worth it to stick around and watch the later games. I will remember that game for the rest of my life. And next year, assuming our boys stay, we will only be stronger.

The fans poured out of the Alamo Dome. The smell of Kansas pride burned our Tar Heel nostrils as we tried to head to the Riverwalk. We now remembered why we wanted to cheer for Memphis, and the group of UNC students decided to stop by the grocery store, pick up a bottle of wine, and sit by the river and enjoy the beautiful nighttime sky. Most importantly, we avoided the thousands of Kansas fans out to rub it in our face, because yes, we were wearing our Carolina blue. That night we talked about our trip, how we don’t regret anything about it, what we want to do in the future, how we’re mad about the AD selling our student tickets to the Ram’s Club, and many other things. It was the most relaxing night on the trip. After the city cleared out and we were able to call a cab, we headed back to the hotel. The next day would be one of travel and back to the worst place in Texas . . . Houston.

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