Seniors still focused on bigger prize

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina won the ACC title outright, just as it was projected to, by beating nemesis Duke on Sunday.

All is right in the world. But the path to this title hardly went according to script.

The Tar Heels were anointed to be invincible in the preseason by many of us in the media. Clearly, we were wrong. They were one of the elite teams, but they weren't unbeatable. Sure, they looked to be untouchable when they stormed Detroit's Ford Field for a warm-up to the Final Four in early December by wasting host Michigan State.

But so much has happened since then that made the Tar Heels a contender for the title with a collection of other teams like Pitt, Connecticut, Oklahoma, Louisville and possibly a few others.

"I like the way it is now," said Carolina senior Bobby Frasor after the Tar Heels' emotional 79-71 victory at the Dean Smith Center and a lengthy senior speech session that was capped off by a choked-up, teary-eyed Tyler Hansbrough, who addressed what each family member and Carolina coach and player meant to him during his storied four-year career here.

"When you're out in front, as the leader of the pack, everyone is gunning for you," Frasor said. "Now there is parity with a number of other teams rising to the top. It should make for an interesting March and April."

Hansbrough added that it seemed like it's been a different No. 1 each week.

"You never know who the best team is week to week," Hansbrough said. "We'll see what happens at the end of the year."

That statement alone should provide insight into why the NCAA tournament is better off being relatively wide open than some sort of expected coronation. The Tar Heels might ultimately win the title, but the path to the championship is better off on gravel than a smooth, paved road.

"It wasn't unfair [to put us high] because we were in the Final Four and everyone was coming back and there was a lot expected of us," UNC guard Ty Lawson said. "The way the media portrayed us was that we were a giant and we wouldn't lose a game. That's tough to stand up to. We did our best and we still won the ACC championship."

The Tar Heels' setbacks and flaws have made this season even more intriguing.

UNC's nightmare scare happened in the preseason, when Hansbrough was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his right shin. He also suffered a left ankle bruise. He ended up missing a total of four games.