Had a great getaway weekend to the NCAA's in Charlotte, even though I was battling a chest cold and cough the entire time. Things went according to plan at our venue, unlike so many other sites where the big boys got knocked off. UNC and Duke are both formidable, though Carolina looked to have the deeper and stronger team overall. I don't believe I have ever seen a team shoot the ball as well as UNC did in the opening round, and they didn't slack off much in the second game.
I had anticipated strong partisan support for the two North Carolina teams at the Charlotte complex, and the folks in the powder blue garb had the place rocking for the UNC-Oakland game on Friday. What stunned me was the crowd behavior when we came back to the evening session for the Duke game. I always expect a little support for the underdog in a #1 seed vs. #16 seed game, and Delaware St. fit the profile as well as anyone could, but this Carolina crowd was clearly not just pro-underdog. They were anti-Duke.
A little questioning of the locals seated around us revealed an open hostility to the Dukies. They are a small school compared to N.C. State and UNC, and are viewed not only as rich and elitist, but are also resented because they're always winning, damn them. One guy explained that they are seen in those parts like most people view the New York Yankees. That I could relate to.
Posted by dan at March 22, 2005 12:30 AM