No one, and we mean, no one wanted to believe the news of Seth Trimble's injury.
Tar Heel fans know just how important Trimble is to the UNC basketball program's success, as now they will have to play without their senior leader for an extended period of time.
While the injury news is not what anyone wanted to hear, it may just be a sign of good things to come?
Remember the 2016-2017 season, the last time the UNC basketball program won the national championship? We're sure you do.
At the beginning of the season, expectations were high in Chapel Hill, especially coming off a devastating loss in the 2016 NCAA title game. The Roy Williams-led Tar Heels had to start the season without one of its key contributors, Theo Pinson, who missed the first 16 games of the season due to a broken bone in his right foot.
Like Trimble, Pinson served as a leader for the UNC basketball program, as fans remember him being that "glue guy" who did just about anything to help his team win. Whether he was needed to be a lockdown defender or was tasked with facilitating (or scoring) the basketball, Pinson's presence was missed, but when he returned to action at the beginning of January that season, special things happened for the UNC basketball program.
North Carolina won the first six games upon his return, and posted an impressive 11-2 record over the final stretch of the regular season. We all know how that season ended, with Pinson and the UNC basketball program cutting down the nets on April 3, 2017.
Is this deja vu for the UNC basketball program?
It feels like a very similar situation is unraveling in front of our eyes. Sure, there are some differences (such as Trimble playing in two games to start the year while Pinson was sidelined throughout the entire non-conference slate). Additionally, this year's team. given it's fully restructured, isn't regarded as a national title frontrunner like the 2016-2017 squad was.
However, Tar Heel fans remember when Pinson was forced to miss action, which was a significant blow to the UNC basketball program. While Trimble's absence is something no one wanted, fans will be pleasantly surprised if the team outcome is the same this time around, resulting in this year's squad cutting down the nets just like Pinson and the Tar Heels did.