One more time. One more game. And this USRT adventure would finally come to an end.

And what a game it was - #3 Louisville playing #1 North Carolina, with the winner advancing to the Final Four in San Antonio.

Following our side trip to the campus at Davidson, we headed over to Tavern on the Tracks, a neat little bar on the south side of town with a real Buffalo feel. We enjoyed a beef on weck and a bologna with onions sandwich, not quite on par with the real stuff in Buffalo but pretty darned close. And since this tavern was really on the tracks, those tracks being the light rail line to the arena, we left our car there and hopped aboard, on a train loaded with red clad Cardinals fans in full rally mode.

That would not be the case, however, once we stepped into Charlotte Bobcats Arena, as the packed house, and we mean packed, over 19.092 fans was largely Tar Heels country, and the building was rocking in anticipation of UNC’s first return to the Final Four since their championship run three years ago. Unlike Thursday’s game which had the feel of an upbeat yet somewhat sane audience, tonight’s game would have the effect of a full throated postseason home court crowd.

And for Tar Heel nation why shouldn’t it? Anyone who bleeds Carolina Blue certainly remembers the massive choke job that their Heels pulled in last season’s regional final as they blew a late ten point lead and lost in overtime to Georgetown. There would be no holding back for fan enthusiasm on this night.

And at first it seemed the Heels would do just that as they broke open a tight game late in the first half and got the lead as high as twelve points and were threatening to break this game open like they had every other in their tourney run.

But this was a Louisville team playing its best ball at the right time of the season that would respond to the challenge in front of them. They slowly crawled back into it, and assisted by a ton of whistles against Carolina wound up tying the score at 59 about halfway through the second.

Finally a competitive game, something we hadn’t witnessed since leaving the St. Pete Times Forum the previous Sunday and better yet for a spot in San Antonio. Carolina held a slim lead for the next few minutes until Carolina began to break the game open on three big shots.

1. Ty Lawson’s 3 with about five minutes to giving the Heels a seven point lead and some real separation from the Cards.

2. Tyler Hansborough knocking down two critical shots from beyond the paint, the second coming with about a minute and a half to go and the shot clock about to run out. The bucket gave the Heels a nine point lead that effectively lit the cigar for them. It was at this moment we spotted a sign in the stands that summed up everything. “Need Tickets For San Antonio!”.

Carolina will face the winner of the Kansas/Davidson game next Saturday. Regardless of opponent there will be a great storyline to the upcoming national semifinal.

Meet Kansas, and it’s Roy Williams facing the school that he coached for fifteen years and left in ‘03 much to the scorn of Jayhawk nation. Oh how Kansasfan is licking their chops at that one.

Face Davidson, and it’s the classic David and Goliath game. The number one team in the nation(and all time where wins/losses are concerned) facing the little engine that could. Who knew when these same two clubs met in this exact same venue(a four point win for the ‘Heels) back in November that they could meet again for a spot in the National Championship.

So after the watching the championship awards presentation it was time to point the car northwards to B-lo and home. In the rear view mirror were the shining lit skyscrapers of Charlotte, and memories of another fantastic sports road trip which we will savor for a long, long time.

Go Wildcats!!!!!!!!!

Pretty much all powder blue inside a SRO arena

Fans and revelers exit the trains at the arena station, just steps from the front door

Plenty of action going on along the bars and bistros on Trade Street

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