Who Would You Root For?

As upset as I am that my Tar Heels blew an easy win over the College of Charleston, there is something positive in this. Coastal started the season with a 70-59 win over this same Charleston team, meaning that Coastal could technically beat UNC (according to the associative property). Unfortunately this is probably far from the truth since Coastal did get rocked by Duke (74-49) earlier this season, but I can hope right.

This leads me to wonder who I would cheer for in a UNC/Coastal showdown. I remember debating this back when Buzz Peterson was our coach and the possibility of North Carolina coming down to open our new arena (that magical arena that never happened) seemed realistic at the time. Unfortunately Buzz left, the arena fell through and Charleston got the upset instead of us. As for who I would root for in the game… I think I’d have to cheer for the upset.

I’ve been a die hard Tar Heel fan since I was about 3 (1989) and my 13 year old brother gave me a lesson on who Michael Jordan was and why I should worship his every move. Since then I’ve witnessed three national championships (1993, 2005, 2009) and a number of Final Four appearances (1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2005, 2008, 2009). Even back then I dreamed about what it would be like to attend the University of North Carolina when I eventually graduated high school. Unfortunately when the time came around, the cost of out-of-state tuition at the school was a little more than I was willing to get myself into (isn’t life better when you’re 3 and not thinking about the financial side of your goals?). So instead I went to Coastal Carolina University and the rest was history.

But should I really let the fact that I couldn’t afford UNC result in me turning my allegiance against them when this mythical matchup did eventually happen? Why would I cheer for Coastal when I’ve liked UNC my whole life? Well I have had some insane memories of Coastal Basketball (See picture… even though we were terrible back then). I’ve also had some awesome times during my stay at Coastal, and have fallen in love with the University and it’s sports teams. I’ve also never been to a Tar Heel game even though it was my one goal while living down south and now I’m graduating in May and moving back to NY.

All in all I think that this personal connection with my school and Coastal Basketball adds up enough for me to take their side in this battle of these Division 1 powerhouses (just kidding). Who would you cheer for when your University faced off against your favorite NCAA sports team? (Unless, of course, you’re loyal enough for these teams to be one and the same)…