UNC Basketball: Tar Heel nation rocked the Garden!

In what was a “neutral site” game for the UNC basketball program, the Tar Heel faithful made it feel as if the game was in Chapel Hill.

This year’s CBS Sports Classic, which was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, is one that UNC basketball fans will remember for quite some time.

After trailing by as many as 14 points, the Tar Heels battled back to force overtime on a buzzer-beater by Pete Nance to end regulation. From there, the momentum completely shifted, as North Carolina took control to secure the victory.

I was fortunate enough to be in attendance for this one, as New York City is a short trip away from me (of course, New York traffic stinks, but we’ll save that for another day!).

Let me tell you: with four very popular schools competing in this event, I was expecting a lot of fans from each of the fan bases.

However, one color stood out the most: it was like a sea of Carolina blue both inside and outside of the arena.

Walking in, I would estimate that it was about 80-85 percent North Carolina fans, with some Ohio State fans trickled in. My first thought was “I’m sure there are fans for the other teams here somewhere,” but the experience inside quickly made me realize that I was part of a Tar Heel takeover.

Don’t ever be fooled: the presence of the crowd makes a major difference in any sporting event. This was the case in this game, as the Tar Heels undoubtedly fed off the crowd.

If you don’t believe me, check out what Armando Bacot had to say about the fans for this neutral site competition.

It’s been quite some time since the Tar Heels last competed in New York City, 2010 to be exact.

Maybe it was the fact that the tri-state area fans were excited about the team’s return to the area, or possibly that Tar Heels fans just travel well.

Whatever the case was, the Tar Heel faithful showed up and played a major role in this game.

The atmosphere was incredible: it felt as if you were actually sitting at the Dean Smith Center for a game. Fans in attendance went through the emotional roller coaster that we call a game and were there to get loud to support the good guys.

For someone who was fortunate enough to be sitting in one of the world’s most famous arenas on Saturday, I have to say:

UNC basketball fans, you did one heck of a job supporting the Tar Heels.

This one will go down in the record books as a neutral site game, but it seriously felt like we were in Chapel Hill.

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