Whether top-seeded Maryland or unseeded North Carolina emerges on Monday as the winner of the 2016 NCAA Division I men's lacrosse championship, decades of disappointment and frustration will be wiped out.
The Terps (17-2) are 0-8 in the title game since capturing their last crown in 1975. The Tar Heels (11-6) are making their first finals appearance since 1993 and are seeking their first championship since 1991.
Still, both sides did their very best to downplay the enormity of a task of trying to end a drought that has caused much consternation among alumni.