Tempering my enthusiasm

I should be calling my brother today. I should be gloating. I'm not.

Rivalries run deep in all sports. You see, my brother is a North Carolina fan. I'm for Duke. We all know Duke took down the Tar Heels last night, 64-54. North Carolina stayed with the Blue Devils for the majority of the game, but in the end, Duke prevailed.

While I should be elated with the victory, that elation is a bit tempered. It should be. This season's version of North Carolina we're witnessing is not even close to last year's National Champs. This '09-'10 team is barely a shadow compared to last season's team.

The Tar Heels are the defending champs and they are wearing that dreaded target for more reasons that that. They are, after all, North Carolina. It's cliche' to say they'll get every team's best shot, but they do.

I'll admit, I was taken aback when the preseason rankings came out and North Carolina was deemed a top 10 team, top 5 in a few polls. But we all need to be realistic. All you have to do is look at this year's roster and compare it to last year's. Sure, all college teams undergo a roster flip due to varying reasons, but UNC's roster was devastated. The current "free fall" of the Tar Heels is so easily understandable.

Gone is the heart and soul of the Tar Heels for the past four years, Tyler Hansbrough. He was undoubtedly the team leader. That void is extremely tough to fill, and UNC head coach Roy Williams does not have any player currently playing that can halfway fill that void. Hansbrough was there last night at the Dean Dome as his #50 was retired.

I liked watching Hansbrough play. Coming from a fan of Duke hoops, many may find that statement surprising, I know. But Hansbrough was tenacity at its finest. It served him well as he was a first round selection in the last NBA draft (13th overall) to the Indiana Pacers. We hear of Tim Tebow and all of his intangibles. Put Hansbrough in the category, too.

Besides Hansbrough, three more former Tar Heels were selected in the draft and are contributing on some level to the teams they are currently with. Both Ty Lawson (18th) and Wayne Ellington (28th) were also first round selections. Lawson is learning the ropes of being an NBA point guard from Chauncey Billups in Denver and Ellington is an integral member of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Throw in Danny Green (2nd round, 46th overall) to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Tar Heels lost four extremely important pieces from last year's team.

As a Duke Blue Devils fan, I should be revelling in the recent demise of UNC. Watching your archrival deteriorate before your very eyes should be gratifying.

It's not. I like when both teams are highly ranked.

Put more of an edge on the game.