April 4, 2022. My beloved Tar Heels lose to your beloved Jayhawks 72-69. That was a tough one. After a year of hard-fought wins and upsetting favorites, watching my team of underrated Heels triumph over the powerhouse of UCLA – the Cinderella team of St. Peter’s and all-time rivals Duke – sent me into a frenzy of hope and dreaming, all to fall short to the Hawks of Lawrence.

It was tough to see it happen. UNC fought hard from the beginning, forging a sizable gap, and just when it seemed as though the impossible was attainable, KU came back. Without a deep bench, UNC was unable to keep the foot on the gas and find an answer to KU’s unrelenting offense and defense.

I watched UNC’s lead level out and eventually get surpassed. But even after the final seconds, I was proud of the team. Despite injuries and players gassing out from exhaustion, UNC did not quit. It was a dog-fight; a true battle of attrition to the very end. Despite the unfavorable odds, head coach Hubert Davis and squad never relented but were unlucky to fall to the mighty Hawks.

It was hard seeing everyone storm Lawrence. It was hard seeing Snapchat friends boast on their stories, and it’s even harder seeing the “2022 National Champs” shirts worn all throughout the state. But it all has made me excited, excited for any Tar Heel that ever played the game themselves.

Personally, the excitement of retribution with the coming season is unparalleled to any feeling experienced in previous runs. The chance that my Heels, the number one ranked team in the country, might come back and stuff it to anyone that doubts them yet again.

Although they haven’t had the strongest start to the season, UNC remains undefeated and continues to work through early kinks and deficiencies to remain as such. We are the Cinderella story this 2022-2023 season. We are both David and Goliath, and I hope to sport the 2022-2023 national championship shirt in the near future.

Edited by Glorianna Noland, Simran Shrestha