This (Non) Sporting Life: Duke Vs. Carolina II

Welcome to This (Non) Sporting Life where I, Dave-El, Nerdius Extemius, who knows nothing about sports writes about sports.

 

This past Saturday, my family gathered in the Fortress of Ineptitude to watch the 2^nd regular season match up of the Duke Blue Devils and the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) Tarheels.

 

When I say gathered, I mean

 

1. I am on one end of the sofa, rooting for Duke and shouting helpful suggestions at the TV such as “Put the ball through the hoop” and “Don’t let the other guys put the ball through the hoop!”
2. My wife Andrea on the other end of the sofa, pulling for Carolina and making helpful commands like “Don’t forget to rebound”.  Not rebounding is to Andrea a sin most egregious.
3. Our daughter Randie, home from college, safely ensconced in the recliner, absorbed in some game thing called “Critical Role” and peripherally aware of her normally non-sports parents uncharacteristically involved with a basketball game.

 

In the previous Duke/Carolina match up, during 40 minutes of regulation game time, Carolina led for 39 of those minutes.  Carolina has struggled this season and has been abnormally bad this year.  But during that game with Duke, it looked like the otherwise hapless Tarheels might pull away with a win.  Then in minute #40, Duke gets hot all of a sudden and the game goes into ovetime and eventually Duke wins.

 

I actually felt bad for Andrea and for Carolina. Yes, my team won but I felt compelled to subdue my celebration of that victory.

 

For game two, all bets were off.

 

Game two was on Duke’s home court and Duke led the entire game. Carolina did fight valiantly and pulled within a point or two a few times but for the most part, Duke held on to a consistent lead throughout the game.

 

DUKE WINS! OH YEAH! OH YEAH!

 

Andrea was bummed as she is every time Carolina loses a game. I do try to be respectful of that. Normally.

 

This time?

 

DUKE WINS! OH YEAH! OH YEAH!

 

I’m sorry but last time I held back:

 

duke wins! oh yeah! oh yeah!

 

This is the last game of the season at Duke’s home court.

 

DUKE WINS! OH YEAH! OH YEAH!

 

Andrea was clinging to the hope that if Carolina beat Duke AND then goes on to win all the games in the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament (which starts tonight), Carolina might get invited to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. 

 

Meanwhile, Randie looks up from Critical Role for a moment and wonders, “Is this basketball shit still going on?”