The scene was a conundrum of sorts, considering the absence of utter heartbreak and pin-drop silence one would anticipate after a season-ending defeat and denied upset bid over a top-seeded adversary.
There were teammates yelling back and forth out of anger, while others goofily danced. There were Tar Heels devoured by the final minutes of the loss hiding in the shower area, and others flaunting welcoming smiles as reporters waltzed in. There were tears, and there was laughter.
But above all else, there was a search for meaning — a thorough examination of the previous four months’ work resulting in defeat.
“It’s motivation. We don’t ever want to feel like this again,” said freshman guard Jamie Cherry, whose last-second heave ricocheted off the backboard as time expired. “Going into next year, we’ve got to have the same mindset. We’ll be fully ready.”
Some won’t be permitted the opportunity to sweat and toil through months of preparation in order to quash the ailments of Friday’s collapse, accounting for much of the regret present in the locker room.
Senior guard Brittany Rountree, as well as three other seniors, witnessed her UNC career come to an abrupt conclusion after the Tar Heels blew a three-point lead with 1:01 remaining in the second half.
She’ll always remember the final moments of her career, as SEC Player of the Year Tiffany Mitchell drove the heralded defender to the basket and scored with 4.2 seconds left. Cherry’s Hail Mary, with a few seconds still left on the clock to advance the ball, will forever be etched in her memory.
“I was pretty pissed. Something that I won’t forget,” said Rountree before changing directions and looking at the game through an optimistic lens.
