Every new basketball season brings excitement, expectation, and hope. In Chapel Hill, the excitement is another successful, fun filled basketball season. The expectation is to sweep State and to earn a favorable tournament seed for March. The hope is to be the last team standing on that Monday night in April. To the delight of many fans, on three occasions in the Roy Williams era, the Tar Heels have indeed been the last team standing.
As fans, we soak it in as it is unfolding. The joy runs deep. We become unhinged with the excitement of the moment. The most recent usually becomes our favorite. Multiple years removed, I take a look back at some correlations of the Roy Williams led title teams; everything from injuries to specific championship night plays.
Because we are Carolina, we have to include the injury bug:
2009-Ty Lawson and Tyler Zeller
2017-Joel Berry and Kenny Williams
The foundational recruiting classes:
2005-the 2002 class led by Raymond Felton, Sean May, and Rashad McCants
2009-the 2005 and 2006 classes led by Tyler Hansbrough, Danny Green, Ty Lawson, and Wayne Ellington
2017-the 2014 class led by Joel Berry, Justin Jackson, and Theo Pinson
Maui Invitational Champions:
2005-beat Iowa
2009-beat Notre Dame
2017-beat Wisconsin

ACC tournament champions:
2005-Duke
2009-Duke
2017-Duke
Productive play from a freshman, sixth man, big man:
2005-Marvin Williams
2009-Ed Davis
2017-Tony Bradley
Facilitate and pass first point guards who could score when needed:
2005-Raymond Felton
2009-Ty Lawson
2017-Joel Berry

Four 1,000 point scorers:
2005-Felton, McCants, May, J. Williams
2009-Lawson, Ellington, Green, Hansbrough
2017-Berry, Jackson, Maye, Meeks
The almost stub your toe game:
2005-Villanova
2009-LSU
2017-Arkansas
Motivation from falling short the prior year:
2005-lost to Texas in the second round
2009-got blown out by Kansas in the Final Four
2017-the Kris Jenkins shot

Championship night game sealing plays:
2005-Felton’s steal with 30 seconds left
2009-in all honesty, it was over at the tip
2017-Kennedy Meeks block and steal
No matter how the team makes it happen, when it happens, Tar Heel fans flood Franklin Street, living in the moment and reflecting later.
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