March Madness: Walker Kessler headed home, Tar Heels to Sweet 16

March Madness was a brief affair for Walker Kessler and the Auburn Tigers, while his former team, the North Carolina Tar Heels, is headed to the Sweet 16.

North Carolina fans rejoiced on Saturday night when the Tar Heels beat the top-seeded Baylor Bears in overtime despite Brady Manek’s ejection, Caleb Love’s foul out, and nearly insurmountable odds stacked against them courtesy of an officiating crew that shouldn’t be allowed to oversee a middle school game.

A vast number of them rejoiced again on Sunday night when the Auburn Tigers fell to the Miami Hurricanes in the Round of 32, abruptly ending the sophomore campaign of one Walker Kessler.

See, it was Kessler that transferred from the University of North Carolina just before the retirement of former UNC head coach Roy Williams. Kessler’s departure may have even been the straw that broke the camel’s back in Williams’ decision to call it quits, and the same fans relishing in Kessler’s quick exit from the NCAA Tournament haven’t forgotten it.

They’re also enjoying Kessler’s final box score of the season, the one that reads two points on 0-for-6 shooting to go along with a meager two rebounds and two blocks. He played just four minutes in the first half and was on the bench in the game’s waning moments when the Hurricanes were finishing off the dominant performance that propelled them to the NCAA Tournament’s second weekend.

In contrast, I don’t revel in Kessler’s failures. I really don’t revel in his successes, though I’m sure a hoard of rabid Twitter followers were quick to hit me with their “ah-ha” and “what now?” tweets the moment the clock hit double-zeroes.

My interest in Kessler, as it is with nearly every other player to have ever worn a Carolina jersey, is that he’s a former Tar Heel, one that I spent nearly two years watching compete at both the high school and collegiate level prior to his move from Chapel Hill to Auburn — a move that didn’t leave me feeling slighted as it did with so many others.

And in truth, I fully understand the frustration that UNC fans feel toward Kessler for his decision to leave, though I simply don’t subscribe to it myself. After all, he made a choice that he felt was better for him and his future, and I can’t rationalize faulting him for that.

Furthermore, the Tar Heels have done rather well for themselves in Kessler’s absence. As gifted of a player as Kessler is, particularly from a defensive standpoint, it’s his parting that helped paved the way for Brady Manek’s arrival; the same Brady Manek that scored 26 points in less than 30 minutes and helped the Tar Heels build a 25-point lead against the Baylor Bears in their own back yard.

I wish Kessler the best. I’ve stood firm on that all along. But I’m glad he’ll be watching the Tar Heels play next weekend from his couch and not the other way around.

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