It must have been unsettling to be in the Dean Dome today. UCLA, a team
which seemed certain to lose to UNC, came in, played a game full of errors and
mistakes - and
nonetheless won.
In years past, a team like this never would have beaten UNC on their own home
floor, much less at the Dean Dome. And there's no doubt that word has
gotten out - UNC is vulnerable. Does that mean they'll fall apart? It doesn't
have to. But it does mean that other ACC teams, and fans of other ACC schools,
are going to be licking their chops, and in the time-honored tradition of the
ACC, if they can hurt them, they'll do it as thoroughly as possible.
Remember 95? Remember how much teams enjoyed humiliating Duke?
Things are probably not that bad in Chapel Hill, but there is a perception now
that they can be beaten, and so unless and until they can refute that
perception, the other ACC camps are going to do their best to rub it in.
Next up - UVa, a team which bears a disturbing resemblance to a younger Weber
State. They will try and run UNC out of Charlottesville, and their fans
will be behind them all the way. Whether they can do it or not is another
story, but the idea is out there now, and as long as it seems possible, everyone
is going to be gunning for the Heels in a big way. How they deal with that
added pressure will go a long ways towards determining the rest of their season.